‘It is my only goal’ – Francesco Molinari sets sights on Ryder Cup spot at Marco Simone in his native Italy

Francesco Molinari has said his only goal for the current season is to secure a spot at the Ryder Cup.

The 2023 Ryder Cup will be played at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, and Molinari has set his sights on playing in the event in his native Italy.

He has three Ryder Cup appearances to his name, and on each occasion he was on the victorious side.

Molinari’s latest appearance came in 2018, when he was at the peak of his powers having won his only major championship to date earlier in the same year.

He has struggled for form in the past couple of years, and plunged to as low as 249 in the world.

The Italian has enlisted the services of a new swing coach, and while admitting it is a process, he has shown flashes of decent form.

A tied-15th at the Open in July was followed by a tied-9th at the BMW PGA Championship, and he knows he needs to string together a run of good performances to force his way onto Europe captain Luke Donald’s team.

“It is a huge motivation for me,” Molinari said. “It is my only goal between now and September to be there, hopefully to make the team. If not, to play well enough to convince Luke to give me a pick.

“It is all I am playing for at the minute.”

While Americans play in home Ryder Cups every four years, it is different for their European opponents.

The Ryder Cup has never been held in Italy before, and Molinari knows it will be his only chance to compete in the event on home turf.

“It would be a nerve-racking, incredible experience to play a Ryder Cup in your own country, and I would really love to have that experience,” Molinari said.

“I chipped and putted really well, which you have to do to go that low,” he said. “Game was pretty good, I think.

“I can hit the ball off the tee a little better, but even the misses were in play, which is I think one of the keys here, not to get any penalty shots.”