View source for Francesco Molinari

{{short description|Italian professional golfer}}
{{About|the golfer|the opera conductor|Francesco Molinari-Pradelli}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox golfer
| name           = Francesco Molinari
| image          = Francesco Molinari.JPG
| caption          = Molinari in 2008
| nickname         =
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1982|11|8|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Turin]], Italy
| death_date       = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| death_place      = 
| height           = {{height|m=1.72|precision=0}}
| weight           = {{convert|72|kg|lb st|abbr=on}}
| nationality      = {{ITA}}
| residence        = Turin, Italy<br>[[London]], England
| spouse           = {{marriage|Valentina|2007}}
| partner          = 
| children         = 2
| college          = [[University of Turin]]
| yearpro          = 2004
| tour             = [[European Tour]]<br>[[PGA Tour]]
| extour           = <!-- Former tours which a member of -->
| prowins          = 10
| pgawins          = 3
| eurowins         = 6
| japwins          = <!-- Number of Japan Golf Tour wins -->
| asiawins         = <!-- Number of Asian Tour wins -->
| sunwins          = <!-- Number of Sunshine Tour wins -->
| auswins          = <!-- Number of PGA Tour of Australasia wins -->
| nwidewins        = <!-- Number of Nationwide Tour wins -->
| chalwins         = <!-- Number of Challenge Tour wins -->
| champwins        = <!-- Number of Champions Tour wins -->
| seneurowins      = <!-- Number of European Seniors Tour wins -->
| otherwins        = 2
| majorwins        =  1 <!-- Number of Major Championship wins -->
| masters          = T5: [[2019 Masters Tournament|2019]]
| usopen           = T13: 2021
| open             = '''Won:''' [[2018 Open Championship|2018]]
| pga              = T2: [[2017 PGA Championship|2017]]
| wghofid          = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame member ID -->
| wghofyear        = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame year inducted -->
| award1           = [[Harry Vardon Trophy#Winners|European Tour<br>Race to Dubai winner]]
| year1            = [[2018 European Tour|2018]]
| award2           = [[European Tour Golfer of the Year|European Tour<br>Golfer of the Year]]
| year2            = [[2018 European Tour|2018]]
| award3           = [[European Tour Players' Player of the Year|European Tour<br>Players' Player of the Year]]
| year3            = [[2018 European Tour|2018]]
| award4           = [[BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year|BBC World Sport Star of the Year]]
| year4            = [[BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year|2018]]
| award5           = [[Italian National Olympic Committee|Golden Collar of Sports Merit]]
| year5            = [[Italian National Olympic Committee|2018]]
}}
'''Francesco Molinari''' (born 8 November 1982) is an Italian [[professional golfer]]. He won the [[2018 Open Championship]], his first and only [[Men's major golf championships|major]] victory, and the first major won by an Italian professional golfer.<ref name=guard /> The Open Championship win capped a successful season in which he won the [[2018 BMW PGA Championship]], his fifth win on the [[European Tour]], and the [[Quicken Loans National]], his first [[PGA Tour]] win. At the end of the season, Molinari won 5 out of 5 points as Europe won the [[2018 Ryder Cup]].

Playing with his brother [[Edoardo Molinari|Edoardo]], they won the [[2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup]], Italy's only win in the event. Molinari won the [[2010 WGC-HSBC Champions]] and has represented Europe in three winning [[Ryder Cup]] teams, in [[2010 Ryder Cup|2010]], [[2012 Ryder Cup|2012]] and [[2018 Ryder Cup|2018]].

Molinari was in the top 100 of the [[Official World Golf Ranking]] continuously from November 2008 to November 2020.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/fresh-blow-for-francesco-molinari-at-end-of-torrid-2020/ |title=Fresh blow for Francesco Molinari at end of torrid 2020 |magazine=bunkered |first=Michael |last=McEwan |date=14 December 2020}}</ref>

==Early life and amateur career==
Molinari was born on 8 November 1982 in [[Turin]], Italy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/1483/francesco-molinari |title=Francesco Molinari |work=ESPN |access-date=6 August 2021}}</ref> He is the younger brother of [[Edoardo Molinari]]. As an amateur, he won the Italian Amateur Stroke Play Championship twice, and the Italian Match Play Championship in 2004. Molinari turned professional later that year.

