Francesco Molinari is looking forward to a Ryder Cup reunion over the first two rounds of the Portugal Masters.
The Italian took a half a point from Tiger Woods in the final singles game to ensure Europe won the trophy outright, and will partner Captain José María Olazábal and Martin Kaymer – the man who claimed the decisive point – for the first two days at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course.
“It’s definitely started to sink in, it's been a great,” said Molinari, who will be playing his first tournament since the Miracle of Medinah.
“It was a tough week up until the Sunday, and then we just had a fantastic day on Sunday. I think the more days go by, the more you think back about it and it seems even bigger and even better what we did.
“We knew that we could do it on Sunday morning, but if you think back now, it almost seems unachievable. It's just great to have been part of that team, and a fantastic achievement for everyone.
“We shared some great moments, obviously on Sunday Martin was playing in front of me, and Olazábal was watching us in the last few holes. So we were in the middle of it, and it's going to be fun. Everyone is going to try to focus on their game, but I'm sure we're going to re-live a little bit of those moments.”
While Molinari can revel in what was achieved in Chicago with his playing partners, he also has to attend to the serious business of trying to win an event where he has twice finished runner-up.
“I came here for a few years ago for the first time and didn't play very well, and since then I've had a couple of good finishes,” he added.
“I seem to putt quite well every time I play here, and I think the golf course is reasonably scorable. It's quite long, but still, you get some good chances and I just hope to have another good finish this week.”
