No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 199: Francesco Molinari (BONUS EPISODE)

Episode Date: March 11, 2019

Bonus Ep! We got a chance to spend a few minutes with Francesco Molinari shortly after his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. We chatted with him about the final round 64, getting in the... The post NLU Podcast, Episode 199: Francesco Molinari (BONUS EPISODE) appeared first on No Laying Up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm going to be the right club today. Yeah. That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. All right guys, we're going to be the right club today. Yeah.

Yeah. That is better than most. Yeah. That is better than most. Yeah. That is better than most. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Better than most! Alright guys, we have another bonus episode for this week, super short, maybe about 20 minutes we got a chance to sit down with Francesco Molinari this morning, Monday, directly after his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational yesterday. Would have rolled this into last night's episode if we had known we were getting this time. But here it is, really short, little bonus episode for you. And a quick shout we had this morning with friend Chesco Molinari.

OK, so we're a day after your win, just to find around 64 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I want to know, so when I'm playing well, I'm very, very well aware that I'm playing well, and I start freaking out. At any point, when you're playing really well, how do you stop and think like, oh, this is going really well? Or do you just power through it?

How does it around my yesterday happen? No, it goes pretty fast. I think when things are going that way, you almost don't have time to think about how well it's going. It just happens, show up the shot and I guess it's, you can call it momentum or confidence or wherever you want, but you start well and you just keep going, keep pushing and the parts keep dropping. See, that's the part that doesn't happen for me.

The parts don't keep dropping. But okay, so around my guest, you were 10 groups ahead of the final group, is it easier to quote unquote close a tournament in a situation like that than it is sleeping on the lead and just the fact that you were finishing so much earlier than a leader, do you think that helped you coming down the stretch? Well, it's yeah, it's different. I guess it depends a lot on the on the type of course that you're playing as well, but in the conditions they were, you know, you saw that Saturday already that the guy at the top of the leader was struggling a bit. I think it's a course that if you play aggressive, you can get rewarded. If you start to play a bit more defensive, it gets really, really hard and you start

dropping shots pretty soon. So in that way, it's easier, but then on the other hand, I think if anything, it's harder because you don't know what the winning score is going to be. So you just keep pushing, but you don't know if you've done enough or not, while if you play in the last few groups, you have a better idea of what you need to do the last few holes to get it done. I don't know if you heard, but on the American broadcast, Paul Easinger called after you made the putt called at the biggest moment of your life. Was that a little a little bit short-sighted?

Did you hear about that? Did somebody tell you about that? I saw that last month, maybe a little over-traumatic, but yeah. That's the way we do things here. So this was your first win directly after equipment change. You just signed with Cali, put 14 Cali clubs in the bag. I want to know about the process, kind of what your input is in designing a set of irons. We heard a little bit from those guys as to the custom irons that we're made for you,

but what kind of input do you have? What do you like in your irons? I'm not a big gear head, but I am interested to somebody that knows it at your level. Yeah, well, I guess it's individual preferences, but for me, it's really it's about the look, it's about the feel. I think that the the the soul of the clubs of the irons is really important, you know, the way they they go to the ground. Obviously playing so many years, you get kind of used and accustomed to certain fields and you want to recreate those. So I played in the century with the classical colorway muscle back.

It's a bit more rounded and it was already pretty good. And then just three days before I was living for Mexico, they got me these. And I hit balls two days with them and put them straight in the bag. Just because yeah, the way they look and the way they feel they just highlight from the beginning and yeah, so I was lucky enough to get one of these sets. You're obviously a world class player, but I feel like a lot of people don't know a ton about you. So you play a full schedule, a full PGA tour schedule, you go back and forth between the PGA tour and European tour. But do you live in the States? I hear you live in London

and you commute to every tournament. How does that work? How do you do that? You got jet lag all the time? I live in jet lag, yeah. No, it's, I mean, you know, I started obviously, I played many years on the European tour and I moved to London with my wife in 2009 so when I started playing more over here in the States we had been in London for a few years and yeah we just like it there my my culture is based there so I get to see him quite often when I'm home and the traveling is not the easiest, but from London luckily you can fly direct to most US cities and then it's just working as it is. So you know, I don't want to change something that works. Plus now we've got two kids in school and it's complicated. You need to move a whole family, so we're happy there and we're probably going

