Dubai, UAE ….
They are close friends but Francesco Molinari is not about to give Tommy Fleetwood the proverbial cold shoulder when the duo tee-up Thursday in the 2018 finale to the European Tour season.
Only a victory by Fleetwood in the DP World Tour Championship will deny Molinari the title of European No.1.
And while we saw their strong friendship during the recent Ryder Cup, Molinari was asked ahead of the $US 8m event what the atomsphere will be like between the two and if he would be giving Fleetwood a cold shoulder.
“No, we’re too friendly,” said Molinari.
Francesco Molinari not about to give Tommy Fleetwood the proverbial cold shoulder.
“and it’s Thursday, anyway, so it’s too early, anyway, to really think too far ahead. I’m sure we’re going to have fun, and like any time we’re paired together, like I said, all I can do is focus
on my game and try to do as good as I can.
“I don’t know honestly if that’s going to be, you know, winning the tournament or finishing Top-20 or Top-10 or Top5,
whatever it is I need to do my best, and then have some deserved time off.
“And after a few days, weeks, months, off, go back into the process of getting better and building it for next year and hopefully achieve more things next year.”
It has been an incredible 2018 for Molinari, who won his first Rolex event at the BMW PGA Championship and later in the summer he became the first Italian to win a Major in capturing the Open Championship.
He then became the first European in Ryder Cup history to win five points out of five, securing the winning point in the singles against Phil Mickelson.
Molinari has not missed a cut all season – extending his run in regular European Tour events to over four years – and with a second placed finish in the Rolex Series on home soil at the Italian Open, winning the Harry Vardon Trophy would cap a remarkable season.
“It feels incredible,” he said. “A new position for me, I’ve never been here in the past.
“I think it’s just a consequence and a sign of an incredible season. I would have never guessed that I would be here in this position if you told me in April or May this year but it’s been an incredible summer, topped by an unbelievable Ryder Cup.
“Really, it’s a dream season for me and it’s nice to be here in this position. Hopefully I’ll be able to close it out. I know it’s not going to be easy and I’m not making any assumptions but I’ll do my best on the course to do the job.
“You can have the best week of your life and win one tournament but to win a competition that lasts throughout the season, with the amount of talent there is right now on the European Tour, is something really hard to do but it’s also still hard to figure out for me how I’m here in this position.”