Molinari graduated from the [[University of Turin]] with a degree in economics.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sport.sky.it/altri-sport/golf/2018/07/22/francesco-molinari-storia-trionfo-open-championship |title=Francesco Molinari, dalla Ryder all'Open Championship: la storia di un fenomeno del golf |work=Sky Sport |access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref>

==Professional career==
Molinari earned his [[European Tour]] card for 2005 through [[qualifying school]]. He finished in 86th place on the tour's Order of Merit in his rookie season. In May 2006, Molinari claimed his first European Tour victory, becoming the first Italian since [[Massimo Mannelli]] in 1980 to win the [[Telecom Italia Open]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/4982674.stm |title=Molinari ends wait for home win |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=7 May 2006 |access-date=13 April 2009}}</ref> This victory helped him finish 38th on the Order of Merit. He did not win on Tour between 2007 and 2009 but during that time he recorded twenty top-10 finishes including three runner-up finishes. He finished 60th on the Order of Merit in 2007, 24th in 2008 and 14th in the Race to Dubai in 2009. In October 2009, Molinari reached the top 50 of the [[Official World Golf Ranking]] for the first time. On 29 November 2009, Molinari, along with his older brother Edoardo, led Italy to their first [[2009 World Cup (men's golf)|World Cup]] victory at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/8384911.stm |title= Italy edge Ireland to win World Cup of Golf in China |date=29 November 2009 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=30 November 2009}}</ref>

On 7 November 2010, Molinari won the [[WGC-HSBC Champions]] in Shanghai, China. He defeated [[Lee Westwood]] by one stroke, finishing at 19-under par.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/nov/07/francesco-molinari-lee-westwood-shanghai |title=Francesco Molinari holds his nerve to see off Lee Westwood in China |date=7 November 2010 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=9 November 2010}}</ref> The win moved him into 14th in the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest ranking for eight years. He also recorded eleven top-10 finishes including two runner-up finishes en route to a 5th-place finish in the Race to Dubai. In October 2010, Molinari represented Europe in the [[2010 Ryder Cup]] which took place at [[Celtic Manor Resort]], teaming up with his brother Edoardo in the four-balls (halved against [[Stuart Cink]] and [[Matt Kuchar]]) and foursomes (lost against [[Zach Johnson]] and [[Hunter Mahan]]).<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.golfdigest.com/story/francesco-molinari-15-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-2018-open-champion |title=Francesco Molinari: 15 things you need to know about the 2018 Open champion and Ryder Cup star |last=Hennessey |first=Stephen |date=8 November 2018 |magazine=Golf Digest |access-date=6 August 2021}}</ref> He then lost the singles match by 4 and 3 against [[Tiger Woods]] on the final day. Europe defeated the United States, 14{{1/2}}–13{{1/2}}. Molinari had a steady 2011 without any further victories but did record seven top-10 finishes, including a 3rd place at the [[WGC-Cadillac Championship]]. He finished the year ranked 21st in the Race to Dubai.

[[File:Francesco Molinari Round 4 Open de France 2013 t144358.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Molinari at the 2013 Open de France]]
[[File:Open de France 2015 16.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Molinari at the 2015 Open de France]]
Molinari picked up his third win on the European Tour on 6 May 2012 at the [[Reale Seguros Open de España]]. He was four strokes out of the lead going into the final round but fired a 65 (−7), the best round of the tournament, to win by three strokes over [[Alejandro Cañizares]], [[Søren Kjeldsen]] and [[Pablo Larrazábal]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2012/tournamentid=2012026/news/newsid=159607.html#magic+final+round+secures+title+molinari |title=Magic Final Round Secures Title for Molinari |date=6 May 2012 |publisher=[[European Tour]] |access-date=6 May 2012}}</ref> In July 2012, the week before the [[2012 Open Championship|Open Championship]], Molinari lost in a playoff at the [[Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open]]. He was defeated on the first playoff hole by [[Jeev Milkha Singh]].

