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SKY SPORTS BRITISH MASTERS

October 10, 2018

Francesco Molinari

Newcastle upon Tyne, England

NEIL AHERN: You've had a week off after that incredible experience at The Ryder Cup. How did you reflect on it and how did you enjoy the rest, as well?

FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, well, there wasn't a lot of time to be honest. A week goes by fast, but it was mainly, yeah, trying to recover. I was really, really tired at the end of The Ryder Cup week. Obviously a great week for me but especially for the team. Yeah, it stays with me, just the environment with the team, it's been really a special week from the beginning. I think a really big credit to Thomas for what he did.

Yeah, like I said, there hasn't been much time, so my last few months have been quite busy. I need to see the season out and then hopefully sit down and let the dust settle and reflect a bit on what's happening and what's been happening the last few months.

NEIL AHERN: Moliwood has taken the world by storm the last few days, and that video Monday morning. You're playing with him tomorrow in slightly different circumstances but I'm sure you're looking forward to reuniting, I suppose.

FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Of course. Of course. It's going to be a little strange to try and beat each other instead of playing as a team, but yeah, it's been great. Those days with Tommy, like I saw what he said, and he's right. We both really wanted to play together. We thought we could have been a successful partnership, and it was great from the first morning I think when we managed to turn the match around on Friday morning, and it was a big confidence boost. It's been great for the remainder of The Ryder Cup.

Q. Still a lot to play for this season, especially The Race to Dubai, leading Tommy. How much is that a motivation to keep going for the end of the year? How much do you want to win the European award?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, that's the big goal I have, but there's Tommy and there's many other guys who are chasing me. There's still a lot of points and money to play for, so what I can do is try to approach day by day, tournament by tournament, like I've done so far, and do my best and then we'll see after Dubai if that's enough for now.

Obviously it's been a great summer but it's been, like I said, a tiring summer. So I think it's going to be important to manage my mental energies more than anything, and I'd love to do it. It's know it's not going to be easy but I'm going to do my best to try and achieve it.

Q. With that many mind, what will you play before Dubai?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: I will play here, HSBC in China and then Dubai. I think since Wentworth, I never had two weeks off this summer. I had a week off here and there but really, like I was saying, it's been a bit of a blur. It's been going like a -- hard to explain.

It's been going fast and so many things happening, and really not enough time to rest and recover. My bag back at the end of The Ryder Cup was not great. On Monday, I couldn't do my shoelaces. I'm not a kid like Tommy. I need to manage my energies and my bodies.

Q. Is that because you had been carrying Tommy for a few days?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: I can't say that, unfortunately, no. I wish I could blame him, yeah (smiling).

Q. What's been the strangest and best reaction to The Ryder Cup, any messages from unusual people or reactions?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: I went back home in London last week and I think you saw the video from the train station going back to Paris, which was unexpected and very special. Since then, I went to Italy this Monday and at the airport, policemen at the passport control recognizing me and at the duty free, stuff that normally never happens. So you can see obviously it's been obviously a big summer for me and for my profile here in the U.K. and Italy. It's great to see and something you need to get used to, but it's all for the right reasons and really happy it's happening to me.

Q. Did you get to go through a special queue?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: No. Nothing, no benefits.

Q. What have you made of the fallout from the United States Team?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: I don't know. To be honest, I didn't see anything at the party. I didn't leave too late. The sun wasn't up yet. I didn't see anything. So you know, I can't comment on something if I don't know it's really happened or not. I can only comment about our team and the spirit that we have and nothing more than that.

Q. That win at Wentworth, did that give you the self-belief --
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: I think, yes, winning always helps to bring confidence, but I think the last two, three years, the improvement I was seeing in my game -- to be honest, up until Wentworth, my season was nothing special. It was a little bit disappointing because I could feel that my game had improved a lot. My putting was improving and everything was moving in the right direction. So I obviously couldn't see what was coming.

But yeah, Wentworth was important. Quicken Loans was important. The Open was more important. The Ryder Cup was even more important. So every win brings you something, and mentally, I think I'm in a different place now than I was before Wentworth. It's great to see, but I also know that results -- it can change quickly. So I need to focus on what I'm doing and taking it by day by day.

Q. Had you changed anything after missing the cut at THE PLAYERS?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Not really. We had a good sit down with the team around me after I missed the cut at THE PLAYERS. It was two weeks before Wentworth, just to regroup and analyse where we were, but we were all pretty happy with where my game was despite the results. I think it just helped us to really come together as a team and become more determined in everything we do, and that probably made a little bit of difference for the summer.

Q. Your thoughts on Harrington as the next Ryder Cup Captain?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, I think he would be great. Obviously he was there as vice captain in Paris and all the vice captains were very good with us. They are all experienced and I'm sure PÃ¡draig is going to be captain at some point, hopefully for him in two years from now.

Yeah, if it's going to be him, I'm sure he's going to do a great job.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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