to stay there for a while. Where do you play your golf in London? So it's a club called The Whistley, it's 15-20 minutes from when to us in Saray and yeah, it's just a private club up in there, since I moved to London mainly because my coach was based there. It's Trent Jones design, 27 halls, great practice facilities, so it's a perfect spot for a professional. So you've been a professional for a long time, you played with Tiger before, you played against him in the Ryder Cup, you're paired with him in the final round of the Open Championship. What is that like? Is it any different than any other time you played with him or is that change anything for you going into the final round of a major being paired with Tiger Woods? No, I would say similar. I mean, I was thinking if anything probably, you know, given the

circumstances you're playing on a Sunday at the open with a reasonable chance to win, on a Sunday at the open with a reasonable chance to win. It doesn't really matter who you're playing with, to be honest, because... Not even that guy. No, yeah, there's enough pressure as it is without thinking who you're playing with. But then, yeah, having said that, probably, it helped me that I obviously are playing with him a few times before. And again, in pressure situations, like the Ry the cup and so it wasn't it wasn't completely new because otherwise it could have been a bit more daunting than it was. So you obviously ended up winning but he made a run on that day. Is that do you notice that that is going on? Is that surprise you at all? Are you totally

locked into your own game in that situation? No, no, obviously you see it and yeah, had a great run going on the front line and up until the tenth hit an incredible shot on the tenth from the bunker. But I don't know for some reason that day, I was seeing it but I wasn't really worried about it or it never felt like it was going away or I couldn't catch you anymore. And someday you feel like that's a day you don't, but yeah, fortunately that day I was feeling great in the zone, feeling ready, feeling ready to compete

and to do my best. What kind of adjustments do you have to make for conditions like Karnusti was last year? They were having their biggest drought maybe in the last 20 years or so balls were rolling out forever what kind of a what made you so successful on that kind of setup? I think it's a mix of experience you know having seen those sort of conditions before obviously I hope CO2 read the the situations and the shots maybe easier than someone who's never seen it before.

Yeah, I think that's pretty much it. You know, it was tough for everyone. I think the other thing was, I, despite coming from a few wins, I didn't have high expectations because they really don't like hypnosis-steak. Yeah, really? I'm sorry to say that. Why not? Just too difficult? I don't know. I know before last year I played there a few times in the

Danny Lynx in October and it's always freezing cold and windy. It's uncomfortable. A little different than the middle of the summer. Yes, luckily it was warmer last summer but still you know, you associate certain courses to certain rounds you had. So you went into that week with very low expectations then? Yeah, well, you know, knowing that was playing well, but knowing that it was kind of nosy and that I just didn't like at all.

So it was a bit of a surprise from that point of view. What are some of, I guess, if you don't like Karnusti, what are some of the links courses that you do enjoy or do like playing? I like Tumbery, I like Trune, yeah, San Andreas is one that I haven't had great results in the past, so I mean it's a place that I love but don't really enjoy the course that much. So I feel like you would have more of a competitive advantage when the fairways are a little tighter than they are at the old course. Yeah, yeah, probably the old course was an exactly design

to my advantage. The car news he was and you didn't even know it. I'm sure a lot of people ask this, but I don't know the answer to it. What was the first thing you drank out of the Clare jug? Wine, wine, yeah. It's on Sunday night, immediately. No, no, no, no, you actually took a few weeks.

