Molinari's double whammy at Gleneagles
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2010 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles | Round Four | 30 Aug 2010
Edoardi Molinari’s fast finish at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles has not only secured him his second European title of his rookie season but has also earned him the right to join his brother Francesco as a member of the European Ryder Cup team.
So impressive was the manner of the victory that European captain had no option but to include Molinari in the line-up to face the Americans in just over a month’s time. Three birdies in his final three holes swept the 29 year old to his second win of the European Tour season, both of those coming in Scotland.
Molinari won the Scottish Open earlier in the season but needed something special this week if he was to force the hand of Ryder Cup captain Montgomerie. Justin Rose, Luke Donald. Paul Casey and Padraig Harrington all had justifiable claims to one of the three picks remaining but Molinari’s win sees two brothers playing in the European Ryder Cup team for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Donald and Harrington were also included with Molinari as the wild card selections.
It has been a dramatic rise for the former US Amateur Champion who, in the last eighteen months, has taken the world of golf by storm. He dominated the European Challenge Tour in 2009 and since then has won the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, the World Cup of Golf with brother, Francesco, and the two European Tour events this season.
This week’s victory will move him well inside the world’s top twenty and it appears with a lot more to come.
Australian Brett Rumford finished runner up and continued his very good season in Europe in 2010. It was the West Australian’s second runner up finish of the year and his 6th top ten. He moves to 29th on the Race to Dubai rankings with €656,000.
Rumford actually took the lead when he finished 35 minutes ahead of the final pairing of the finbal pairing of Francesco and Edoardo Molinari. At that point he stood at 9 under and with Molinari still on the 15th hole he held a two shot lead over the Italian. Then came the finish that would not only rock Rumford but cancel any hopes that Justin Rose or Paul Casey had of making the Ryder Cup Team.
Molinari birdied the par five 16th after two putting, holed a monster at the 17th before chipping close at the par five last to seal the victory. Not long after he learned the news that he had secured a place in the team for Celtic Manor.
Jamie Donaldson, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Francesco Molinari finished in a share of third, two behind Rumford.
The European Tour now moves to Switzerland for the Omega European Masters in Crans Sur Sierre.
