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DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI

November 18, 2018

Francesco Molinari

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Q. Many, many congratulations, a golden summer and now this, Race to Dubai champion. European No. 1. Just how special does that sound?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, incredible. Incredible. You know, now I'm going to have time to sit down and relax and really think back about the last few months. This morning on the first tee, you know, the announcement is the winner of The Open Championship, Race to Dubai leader, doesn't sound real at the moment.

I'm really struggling for words. It's more than I ever dreamed of achieving. I've seen guys that I think are better players than me not winning majors and not winning Order of Merits or Race to Dubai. To achieve those things, you know, in one single season, is just incredible.

Q. Time for a bit of a rest, as well. I know this week, it's been exhausting.
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, I don't know who is more tired between Tommy and I. We both looked exhausted on the course. It is a long season and we play a lot of tournaments, and the traveling and obviously I think The Ryder Cup was an amazing week, but it does take a big toll, and yeah, now it's time to relax and recover and try to get stronger for next year. I don't know, to be honest, how to face next season yet. It's going to be nearly impossible to repeat or to beat that, but I need to, after a break, I need to start working hard and get ready for another good season.

Q. That's the challenge now, isn't it, after what you've produced, it's about managing your expectations and looking back with your team, close analysis and resetting goals and trying to improve on what you've just achieved, which is going to be very difficult.
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, and we are all aware of that, but it's a new challenge. We've been doing very well this year when it comes to the challenges. I never won a Ryder Cup match and I won five out of five. Carnoustie was really not my favorite place, to say the least, before this year, and to go there and win; you know, so many things, as I said before, that it's incredible and it's probably impossible to process still all of that.

But yeah, after that, it's going to be probably quite a long break from tournament golf and I'm going to take the time to prepare and to get stronger. You know, get the energies back and go out on the course.

Q. A lovely exchange and embrace with Tommy. Special weeks, months for you guys. How nice has that been to do battle, come here head-to-head with a guy who has arguably become your best friend?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, it's tough, in a way, because obviously it would have been probably easier in a way to play against anyone else but him. I know how talented he is and I really thought at some point he was going to win it and put me in a tough spot.

But first of all, he's obviously a great guy and a super talented player and I'm sure being younger than me, he's going to win a few more Race to Dubais.

Q. Reflect on what you've done this entire season. What does this mean to you?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: It means a lot. You look at the players who have won The Race to Dubai or the Order of Merit before that, and obviously it's only really the top players that have done it. So I said it at the beginning of the week; it means a lot because it's a season a long race and on a week, you can beat anyone, really. You can have your perfect four days of golf and win a tournament, but to win something like this obviously shows how good the season has been. Obviously, ideally, it would have been nice to come here in better shape and close it out in better fashion, but I think obviously both Tommy and I, we're really exhausted after a very long season, and you know, I'm very proud.

I never thought something like this would happen to me to be honest, and now it's going to be a challenge to reset before next year and work as hard as I did the past winter and try to reproduce the same golf.

Q. How difficult was it to manage the emotions this week, playing the tournament within the tournament in this Race to Dubai challenge?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, it was challenging because obviously you try not to, but you are always keeping an eye on what Tommy is doing and I did it very well the first day. I think probably some adrenaline, as well, got me going a little bit more, and just hit a wall the last few holes and never really recovered from that.

As I said, I think energies are what they are. It's been a very, very long season, traveling across the ocean a lot of times, and playing a lot of tournaments. I can't wait to sit down and relax and really process what's happened in the last few months. I haven't had time yet to do that, and it still doesn't sound real when they announce me as The Open Champion on the tee. Now obviously it's going to be Race to Dubai added to that.

It's going to take a while to get used to, but I'm looking forward at the same time to next year and I'm sure that there's more good golf to come from me. Hopefully we will see already next year.

Q. It was a beautiful embrace you and Tommy had, deepest of friends out here on The European Tour, but was it a little bittersweet?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: It probably would have been easier or more comfortable playing against someone else and not him, but you know, it is what it is. He won last year. He's a great guy and an even better player, and he's going to win, I'm sure, a lot more Race to Dubais. He's a bit younger than me, so it was nice to win one this year. I don't have as much golf in front of me as he does I think.

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