I wanted to get it cleaned. I heard some of the stories about it. What are some of the stories you've heard about it? You don't want to hear that. Oh, I definitely do. So I want to know also kind of going into the Ryder Cup. How much, you know, the European, it seemed like, you know, when you guys got to the winning press conference

that you know, Roy made some comments. It seemed like there was a little chip on your shoulder. How bad did you guys want to stick it to the American fans or the American team? It seemed like there was a little bit of talk going on behind closed doors about how motivated you guys were. Yeah, but I don't think it was particularly, you know, against American fans or American

or the American team. I think there was just a general atmosphere, consensus that we didn't really have much of a chance, which seemed a bit unfair, you know, towards us. Obviously, we knew the American team was going to be really, really strong, but we knew some of the rook is coming in on our side where really good players too. So it was a big motivation in that way. And I don't know, my feel was that like the weeks before already we were starting to focus on that and you know we got there really most of us in in great conditions. What probably some of the Americans you know just focus more on the FedEx and having around the FedEx

and probably got there a little bit out of gas. Do you think the American team players coaches captains do you think they underestimated the importance of the golf course at all? No, to be honest, I mean, just the just in time, it was the only player that went over and played in French Open. Yeah, French Open. You know, but you know, we used to play different courses every week, so we were able, everyone of us is able to learn a course in two, three days. You don't need weeks to learn a new golf course. And Paris National, it's in front of you. There are no tricks. Obviously the rough was up.

You figure that out after two holes. Yeah, they didn't figure it out though. That's what I'm getting at. Has they never actually figured it out? I think we just played better. Yeah, in the end of the day, you know, that's people make a lot of things about the right cup, about the cup density and the pairings. And Indian, who plays the best golf wins.

Is it, I love asking people this, is the nerves or the effect that event has on the way you play? Is it totally different than any other event you play in? Or have you played it enough now? Do you ever get past that and stop being a different kind of nervous for it? No. No. No. I don't know exactly why, but it's massively different from any tournaments and obviously

until last year, I didn't have the experience of winning a major and playing really the last two, three halls with the lead and trying to close it out. But it was, I don't know, they know when they're either at the cup, that's you. And that's what I know you guys play a completely different game than the rest of us do, but there is no simulation for that feeling of being on the first tee at the rider cup. And this particular course, you guys had to hit iron off the first tee. I just remember being like, how could you even find the face of an iron? Was that, was that, did that make it add any pressure to the situation?

Kind of the fact you didn't have a big club head in front of you. So it's funny because some people were saying, oh, you know, it's unfair. The, the first shot of the ride, it got, it's the toughest one and they should hit driver. They should have a hole where they hit driver. It's much easier to hit driver in those conditions than a two iron right exactly You look down at the two iron you like Okay, good you're thinking the exact same way I would think now I've now I that makes me feel so much better You had you had never won a rider cup match before this year and you won all five of your matches this year. What what was the difference?

I don't know what statistically. I think there was a good chance that I was having a time for a correction. I was going to get some points, but probably the course obviously, it's a course that I love and where I usually play well and then the confidence I had from the summer and again the fact that I showed up there in good form playing some of the best golf of the season. What was the celebration like after winning? It was you know this should be a huge party and a lot of green and it's a you know it's a week obviously with a lot of pressure like

we say and at the end of a week like that, you need to unleash the pressure somehow. So it was a big party. I mean, both teams come together in one room and kind of celebrate together and party together as it separated out. I mean, I remember seeing, in 2016, I remember seeing pictures of Rory

and the US team room kind of celebrating, but did that not happen in France? I've had different experiences this time in France. I mean, I was there until three and I didn't see anyone, but I heard that some of the US players came in after that, but they were too busy fighting. I don't remember seeing that. I was going there, right? Yeah. So I want to hear about the video you and Tommy Fleetwood shot. When did you guys shoot that? I know it was posted the next day.

How did that come together? Yeah, it was pretty much mid of the party, like, 2.30 in the morning. One of the European tour media guys pitched us the idea. And we were like, yeah, sure. But I think it was a bit unfair because we were in conditions. We weren't really able to say now to anything. So, yeah, we, so yeah, I think it was just the three of us that knew about it.

