Edoardo Molinari was congratulated by younger brother Francesco after a disciplined display on the final day of the Piemonte Open saw him complete a wire-to-wire win.
Fresh from signing for a round of 70 on the third day of the BMW PGA Championship, Francesco hailed his brother’s victory as “fantastic”.
From the moment he opened up a two-shot lead on the second day at Golf Club La Mandria in his hometown of Turin, Molinari’s march to his third Challenge Tour title was never seriously in doubt.
A closing round of 70 for an 18 under par total meant he finished four shots clear of his nearest rival Gary Boyd, who maintains his place at the top of the Rankings after holing his second shot for eagle on the final hole to close with a round of 69.
Francesco said: “I’m really proud of him. It’s always special to win at your home club, especially when it’s by four shots. He’ll obviously be very happy, and it’ll be a great boost for the rest of the season. He’s worked very hard on his swing this winter, so he deserves to have a good year. I think he now has a really good chance of getting back onto The European Tour, which would be great for both of us.”
For his part Edoardo described the victory, his first on European soil following previous wins in Colombia and Kenya, as “very special”.
He added: “It’s great to win in Italy, in front of my home fans. It’s probably some of the best golf I’ve played in my whole career, particularly over the first three days, which is where I won the tournament. I didn’t play quite as well today, but I still felt in control – I only missed one green all day. I had set out this morning to get to 20 under par, but when I went eight ahead after four holes, I knew it was just a matter of not making any stupid mistakes.
“Credit to Gary, because he put me under a little bit of pressure. He’s definitely the best player I’ve played with this year. He’s a great ball-striker with great potential, so I think it’s going to be a very interesting battle between us this season. Hopefully one of us will win three times to get straight onto The European Tour, and leave the other one to win the Rankings. That would be ideal.”
His €24,000 winner’s cheque moved Molinari to second place in the Challenge Tour Rankings, some €1,863 behind leader Boyd.
The Englishman said: “My eagle on the last made a massive difference, because it meant I finished runner-up on my own rather than in a three-way tie for second. Because Edoardo started so well and played really solidly all day, my main aim was to get second, so I’m pretty happy.
“There’s still a long way to go – last year I was also leading the Rankings around this time, and didn’t finish in the top 20. But I learned a lot from the experience, and hopefully it’s made me a better player.”
Boyd’s compatriot Lloyd Kennedy closed with a round of 68 to finish in a tie for third on 12 under par alongside France’s Benjamin Hebert.
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