Francesco Molinari storms back to claim Arnold Palmer Invitational victory

Francesco Molinari put together a flawless final round on Sunday at Bay Hill, blasting back from five shots behind to start the day and ending in the winner’s circle at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Francesco Molinari wasn’t supposed to be a factor at Bay Hill on Sunday. He began the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 17th place, five shots off the pace set by 54-hole leader Matthew Fitzpatrick. If that wasn’t enough, defending champion and 2019 buzzsaw Rory McIlroy was in second place, four shots ahead of the Italian.

As good as Molinari is, his fate seemed to be predetermined. A solid finish was certainly still in the cards with some crowding atop the leaderboard, but surely it would take some kind of near-miracle for him to actually win the King’s tournament, right?

Well, as they say, that’s why they still play the game. Molinari put on an absolute clinic at Arnie’s Place, posted a number, and let the rest of the field try to match him.

Perhaps it was the freedom of knowing that he had nothing to lose. Molinari got out of the gates hot on Sunday, opening his round with a birdie on the par-4 1st, and another on the 3rd. With his putter heating up, Molinari one-putted again on the par-5 6th for a third birdie.

We really knew something special was going on by the time Molinari made the turn. Finding the greenside rough on No. 8, he took the 45-foot pitch and buried it in the bottom of the cup, moving to four-under for the round.

It was more of the same on the back nine, with Molinari getting out of every pinch without dropping a shot. Then, on No. 18, he rolled in a clutch 44-footer to get into the clubhouse at -12, two clear of the field at that moment.

The defending Champion Golfer of the Year took just 25 putts to get around, finishing the event ranked fourth in strokes gained putting. Couple that with some fantastic iron play (T-6 greens in regulation), and even more impressive wedge work (10 of 11 sand saves, fifth in scrambling) and you’ve got a winning formula against most any field in the game.

Things really couldn’t be going much better for the 36-year-old as we head into some of the biggest events of the year. Molinari will take his game to TPC Sawgrass next week for the March return of The PLAYERS Championship, and the Masters begins in just three weeks. And while the victory was still fresh in Molinari’s mind, he’s clearly aware of what’s to come.

"“I know that I can shoot low scores pretty much on every golf course … I’m not scared to say that, or I’m not shy of confidence in that way,” Molinari said. “It’s never easy, but I think what makes the difference is my mental approach is a lot better than what it was three, four years ago and I practice at home to do this sort of stuff in tournaments.”"

Arnold Palmer, whose trademark cardigan was draped so elegantly on Francesco Molinari on Sunday night, famously said that “you must play boldly to win”. Part of playing boldly is having the confidence to know that what you’re doing is working, and being willing to speak it into existence.

It’s safe to say that Molinari did just that on Sunday, and he did Mr. Palmer proud. He might even be raising a trademark glass of Ketel One to toast the deserving new champion in celebration.