Francesco Molinari heads to the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational high on confidence after a top ten finish in The Open Championship, and the Italian is keen to capitalise on his fine form at Firestone Country Club.
The 30 year old finished tied ninth at Muirfield with a steady one over par 72 on a testing final day, a result which beat his previous best in golf’s oldest Major of tied 13th, in 2009.
Although faced this week with a somewhat different test from the links of Scotland, Molinari is optimistic he can translate his recent form to the lush, tree-lined layout in Akron, Ohio and next week’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
“It was a very good result at Muirfield and it’s nice to get a bit of confidence heading into these two weeks,” said the two-time Ryder Cup player. “It’s a very different challenge this week and a very different kind of golf, but I like this event a lot and I think from a player’s point of view it’s one of the best tournaments of the season.
“The golf course is fantastic and the whole set-up is really, really good. Hopefully I can get another good result.”
Molinari is chasing his second WGC title, having tasted success in the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai in 2010 – a victory which cemented his reputation as one of the best and most consistent players in the world.
“It’s been a while since that win – almost three years,” he continued. “I have great memories of China and beating a field of that quality. WGC events are great and if you can get into them it’s brilliant because you’re playing against the best players in the world and testing yourself on incredible courses.
“It’s going to be an interesting week here. On this course your entire game has to be at its best. You need to be firing on all cylinders. It’s important to hit the fairways, so your long game needs to be good, and the greens are very fast and tricky, so it’s not a case of job done even if you’re hitting fairways and greens.
“It challenges you all the way and coming here in good form will hopefully be rewarded.”
Molinari added: “Coming from The Open Championship two weeks ago, this is a great stretch now. You get a few days off after The Open then it’s straight back into the thick of it here in America. It’s a very good little run of events.”