Maybe some of the agents heard the idea. So then we decided to go up to the rooms and I didn't want to go to my room. rooms and I didn't want to go to my room. Tom he didn't want to go to his room. So we ended up in the European tour media guy. Well, tell us what Tommy did. Also, we know the story. I'm going to make you tell it. So we get there and obviously the script was, you know, you're getting bad and you say this and you say that right so tell me get there and get like fully And I told him that So yeah, he put the minimum clothing possible arm and

We got him bad so the media guy had to sleep in that bed after Tommy got naked in it. Yeah, yeah, he did. He did. Oh, man, I don't know how to circle back after that. But you've been obviously world class player for a long time, but you've really taken your game to the next level in recent years.

What do you credit that to? What's been the biggest difference? Just many little improvements. You know, I realized three or four years ago that if I wanted to get better, I couldn't get better. Like, I couldn't hit the ball 50 yards longer or make 154 bars every day. But not every day. So I just tried to get better. 155. Yeah, but not every day.

So I just tried to get better, a little bit better and many different things. And I think when you add them up together, obviously, they make a bigger difference. It seems to me from a viewing perspective that professional golf at the highest, highest level and winning tournaments isn't so much about how many great shots you hit. It's how good your bad shots are. And I felt like watching you coming down the stretch at Cardooste, I felt like he's not going to make a mistake. So how much do you have you improved in terms of controlling misses and limiting the mistakes

you made? Is that something that you consciously try to fix? No, because fortunately, it's always been the way I play, so my issue was more making the good shots better in a way and just learning to play more aggressively and probably more mindset than anything else, hitting the ball harder of the tee and giving up a little bit of control, but trying to go for flags and stuff like that. So I think your idea, your principal is right, but for me, he was almost a case of going the other way

and taking a bit more risks. What was it like, kind of totally backtracking, but growing up with like an older brother that was such a great player as well? Did you think that helped you from a competitive standpoint and did you guys have legendary matches when you were young? Yeah, well, it was very competitive. No one wanted to lose anything we played. We had a table tennis at home and they were rockets flying But yeah, now it's been massively important for me, especially

But yeah, now it's been massively important for me, especially I've said it many times, especially growing up in Italy, it's a small golfing country. It was even more the time and there weren't that many good players. So to have someone you could practice with all day and you know, we're pushing each other to get better. I didn't want him to hit it longer than me. He didn't want me to hit it longer than me. He didn't want me to hit it longer than him and patting and chipping. And so it's a continuous push to improve.

And I think he had both of us. But when you guys are paired together at the Ryder Cup, are you guys cursing at each other in Italian? Or are you just competitive together? And how did that play out? No, no, because we, growing up, as, we played a lot of golf together as well, you know, in four sums and four balls, and so we used to play together. And now, I mean, we have the ability to kind of switch from hating each other, to loving

each other very quickly. So it was great fun to play with him in ways and and you know, incredible to play your first Ryder Cup alongside your brother. It's incredible to think about it. One situation I was always curious to ask you was at the 2012 Ryder Cup, you played in the final match against Tiger and you guys had already clinched the Ryder Cup ahead of you and you guys are playing the last hole and you had about a three three and a half foot put that would have been to have the match. Yeah. And Tiger conceded that to you. Did that surprise you when he conceded that putt to you?

Yeah, a little bit. Yeah, I wasn't expecting it. But you know, it was obviously a nice gesture from him. It was a long, long match when you played last in the right cup and it's so tight. It's a long, long afternoon and I understand he probably just wanted to, you know, get out of there. And like you said, we had clinched the cup and he didn't make a huge difference. What was that like this year when you guys had clinched it very early thanks to the way the US played? And the Alex and Orren's match went on for like another hour. Were you guys already starting to drink out

of the course and start celebrating and following that match? No, I think a few of us went back to the to the team room. It started right away and then realized he was out there. We need to get out there and support and support him, but then it was great to see him make that part of the last he was for you. It was great. Yeah, for us it was great. Great. Alright Francesco, thanks so much for joining us.

Best of luck this week at the players. And congratulations again on the victory. Thank you very much guys. Thank you. It's a great club. Be the right club today. Yeah! That is better than most.

How about in? That is better than most. Better than most! Expect anything different! Expect anything different.