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THE RYDER CUP

September 25, 2018

Francesco Molinari

Guyancourt, France

STEVE TODD: Delighted to be joined by Francesco Molinari. Welcome to The Ryder Cup. Your first Ryder Cup since 2012 Medinah. Give us your thoughts on being back on the team this week.

FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, it's great to be back. Obviously it's not the nicest feeling to watch it from home. I've worked really hard to get back here, and I can't wait for the week to get started.

It seems like everything is in place for an amazing week, with the big crowds expected and the course. So really can't wait to start.

STEVE TODD: It's been a terrific year for you on the golf course. Give us a sense of what that does for your confidence level coming into The Ryder Cup as a Major Champion.

FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, I was saying outside, it's different obviously coming in after a season like I've had. I think I've improved a lot as a player since 2012, and I hope to show that on the course this week.

But on the other hand, it doesn't really matter what you've done so far. It's about those three days and the kind of golf that you can produce in those three days. So I'm looking forward to some good prep these next few days and hopefully some good golf at the weekend.

Q. Can you give us a flavour of how your life's changed since you became Open Champion, a major winner and the best place you've been with the Claret Jug?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: My life hasn't really changed. I went back and fortunate enough to have a wife and two kids that bring me down to earth pretty quickly.

Yeah, it's changed in the sense that I've played mostly in the States since, and down the fairways, loads of people congratulating me. You can see how big it is and also how nicely it was received. It's obviously very nice from my side.

Yeah, the Claret Jug, the first few weeks, it was with me all the time, and now I've learned to leave it behind, at least sometimes.

I've been asked a lot of times if I've drank out of it, and I've not done that yet, but yeah, there's going to be a time for that, and there's still obviously this week was a massive focus. I probably needed a few weeks after The Open to kind of settle down and get back to the new normality, and then since then, it's been about really preparing for this week and trying to get here in as good of form as possible.

Q. As a major winner, do you feel you have a new stature in the team from previous Ryder Cups?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: No, I think -- yeah, in some ways, but in the end, like I was saying, we are 12 players. I think the 12 of us are really, really capable of great golf. I think this is probably the best team I've been part of.

So yeah, I think everything kind of resets this week, and I'll do my best. I'll see how many games, how many matches I'll play, and whatever it's going to be, I'll do my best to bring some points and try to help the cause of the team.

Q. Tommy was in here just now and said that you and he are going out this morning. What are the strengths of his game and what would please you most about playing with him?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: He's an amazing, talented player. I think he's been through a tough spell and that probably made him even more resilient. I think coming out of that, he's now more confident than ever.

He's a really complete player. There's no weakness in his game. He's a great driver of the ball. He hits the irons really well. Putts well.

I think anyone on the team would be happy to partner him for the doubles, but yeah, to be honest, I don't know what's going to happen, and whoever of the other 11 guys it's going to be that I'm going to play with, they are all talented players and I can't wait to share the emotions of the cause with them.

Q. When you played at Medinah in 2012, you were up against Tiger in that Sunday singles, and got the final point for the team as part of that victory. What do you remember from that day? Secondly, you were playing with Tiger again in the final round at Carnoustie. Would you like to face Tiger again this week? What are your impressions of when you do play with him?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, I like playing with him. It's hard to say that you like playing with Tiger in the last match in a Ryder Cup like it was at Medinah because it's pretty intense. There's a lot of pressure.

But yeah, the memories of the day were obviously seeing the guys go out first and doing an amazing job and kind of getting us back into the Cup. And then the last few holes, it was really about keeping the ball in play and trying to keep the match alive for as long as possible.

I had a couple of chances to go 1-up I think on 15 and 16, but missed those putts. But it was I think, you know, for Martin and for the other guys that were in the last few matches, it was really about keeping every match open and try to give them some confidence with that.

I don't know if I'll draw him again this week. I'll do my best like I always do, and he's obviously in great form. It was nice to see him winning last week. I think he really deserved it after the season he's had.

But yeah, then this week, it's a different story, and in 18 holes, anything can happen. So if I do face him, I'll do my best to get something out of it.

Q. Just to follow up, when you bring the Claret Jug with you, what do you do with it?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Well, nothing. That's why after a few weeks, I decided maybe it wasn't the case to bring it with me all over the place.

But no, the first few weeks, it was just about seeing it, really. Putting it on a table, and for a guy like me, it takes awhile to realise what I've done and I've accomplished something like that. Yeah, it was just about leaving it on the table wherever I was staying and sometimes looking at it and looking at the names.

Obviously I've got it for one year, and I need to enjoy it as much as possible. I think use it, as well, to gain confidence for me and to really deeply understand what I've done and how I did it.