Molinari gained an automatic selection for the [[2012 Ryder Cup]], where he played the foursomes with [[Lee Westwood]] on Friday, losing by 3 and 2 to [[Jason Dufner]] and [[Zach Johnson]]; he then teamed up in the four-balls with [[Justin Rose]], losing by 5 and 4 against [[Bubba Watson]] and [[Webb Simpson]]. On the final day, he halved with [[Tiger Woods]] in the last singles match. The point meant Europe not only completed a comeback from 10–6 down at the start of the final day to retain the cup, but won it outright by a score of 14{{1/2}} points to 13{{1/2}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/oct/01/ryder-cup-europe-win-medinah |title=Europe seal Ryder Cup win with comeback of epic proportions |date=1 October 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=3 October 2012 }}</ref> During the 2013 and 2014 seasons Molinari did not register a tournament win, but his steady position in the top fifty of the [[OWGR]] allowed him to play several [[PGA Tour]] events as a non-member, where he reached three top ten finishes; among these the most prestigious result was the 6th place at the [[2014 Players Championship]]. These results allowed him to earn a full PGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season.

In 2015 and 2016, Molinari shared his time between the European Tour and PGA Tour. In September 2016 he became the first Italian to win his national open twice with a 1 shot victory over [[Danny Willett]] at the 2016 [[Italian Open (golf)|Italian Open]]. Other notable results in Europe were the 2nd places collected at the 2015 [[Open de España]] and 2016 [[Open de France]], while in the U.S. he collected a 3rd place at the 2015 [[Memorial Tournament]]. In the same year he also recorded a hole in one at the iconic 16th hole of the [[Waste Management Phoenix Open]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Francesco Molinari's hole-in-one on No. 16 at Waste Management |website=[[YouTube]] |date=31 January 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQpwVIVXq1w  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/HQpwVIVXq1w |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|access-date=17 September 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Molinari recorded his fifth European Tour win and first Rolex Series titles in May 2018, with victory in the European Tour's flagship event, the [[BMW PGA Championship]]. He produced a flawless final round to see off [[Rory McIlroy]] by two strokes. The win took Molinari level with [[Costantino Rocca]], for most European Tour wins by an Italian. In the same year, Molinari won the [[Quicken Loans National]] in a dominating fashion by shooting a 62 on Sunday to win by eight strokes, the first PGA Tour win for an Italian since 1947. At the [[2018 Open Championship]], Molinari won the tournament with a score of −8, pairing with Tiger Woods in the final round.<ref name=guard>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2018/jul/22/the-open-2018-final-round-live |title=The Open 2018: Francesco Molinari wins title on day of drama – as it happened |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Scott |last=Murray |date=22 July 2018}}</ref> The win at the Open Championship moved him to sixth place in the Official World Golf Ranking, the highest ranking of his career to date.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/22/sport/british-open-carnoustie-final-round-golf-spt-intl/index.html |title=Francesco Molinari wins British Open as Tiger Woods falls short |date=23 July 2018 |website=CNN.com |first=Rob |last=Hodgetts |access-date=23 July 2018}}</ref>

In September 2018, Molinari qualified for the European team participating in the [[2018 Ryder Cup]]. Europe defeated the U.S. team 17{{1/2}} to 10{{1/2}}. Molinari became the first player ever to go 5–0–0. He paired with [[Tommy Fleetwood]] to win all four fourball and foursome matches. He also won his singles match against [[Phil Mickelson]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thespec.com/sports-story/8936168-europe-wins-back-ryder-cup-beating-us-17-1-2-10-1-2/ |title=Europe wins back Ryder Cup, beating US 17 1/2-10 1/2 |agency=The Canadian Press |newspaper=The Hamilton Spectator |access-date=29 October 2018 |date=30 September 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On 18 November 2018, Molinari won the season-long [[Race to Dubai]] title on the [[European Tour]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2018090/news/newsid=361841.html |title=Molinari crowned Race to Dubai Champion |date=18 November 2018 |publisher=European Tour |access-date=18 November 2018}}</ref> The victory was worth $1,250,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thegolfnewsnet.com/golfnewsnetteam/2018/11/15/2018-race-dubai-bonus-pool-purse-winners-share-prize-money-payout-111470/ |website=Golf News Net |title=2018 Race to Dubai bonus pool, purse, winner's share, prize money payout |date=15 November 2018 |access-date=18 November 2018}}</ref> On 16 December 2018, he received the 2018 BBC World Sport Star of the Year award (formerly known as the [[BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year]] award), Molinari was the first Italian to receive this prize.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/sports-personality/46551057 |title=Sports Personality of the Year: Golfer Francesco Molinari named World Sport Star |date= 16 December 2018 |work=BBC Sport |access-date= 6 August 2021}}</ref>

