Don’t tell Francesco Molinari ”if there’s nae wind, it’s nae golf.”
The Italian Ryder Cup player didn’t recognise the old Scottish axiom playing in a gale and shooting 89 on the Old Course 12 years ago, and one suspects he preferred the flat-calm of Castle Stuart on Thursday which allowed him to shot a record ten-under 62 to lead the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
The 31-year-old played in the breathless morning section which, allied to soft underfoot conditions provided by the wettest summer on record, left Castle Stuart almost completely defenceless and the leaderboards awash with red numbers.
Molinari’s faultless performance, founded on two streaks of five and four birdies in succession, actually ended with three pars when a 59 appeared an outside possibility.
Spain’s Alejandro Canizares took advantage of the evening calm to shoot six successive birdies and claim second on eight-under, with Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin three shots adrift and five more players a shot further back.
Defending champion Luke Donald, who reached seven-under with five to play but bogeyed two of those holes, is in a group on five-under which also contains Martin Kaymer, while there are four home hopes in the larger group on four-under, including Martin Laird.
For Molinari, it was memorable for better reasons than his first brush with links golf St Andrews Links Trophy of 2000 which he still recalls vividly.
”I birdied the last to break 90, I remember the putt and a big fist-pump,” he said. ”I had never played a links course before, I was only about 18 and it was blowing 30, 40 miles an hour. I was hitting driver and 2-iron to get to the first. It was a different kind of golf I had never seen before, but somehow I enjoyed myself.”
This week Francesco brought in some good form after a strong finish in the French Open and many believe with his putting stroke improved and his tee-to-green game as reliable as ever, he’s a decent bet any time he tees up in this mood.
”It’s not easy to put two great rounds together like these, but things are coming together,” he said. ”I hope to keep this going as long as possible, not just for the next month but all the way to the Ryder Cup, probably more than just the Open Championship.
”It would be amazing and fantastic to win the Open but the main goal is to get on the team. Once you’ve played in the Ryder Cup once you want to do anything you can to get back.”
Francesco knows what it’s like to win in Scotland as well, although his experience has been at close quarters to his brother Edoardo’s two victories here, as his playing partner in the final rounds of the 2009 Scottish Open and the 2010 Johnnie Walker Championship.
”Getting one back on him would be great, especially as the Scottish Open is such a great tournament but I need two to match him,” he added.
Certainly a player of the calibre of Molinari leading with a low round gets the attention of the field a little more than if it were one of the tour journeymen, as defending champion Luke Donald conceded.
”Francesco always hits it straight and has obviously putted very well but there was definitely a 62 to be had out there this morning,” said the World No 1 after his 67. ”I feel I’m very close to being back in the groove, certainly more than I was a few weeks ago.”
Photo by Lynne Cameron/PA Archive