Molinari Confirms Fooch Calling The Shots From First Event Of 2020

Open Champion Francesco Molinari has formally confirmed Mark ‘Fooch’ Fulcher will be taking over the caddying duty for the champion Italian golfer’s first event of the New Year.

‘Fooch’ is the former very long-time caddy to England’s Justin Rose but had to step down from caddying duties for the US Open winner late last year before undergoing heart surgery on January 10th to replace a valve.

Seventeen days late Rose captured a 10th PGA Tour victory and a 21st win of his career at the Farmers Insurance Open, and dedicated the win to ‘Fooch’.

Rose and ‘Fooch’ had been a player/caddy item since 2008 and with Rose appointing Gareth ‘Lordie’ Lord, and the former caddy to Sweden’s Henrik Stenson to fill in the absence of ‘Fooch’

And with ‘Fooch’ recovering for much of the year from the surgery, Rose made ‘Lordie’s’ appointment permanent leaving Molinari free to arrange for ‘Fooch’ to take over from Pello Iguarum, who had caddied for Molinari for many years and capped by a magnificent 10-month run of victories from May 2018 to March 2019  – the BMW PGA Championship, the Quicken Loans, the Open Championship, winning all five matches at the 2018 Ryder Cup and capturing this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational thanks to a sizzling final day 64.

Molinari reached a high of No. 5 on the World Rankings at last year’s BMW Championship but has since failed to reproduce his winning form to be now lying 12th on the Rankings and with not one top-10 since letting slip victory to finish T5th at The Masters.

Justin Rose and Mark ‘Fooch’ Fulcher

However, Molinari will be looking for that to all change with ‘Fooch’ by his side,

“I spoke to Pello, and my ex-caddy now, after the Italian Open and we pretty much both agreed with needed a change,”said Molinari.

“I had spoken with Fooch to see if he was healthy and if he wanted to come back out and I received a positive answer.  He brings a lot of experience and he’s done pretty much everything out here with Justin (Rose), so I like that and I also like his character.

“I have always admired both Justin and Fooch working so closely as a team out on the golf courses.  Fooch has a strong personality, so he is going to tell you what he thinks no matter the situation or the golf course you are playing.

The look of Molinari’s face says it all when he and long-time caddy, Pello agreed to split

“Hopefully, it will be good for my confidence to have something of Fooch’s standing on the bag.

“So, we will start working together in January.  I don’t know exactly my schedule but it will be in my first event of the New Year.

“He informs me he is healthy and he’s working hard on his fitness, so I think it is just a matter now of being fit enough to carry the bag and come back on the Tour’s.

 



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