Francesco Molinari will return to action next week at the Portugal Masters
After making a contribution to the European team in its victory against the US team in the Ryder Cup last week, Francesco Molinari will return to action at next week’s Portugal Masters.
In Sunday’s singles, Francesco contended against the 14-time major winner Tiger Woods and clinched a half point, as the match tied in the end.
It was not just a half point. In fact, it was more than that for the European team. The scores, before the end of the final match between Francesco and Woods, were 14 – 13, in favour of the Europeans.
Therefore, a half-point allowed the European team to take home the Ryder Cup trophy with a victory, rather than doing the same with less respect – in case of a tie, the defending champions retain the cup.
Right after the celebrations, Francesco decided to take a week off on the European Tour and told that he will return to action at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course.
“The Ryder Cup was unbelievable, and I am looking forward to celebrating with everyone in Portugal next week,” said Francesco.
He will also be joined by his elder brother, Edoardo Molinari, in the competition. The inclusion of both the siblings will add strength to the already rich field of the Portugal Masters.
The Ryder Cup team captain, José María Olazábal, and Martin Kaymer, who clinched the winning point for the Ryder Cup by defeating Steve Stricker in the singles match, have already been added to the field this year.
According to Francesco, his experience and strong track record on the venue course will greatly help him to contend strongly in the tournament.
In 2009, he finished second and shared the runner-up spot in 2010 after he signed his scorecard with two 62s.
“I’m looking forward to it because it’s always an excellent week,” he said. “It’s obviously a course I like because I’ve had some very good results there and I have been unlucky not to win at least once. Hopefully I can put that right this time”.
He added, “It’s just a great event. Particularly at this time of year the weather in most of Europe cannot be relied upon to be good, but there it seems the sun always shines”.
Tags: