‘It is a big motivation’ – Francesco Molinari has sights trained on Ryder Cup spot in his native Italy

Francesco Molinari is motivated to secure a return to Team Europe’s Ryder Cup roster in his native Italy.

Molinari has won the Ryder Cup on three occasions, in 2010, 2012 and 2018. His most impactful performance was in the latter, when he forged a brilliant partnership with Tommy Fleetwood at Le Golf National in Paris and secured five points.

The 39-year-old was riding high at that stage of his career, having won the Open Championship earlier in the year.

His form dipped in the second half of 2019 and he plunged to as low as 249 in the world.

Molinari showed a welcome return to form at the Open Championship at St Andrews, finishing in a tie for 15th, and followed that up with a top-10 finish at the BMW PGA Championship last week.

He is currently in his native Italy for the Italian Open, with the event being played on the venue for next year’s Ryder Cup – Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Molinari is well set to pick up some decent Ryder Cup qualification points for the second week in a row, as he is in a tie for 13th heading Sunday’s final round.

With his brother Edoardo a vice-captain and the event on home soil, Molinari is determined to make a big push for a place on Luke Donald’s team.

“It is a big motivation,” Molinari said of the 2023 Ryder Cup. “It is a long way away, but time goes by fast and you like to start the qualification period playing well, which I did last week.

“I will do my best to make the team. My brother is pushing me hard to do it, so hopefully we can both be in Rome next year.”