Q. Just to follow up on another question. Do you feel like you have a different swagger when you walk into a room, like when you walked into yesterday, because you do have an Open Championship, and do you feel more of a belonging than maybe you might have in the first two Ryder Cups?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: No, I think the two teams have been a part of -- everyone was feeling like they belonged, and one of the strengths of the European side I think has always been, you know, making everyone feel the same.

We all start at zero points at the beginning of the week, so it doesn't matter if you won a major or if you won more than one major. Just how many points can you win this week.

So I don't think I have a different swagger from that point of view, and I don't think I'm the kind of guy, anyway, to get in a locker room and shout things. That's not the way I do things.

I'll try to lead, if you want; if they want me to lead, I'll try to lead with my style. I'm not going to change anything for three days.

Q. You seem to be the only person at Carnoustie who wasn't getting carried away in the excitement of Tiger Woods possibly winning that major championship. Can you talk about the mental challenge of that at the time, and now that he's coming in here with so much hype, having just won, is that something that European Team maybe learn to learn from you?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, it was a challenge. I think probably the biggest challenge was when the draw came out. If I'm completely honest, like on the Saturday night, I wasn't exactly hoping to be paired with Tiger, not because I don't like to play with him but because obviously, like you say, the hype and you know with him being in contention in a major, it's going to be noisy and it's going to be a lot of people.

So the most challenging part was probably that moment when the draw came out, but then, you know, I quickly managed to think, you know, whatever; I don't really care. I'm here to do a job, and they can't really influence how I do my job.

So for me, that's going to be the same this week. Obviously the crowd is going to be on our side, but yeah, I think each one of us needs to really focus on the job in hand and focus on doing the things and the things that make them successful, and that will help us to be a successful team.

Q. Francesco, about the course, how do you know it, how do you feel it, and about some American players that don't know about it at all? So what do you think about it?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: It's a course I like a lot. I enjoy playing here. It's one of my favourite venues on The European Tour.

I've had some pretty good results in the past. I think it's a course that it's in front of you. There's no secrets. There's no tricks. It's a strong, tough course. You need to hit good golf shots off the tee and into the greens.

I'm not sure how much of an advantage it will be for us knowing it well. I think the only advantage we can have is maybe if the conditions change between the practise rounds and the tournament days, like different wind directions and things like that, because we've seen the course with any conditions, and they are going to have only three days to kind of see the course and learn how to play.

But yeah, it's in front of you. I think it's a great course because in the end, whoever hits the biggest number of good golf shots is going to probably win the match. So that's the kind of course that you want.

Q. Talking about your style and your passion, it's very insular, versus the two guys that came in before are very outwardly emotional. Can you run me through the pros and cons of both styles in this context of The Ryder Cup?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Well, I can say about my style. I'm not too sure I can comment on the style of any other players.

Look, it's a great week. It's the highest adrenaline and the highest pressure you're ever going to feel on a golf course. And like I said, I think the biggest thing is you need to deal with it the way you deal with it normally and in the way you know you can be successful.

There's no point in trying to be something that you're not. I think we need to obviously embrace the support of the crowds, and we'll try to do that. But then, yeah, I'll be the same me that I've always been, and we'll see, if I get paired with someone that has a bit more flair, probably there will be a balance, as well.

Q. What were your impressions of the impression of you on the video last night?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: I'm actually thinking of it all the time now answering questions, trying to smile a bit more (laughter).

Q. How would you describe the pressure of trying to win The Ryder Cup compared to the pressure of trying to win The Open at Carnoustie?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: You won't believe me, but it's nowhere near. Carnoustie was nowhere near Medinah or in any matching ways. It's hard to believe, but it's probably because you play for a team; you play for a continent in our case, and you know about the tradition and what players have done in the past.

Q. Going back to Medinah when Tiger conceded on the last match, it looked confusing. What did he say to you? You knew that the Cup had been retained and Tiger was off the green in trouble. What did he say to you? What happened?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: No, he just obviously said, "Congratulations." There wasn't much talking. There were people drinking already and jumping around, so there wasn't really time to talk a lot.

It was, yeah, very confused, very strange, to be honest, because we knew with Martin's putt, we retained the Cup. They told us obviously to finish the matches no matter what happened before us.

But yeah, to be honest, I have a lot more memories from the other 17 holes. The 18th hole was just a bit of a blur because there were, like I said, people jumping around and everything was over already before the conclusion of our match.

Q. The last man to play and captain a team in The Ryder Cup was Arnold Palmer in 1963. Have you ever thought about four years' time, would you want to captain and play?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: No.

Q. If I put some money on it, would it be worth a bit?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: No. No.

Q. Too young?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: No, no, not too young, but there's enough stuff going on, you know, if you're a player or a captain. And in your home country would be -- I would probably lose a few years of my life and I don't want to do that, honestly (smiling).

Q. Are you giving us a new Francesco now?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Can't you tell the difference? (Laughter).

STEVE TODD: On that note, thank you very much.

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