On 10 March 2019, Molinari won the [[Arnold Palmer Invitational]] for his third PGA Tour victory of his career. He teed off 10 groups ahead of the leaders on the final day and 5 stokes behind, making three birdies and no bogeys on his first seven holes. On the 8th hole, from well off the green he holed a chip for another birdie and made the turn in 32 (−4). He made four more birdies on the back nine, including a 43-foot putt at the 72nd hole, to shoot a final-round 64 that ended up giving him a two-stroke win over [[Matt Fitzpatrick]], who shot a final-round 71.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-secret-to-francesco-molinaris-recent-success-confidence-without-bravado |first=Dave |last=Shedloski |magazine=Golf Digest |date=10 March 2019 |access-date=11 March 2019 |title=The secret to Francesco Molinari's recent success? Confidence without bravado}}</ref> In April 2019, Molinari was the 54-hole leader at the [[2019 Masters Tournament|Masters]] at 13 under, two strokes clear of [[Tony Finau]] and [[Tiger Woods]], after a six-under-par 66 third round. Molinari held the lead for two thirds of the final round, until he reached the par-3 12th, where his tee shot found the water, resulting in a double bogey. He found the water again on the 15th, which led to another double bogey to fall out of contention. He finished with a round of 74 and T5 finish,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.golfdigest.com/story/masters-2019-francesco-molinaris-bad-execution-at-12-set-in-motion-his-downfall
|title= Masters 2019: Francesco Molinari's 'bad execution' at 12 set in motion his downfall |last= Huggan |first= John |date= 14 April 2019 |website= golfdigest.com |publisher= Golf Digest |access-date= 6 August 2021}}</ref> still his best performance at the Masters to date.

==Coaches==
Molinari has worked since 2018 with Dave Alred on several mental aspects of his game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/07/sport/dave-alred-francesco-molinari-pressure-spt-intl/index.html |title=The guru teaching golfers to think like 'assassins' |publisher=CNN |first=Rob |last=Hodgetts |date=7 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/golf/article/when-the-guru-dave-alred-met-golfer-francesco-molinari-mvz8dwphr |title=When the guru Dave Alred met golfer Francesco Molinari |newspaper=[[The Times]] |first=David |last=Walsh |date=29 July 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Molinari is an avid fan of Italian football team [[Internazionale]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fcinternews.it/curiosita-gossip/francesco-molinari-porta-l-inter-sul-green-49220 |title=Francesco Molinari porta l'Inter sul green |language=it }}</ref> he also supports [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] after Italian football manager [[Gianfranco Zola]] started managing the East London side in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whufc.com/articles/20140612/hammer-francesco-eyes-open-glory_2236884_3900253 |title=Hammer Francesco eyes Open glory |date=12 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614110844/http://www.whufc.com/articles/20140612/hammer-francesco-eyes-open-glory_2236884_3900253 |archive-date=14 June 2014}}</ref>

==Charity==
Molinari is an ambassador for Borne, a medical research charity looking to identify the causes of premature birth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.borne.org.uk/about/patrons-ambassadors/|title=Our Patrons and Ambassadors|website=Borne|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-05-22}}</ref>

==Amateur wins==
*2002 Italian Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Italian Amateur Foursomes Championship (with [[Edoardo Molinari]])
*2004 Italian Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Italian Match Play Championship, [[Sherry Cup]]

