This season was the year Francesco Molinari broke out as a star in golf. Through a packed leaderboard with some of the world's best players, Molinari emerged at Carnoustie to claim his first major title. It was an exciting Sunday, with names like Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy in the mix, but it was the impressive, consistent play of Molinari that claimed the Open Championship.
Molinari further cemented his dominant 2018 by going 5-0 at the Ryder Cup to aid a European romp over the Americans at Le Golf National. Team "Moli-wood" was born as Molinari paired with his buddy Tommy Fleetwood to become one of the most memorable duos in Ryder Cup history—not just for waxing each American side, but for their sense of humor and friendship that created a folk lore around them.
Though Molinari's win might not be huge to American golf fans, it could be that you don't know much about the Italian golf star. Here are a few other things you should know about this year's Champion Golfer of the Year:
To get into a playoff for a spot in the U.S. Amateur's 64-man match play, Edoardo needed a birdie on his last hole, a par 3; from a bunker, he holed out. Then in the 36-hole championship match, he was 3 down after a rainy morning round. “My shirt was wet, so I asked in the pro shop if they had a magic shirt for a comeback,” Edoardo told Golf Digest's Dave Kindred. Dry and armed with a shirt with a Merion logo on the front, Edoardo birdied seven of 15 holes—using 18 putts—to win, 4 and 3.
Though he had already turned pro and had status on the European Tour, Francesco was good on his word. Who was Edoardo paired with during the first two rounds? None other than Tiger Woods, who Francesco played alongside with on Sunday at Carnoustie.
He won the Italian Amateur two times and took home his first European Tour title, his native Italian Open, when he was just 23 years old. Francesco took home the Italian Open again in 2016, becoming the event's only two-time winner from Italy since it became a European Tour-sanctioned event.
Edoardo's nickname, Dodo, comes from Francesco not being able to pronounce his oldest brother's full name when they were little.
Constantino Rocca's near victory at the 1995 Open at St. Andrews, losing in a playoff to John Daly, had been the country's best chance. (Molinari also finished T-2 at the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.)
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to become the only European duo to earn four points in a Ryder Cup. Heady stuff for "Moli-Wood," who became an Internet sensation not just for their play, but playing into it expertly, including a hilarious video in which they [posed together in bed after the Ryder Cup.(https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ryder-cup-2018-francesco-molinari-tommy-fleetwood-win-again-with-hilarious-videoin-bed)]
— (Jon Rahm is now eighth.) Molinari also leads the European Tour's season-long Race to Dubai standings.
Molinari ranked fourth in putting for the week at Carnoustie. Kenyon also coaches with Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and has worked with Rory McIlroy in the past. Molinari also credits recent work with British performance coach Dave Alfred, who has also worked with Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington, for his successful 2018: "He’s probably a personality and a figure that I was missing. He’s really helped me a lot."
Pugh on Molinari: "In terms of intensity, he is the hardest worker I have ever seen. He doesn’t necessarily work long hours. But when he is working it is always 100 percent effort and concentration."