Francesco Molinari remembers a sense of calm washing over him as he lined up a 5-foot putt to win the 2016 Italian Open.
“It was a strange feeling,” he said. “It never really went through my mind that I could miss that putt.”
Molinari stepped up and stroked the ball into the hole for a closing round of 65, 22 under for the tournament, to beat the Masters champion Danny Willett by one shot. He lifted his arms in celebration and became the first Italian to win his national Open twice since the event became part of the European Tour in 1972.