Edoardo Molinari returns to action amidst the splendour of the Swiss Alps this week having already conquered one summit in securing his Ryder Cup debut.
The elder of the Molinari brothers is competing in the Omega European Masters this week at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club, a venue as spectacular as the dramatic events of last Sunday.
Two days ago Edoardo was faced with a mountain to climb as he stood on the first tee of the PGA Centenary Course side by side with his brother Francesco and flanked by George O’Grady CBE, The European Tour’s Chief Executive, and Lord MacFarlane, Honorary Life President of Diageo, ahead of the final round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
The pressure on his shoulders was immense as he weighed up the challenge ahead of him. Not only was the Johnnie Walker Championship title at stake, but also the dream of a Ryder Cup place alongside his brother. When Edoardo won the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in July, his brother was also alongside him in the final round along with Darren Clarke, but this time it was just the brothers in arms, standing alone shoulder to shoulder in the final pairing for the first time on a day of monumental importance.
The only sets of brothers to have previously played in The Ryder Cup are the Whitcombe and Hunt brothers - Charles and Ernest playing in 1929 and 1931 with Reg making it three brothers in the same team in 1935, while Geoffrey and Bernhard Hunt played for Great Britain in 1963.
But since the expansion to include continental Europe in 1979, no European brothers had competed together and while Francesco was already assured of a place on The European Team, automatic qualification was out of reach of the elder sibling. The only option was to produce a performance that Europe’s Captain Colin Montgomerie simply could not overlook.
It was a unique situation, two brothers leading a tournament heading into the final round with so much at stake, and the presence of The European Tour’s Chief Executive and the figurehead of the title sponsors, Johnnie Walker, on that first tee at Gleneagles on the final afternoon underlined the significance of what lay ahead.
Edoardo had laid the foundations over the first three days and the summit was within reach. And the drama that unfolded over the next few hours will go down in the annals of European Tour history.
The last three holes in particular were as dramatic as any ever witnessed on The European Tour. Two shots behind Australian Brett Rumford with three holes to play, Edoardo needed to pull something out of the bag. A birdie at the 16th was followed by another on the 17th, his curling 30 foot putt drawn inexorably into the centre of the cup. His celebrations said it all as the putt dropped and he was level playing the last, needing a birdie to win. A drive and a fairway wood came up just short but, after a protracted wait as Francesco took a penalty drop which only added to the pressure, he played a sublime chip and had the shortest of tap in for a sensational victory.
He still had an hour to wait before European Ryder Cup Captain Montgomoerie confirmed what everyone knew was inevitable after such a performance, and when Montgomerie announced Molinari as one of his three wild cards along with Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington, the Italian was again jumping for joy.
Indeed, Montgomerie was full of praise for the sixth debutant on his team. “Edoardo Molinari, what can one say about his performance today”, he said. “In my time on the European Tour, over 24 years, I don't think I've seen a finish of that quality under such pressure by anyone, ever. And all credit goes to him for having to come here, having to win, doing so, and joining his brother.”
Edoardo Molinari’s victory and Ryder Cup selection will be celebrated across Italy and indeed Europe. He said: "It was quite an emotional moment for me because this means I will be playing with my brother and that is something that is almost unreal.
"For two brothers to be playing in The Ryder Cup - at that level of sport - is an amazing achievement.”