==Professional wins (10)==
===PGA Tour wins (3)===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Legend
|- style="background:#e5d1cb;"
|Major championships  (1)
|-
|Other PGA Tour (2)
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!To par 
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner(s)-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|1 Jul [[2017–18 PGA Tour|2018]]
|[[Quicken Loans National]]
|67-65-65-62=259
|align=center|−21
|8 strokes
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ryan Armour]]
|- style="background:#e5d1cb;"
|align=center|2
|align=right|22 Jul 2018
|'''[[2018 Open Championship|The Open Championship]]'''
|70-72-65-69=276
|align=center|−8
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Kevin Kisner]], {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Rory McIlroy]],<br>{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Justin Rose]], {{flagicon|USA}} [[Xander Schauffele]]
|- 
|align=center|3
|align=right|10 Mar [[2018–19 PGA Tour|2019]]
|[[Arnold Palmer Invitational]]
|69-70-73-64=276
|align=center|−12
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Matt Fitzpatrick]]
|}

===European Tour wins (6)===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Legend
|- style="background:#e5d1cb;"
| Major championships (1)
|-style="background:#dfe2e9;" 
|World Golf Championships (1) 
|- style="background:#f2ecce;"
| Flagship events (1)
|- style="background:#D6E8FF;"
| Rolex Series (1){{efn|The [[2018 BMW PGA Championship]] was also a Rolex Series tournament.}}
|-
|Other European Tour (3) 
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!To par
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner(s)-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|7 May [[2006 European Tour|2006]] 
|[[Telecom Italia Open]]
|68-65-67-65=265
|align=center|−23
|4 strokes
|{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Anders Hansen]], {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Jarmo Sandelin]]
|-style="background:#dfe2e9;"
|align=center|2
|align=right|7 Nov [[2010 European Tour|2010]]
|[[2010 WGC-HSBC Champions|WGC-HSBC Champions]]<small>{{efn|The [[2010 WGC-HSBC Champions]] is not counted as a PGA Tour win because Molinari was not a PGA Tour member at the time.}}</small>
|65-70-67-67=269
|align=center|−19
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Lee Westwood]]
|-
|align=center|3
|align=right|6 May [[2012 European Tour|2012]]
|[[Reale Seguros Open de España]] 
|70-71-74-65=280
|align=center|−8
|3 strokes
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Alejandro Cañizares]], {{flagicon|DNK}} [[Søren Kjeldsen]], <br>{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Pablo Larrazábal]]
|-
|align=center|4
|align=right|18 Sep [[2016 European Tour|2016]]
|[[Italian Open (golf)|Italian Open]] (2)
|65-68-64-65=262
|align=center|−22
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Danny Willett]] 
|-
|- style="background:#f2ecce;"
|align=center|5
|align=right|27 May [[2018 European Tour|2018]]
|[[2018 BMW PGA Championship|BMW PGA Championship]]
|70-67-66-68=271
|align=center|−17
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|NIR}} [[Rory McIlroy]]
|-
|- style="background:#e5d1cb;"
|align=center|6
|align=right|22 Jul 2018
|'''[[2018 Open Championship|The Open Championship]]'''
|70-72-65-69=276
|align=center|−8
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Kevin Kisner]], {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Rory McIlroy]],<br>{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Justin Rose]], {{flagicon|USA}} [[Xander Schauffele]]
|}

'''European Tour playoff record (0–3)'''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent(s)!!Result
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|1
|[[2009 European Tour|2008]]
|[[UBS Hong Kong Open]]
|{{flagicon|TWN}} [[Lin Wen-tang]], {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Rory McIlroy]]
|Lin won with birdie on second extra hole<br>Molinari eliminated by birdie on first hole
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|2
|[[2010 European Tour|2010]]
|[[Alstom Open de France]]
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Alejandro Cañizares]], {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Miguel Ángel Jiménez]]
|Jiménez won with par on first extra hole
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|3
|[[2012 European Tour|2012]]
|[[Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open]]
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[Jeev Milkha Singh]]
|Lost to birdie on first extra hole
|}

