Molinari's US Amateur win a boost for Italian golf
IN: News | US Mens Amateur | US Amateur Championship (2005) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 29 Aug 2005
Edorado Molinari became the first Italian to win the Men's US Amateur title and just the second Italian to win a US Amateur title, when he defeated Dillon Dougherty 4 & 3 at Merion Golf Club today. Molinari joins his fellow Italian Silvia Cavalerri, who won the Women's event in 1997, as the only Italian winners of the most significant event in amateur golf.
Molinari overcame an early deficit courtesy of a blistering hot putter through the early stages of the second 18 to catch and pass his younger opponent. Molinari was four under for his front nine in the afternoon and had turned a lunchtime deficit of three into an advantage of two in that time. Two further birdies saw the 24-year-old win at the 33rd hole.
Molinari was the leading qualifier at one of the four final qualifying venues at this year's British Open and made the cut, eventually finishing 60th.
Both players gain starts at the US open and Masters in 2006 and Molinari will also play in the British Open Championship next year.
Michael Sim and David Lutterus finished the best of the Australasians after bowing out following the second round of match play when Sim went down to Matthew Swan at the first extra hole and Lutterus was beaten by Kevin Chappell 4 & 2.
Queenslanders Tom Davis and Andrew Dodt were perhaps unlucky when they missed qualifying for the match play section of the event by just one shot.
Graham Banister, the only other Australasian in the field, missed the cut by five strokes at 11.
At age 48, Banister is 28 years older than his nearest fellow Australian, 20-year-old Michael Sim. Banister is based in Raleigh in North Carolina and is President/CEO of RMS, Inc. a US University Student Card facility company. Last year, he competed in his first competitive golf tournament in 25 years and finished second at the North Carolina State Mid-Amateur. He once finished second to Greg Norman in the 1972 Queensland State Junior Championship in Australia.