===Other wins (2)===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!To par!!Margin of<br>victory!!Runners-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|10 Apr 2009
|[[Italian PGA Championship]]
|align=right|70-65-67-70=272
|align=center|−16
|6 strokes
|{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Gregory Molteni]], {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Andrea Perrino]],<br>{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Michele Reale]]
|-
|align=center|2
|align=right|29 Nov 2009
|[[2009 World Cup (men's golf)|Omega Mission Hills World Cup]]<br>(with {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Edoardo Molinari]])
|align=right|64-66-61-68=259
|align=center|−29
|1 stroke
|{{IRL}} − [[Graeme McDowell]] and [[Rory McIlroy]],<br>{{SWE}} − [[Robert Karlsson]] and [[Henrik Stenson]]
|}

==Major championships==
===Wins (1)===
{|class="wikitable"
!Year!!Championship!!54 holes!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runners-up
|-style="background:#ABCDEF;"
| [[2018 Open Championship|2018]] ||[[The Open Championship]] ||3 shot deficit ||−8 (70-72-65-69=276) ||2 strokes || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kevin Kisner]], {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Rory McIlroy]],<br>{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Justin Rose]], {{flagicon|USA}} [[Xander Schauffele]]
|}

===Results timeline===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament !! 2007 !! 2008 !! 2009
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T27
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T13
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:yellow;"|T10
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament !! 2010 !! 2011 !! 2012 !! 2013 !! 2014 !! 2015 !! 2016 !! 2017 !! 2018
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]
|T30
|CUT
|T19
|CUT
|50
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T33
|T20
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]
|CUT
|CUT
|T29
|CUT
|T23
|T27
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|CUT
|T25
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]
|CUT
|CUT
|T39
|style="background:yellow;"|T9
|T15
|T40
|T36
|CUT
|style="background:lime;"|[[2018 Open Championship|'''1''']]
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]
|T33
|T34
|T54
|T33
|T58
|T54
|T22
|style="background:yellow;"|T2
|style="background:yellow;"|T6
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!2019
!2020!!2021!!2022!!2023!!2024
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]
|style="background:yellow;"|T5
|CUT
|52
|CUT
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]
|T48
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T55
|CUT
|CUT
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]
|T16
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T13
|CUT
|CUT
|T64
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]
|T11
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT
|CUT
|T15
|CUT
|CUT
|}
{{legend|lime|Win}}
{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}
{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}
CUT = missed the half-way cut<br>
"T" = tied<br>
NT = no tournament due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]

===Summary===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!Tournament !! Wins !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Top-5 !! Top-10 !! Top-25 !! Events !! Cuts made
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]         || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 3 || 12 || 7
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]           || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4 || 14 || 12
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 14 || 8
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]      || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 2 || 6 || 16 || 9
|-
!Totals                                    !! 1 !! 1 !! 0 !! 3 !! 6 !! 17 !! 56 !! 36
|}
*Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (2013 Open – 2017 Masters)
*Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (2018 Open – 2019 Masters)

==Results in The Players Championship==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!2010
!2011
!2012
!2013
!2014
!2015
!2016
!2017
!2018
!2019
|-
|align=left|[[The Players Championship]]
|style="background:yellow;"|9
|CUT
|CUT
|CUT
|style="background:yellow;"|T6
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:yellow;"|T7
|style="background:yellow;"|T6
|CUT
|T56
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!2020!!2021!!2022!!2023!!2024
|-
|align=left|[[The Players Championship]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|C
|CUT
|T42
|T60
|T54
|}
{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}
{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}
CUT = missed the halfway cut<br>
"T" indicates a tie for a place<br>
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]

==World Golf Championships==
===Wins (1)===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year!!Championship!!54 holes!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner-up
|-style="background:#D3FFCA;"
|align=center|[[2010 WGC-HSBC Champions|2010]]
|[[WGC-HSBC Champions]]
|1 shot lead
|−19 (65-70-67-67=269)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Lee Westwood]]
|}

===Results timeline===
''Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Tournament!!2009!!2010!!2011!!2012!!2013!!2014!!2015!!2016!!2017!!2018!!2019!!2020
|-
|align="left"|[[WGC-Championship|Championship]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T14
|style="background:yellow;"|T3
|T13
|T28
|T25
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T20
|T25
|T17
|T53
|-
|align="left"|[[WGC-Match Play|Match Play]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|R64
|R64
|R32
|R64
|R64
|T34
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T58
|T17
|style="background:yellow;"|3
|NT<sup>1</sup>
|-
|align="left"|[[WGC-Invitational|Invitational]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T39
|T15
|T40
|T44
|T31
|T61
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T24
|T39
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align="left"|[[WGC-HSBC Champions|Champions]]
|style="background:yellow;"|T10
|style="background:lime;"|[[2010 WGC-HSBC Champions|'''1''']]
|T23
|T39
|T21
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:yellow;"|T6
|T46
|T43
|T22
|NT<sup>1</sup>
|} 
<sup>1</sup>Cancelled due to [[COVID-19]] pandemic<br>
{{legend|lime|Win}}
{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}
{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play<br>
NT = No tournament<br>
"T" = Tied

==PGA Tour career summary==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Season !! Starts !! Cuts<br>made !! Wins <!-- (majors) --> !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Top<br>10 !! Top<br>25 !! Earnings<br>([[United States dollar|$]]) !! Money<br>list rank<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.109.html |title=Official Money |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=29 Jun 2025}}</ref>
|-
| [[2007 PGA Tour|2007]] || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || style="text-align:center;"| 0 || n/a
|-
| [[2008 PGA Tour|2008]] || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || style="text-align:center;" |0 || n/a
|-
| [[2009 PGA Tour|2009]] || 4 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 2 || style="text-align:right;"|304,368 || n/a
|-
| [[2010 PGA Tour|2010]] || 8 || 6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 2 || style="text-align:right;"|358,196 || n/a
|-
| [[2011 PGA Tour|2011]] || 11 || 6 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 3 || style="text-align:right;"|158,387 || n/a
|-
| [[2012 PGA Tour|2012]] || 8 || 7 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 3 || style="text-align:right;"|198,961 || n/a
|-
| [[2013 PGA Tour|2013]] || 9 || 6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || style="text-align:right;"|245,463 || n/a
|-
| [[2014 PGA Tour|2014]] || 12 || 12 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 7 || style="text-align:right;"|847,974 || n/a
|-
| [[2015 PGA Tour|2015]] || 16 || 13 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 2 || 5 || style="text-align:right;"|997,389 || 103
|-
| [[2016 PGA Tour|2016]] || 18 || 14 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 5 || style="text-align:right;"|1,083,155 || 98
|-
| [[2017 PGA Tour|2017]] || 21 || 17 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 5 || 14 || style="text-align:right;"|2,875,850 || 31
|-
| [[2018 PGA Tour|2018]] || 20 || 17 || 2 || 1 || 0 || 5 || 11 || style="text-align:right;"|5,065,842 || 11
|-
| [[2019 PGA Tour|2019]] || 15 || 14 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 3 || 6 || style="text-align:right;"|3,467,143 || 11
|-
| [[2020 PGA Tour|2020]] || 6 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || style="text-align:right;"|183,740 || 193
|-
| [[2021 PGA Tour|2021]] || 15 || 7 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 5 || style="text-align:right;"|996,777 || 126
|-
| [[2022 PGA Tour|2022]] || 17 || 10 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 3 || style="text-align:right;"|816,460 || 143
|-
| [[2023 PGA Tour|2023]] || 18 ||  6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || style="text-align:right;"|566,848 || 167
|-
| [[2024 PGA Tour|2024]] || 15 ||  6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || style="text-align:right;"|259,679 || 184
|-
| [[2025 PGA Tour|2025]] || 9 ||  4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || style="text-align:right;"|85,170 || 195
|-
! Career !! 223 !! 152 !! 3 !! 2 !! 3 !! 28 !! 72 !! 18,511,604 !! 114<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.110.html |title=Career Money Leaders |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=29 Jun 2025}}</ref>
|}
^ Molinari became member of the PGA Tour in 2015, so he is not included in the money list before that.

==Team appearances==
'''Amateur'''
*[[European Boys' Team Championship]] (representing Italy): 1999<ref>{{cite web |title=European Boys' Team Championship – European Golf Association |date=19 October 2015 |url=http://www.ega-golf.ch/page/european-boys-team-championship |access-date=22 January 2023}}</ref>
*[[European Youths' Team Championship]] (representing Italy): 2000<ref>{{cite web |title=EGA Events, Results, European Team Championships, European Youths' Team Championship |date=19 October 2015 |url=https://www.ega-golf.ch/page/european-youths-team-championship |accessdate=3 January 2023 |publisher=European Golf Association}}</ref>
*[[European Amateur Team Championship]] (representing Italy): [[2001 European Amateur Team Championship|2001]], [[2003 European Amateur Team Championship|2003]]
*[[Eisenhower Trophy]] (representing Italy): [[2002 Eisenhower Trophy|2002]], [[2004 Eisenhower Trophy|2004]]
*[[Bonallack Trophy]] (representing Europe): 2004
*[[Arnold Palmer Cup|Palmer Cup]] (representing Europe): [[2004 Palmer Cup|2004]] (winners)
*[[St Andrews Trophy]] (representing the Continent of Europe): 2004

'''Professional'''
*[[World Cup (men's golf)|World Cup]] (representing Italy): [[2006 WGC-World Cup|2006]], [[2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup|2007]], [[2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup|2008]], [[2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup|2009]] (winners), [[2011 Omega Mission Hills World Cup|2011]], [[2013 World Cup of Golf|2013]], [[2016 World Cup of Golf|2016]]
*[[Seve Trophy]] (representing Continental Europe): [[2009 Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros|2009]], [[2011 Vivendi Seve Trophy|2011]], [[2013 Seve Trophy|2013]] (winners)
*[[Ryder Cup]] (representing Europe): [[2010 Ryder Cup|2010]] (winners), [[2012 Ryder Cup|2012]] (winners), [[2018 Ryder Cup|2018]] (winners)
*[[Royal Trophy]] (representing Europe): [[2012 Royal Trophy|2012]]
*[[Team Cup (golf)|Team Cup]] (representing Continental Europe): 2023 (playing captain, winners), 2025 (playing captain)<ref>{{cite web |date=12 January 2025 |title=Great Britain & Ireland win Team Cup 17-8 |url=https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/news/articles/detail/great-britain-ireland-win-team-cup/ |access-date=14 January 2025 |publisher=European Tour}}</ref>

'''Ryder Cup points record'''
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! 2010 !! 2012 !! 2014 !! 2016 !! 2018 !! Total 
|-
| 0.5 || 0.5 || - || - || 5 || 6
|}

== Honours ==

=== Orders ===
: [[Image:Nastrino Stella Merito sportivo 2015.svg|50px]] [[Italian National Olympic Committee|CONI]]: [[Italian National Olympic Committee|Golden Collar of Sports Merit]]: ''Collare d'Oro al Merito Sportivo'': 2018<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.federgolf.it/news/in-primo-piano/a-francesco-molinari-il-collare-doro-al-merito-sportivo/ |title=Coni: A Francesco Molinari il Collare d'Oro al Merito Sportivo |publisher=Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano |work=Coni.it |language=it |date=19 December 2018 |access-date=5 May 2025}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.fmolinari.com}}
*{{EuroTour player|3289}}
*{{PGATour player|25198}}
*{{OWGR|7655}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|SUI}} [[Roger Federer]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year|BBC World Sport Star of the Year]]|years=[[2018 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award|2018]]}}
{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|KEN}} [[Eliud Kipchoge]]}}
{{end}}
{{The Open champions}}
{{BMW PGA Championship champions}}
{{World Golf Championships winners|selected=WGC-Champions winners}}
{{navboxes|title=Francesco Molinari in the [[Ryder Cup]]
|list1=
{{2010 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{2012 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{2018 European Ryder Cup team}}
}}
{{European Tour Golfer of the Year}}
{{BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year}}
{{European Tour Order of Merit winners}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molinari, Francesco}}
[[Category:Italian male golfers]]
[[Category:European Tour golfers]]
[[Category:PGA Tour golfers]]
[[Category:Winners of men's major golf championships]]
[[Category:Ryder Cup competitors for Europe]]
[[Category:BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year winners]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Turin]]
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century Italian sportsmen]]