Golf-Super Molinari brothers win World Cup for Italy (Reuters)
November 29, 2009
* Italy wins first World Cup
* Ireland rue errors, Sweden lip out at the last
(adds detail, quotes)
By Nick Mulvenney
SHENZHEN, China, Nov 29 (Reuters) – Brothers Francesco andEdoardo Molinari won a dramatic three-way final round tusslewith Sweden and Ireland to claim a first World Cup of Golf forItaly by one stroke on Sunday.
The duo found their putting touch on the back nine as theirrivals faltered to finish with a four-under-par 68 for a totalof 29-under for the $5.5 million tournament at Mission Hills.
Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, who had led allweek after an opening 58, carded an error-strewn 70 to sharesecond with defending champion Swedes Henrik Stenson and RobertKarlsson, who shot a 69.
Edoardo leapt around the 18th green after securing victorywith a two-foot par putt before embracing his younger brother— the first siblings to lift the John Jay Hopkins trophy inthe 55 versions of the event.
“It’s amazing, we don’t really have any words,” 27-year-oldFrancesco, who will share a cheque for $1.7 million with hisbrother, said in a greenside TV interview.
“It’s been really tough all day, we were playing againstsome of the best golfers in the world. It was really toughuntil the last green. But it’s even better when it’s likethis.”
Ireland had started the final day foursomes with a one-shotcushion but were drawn into the chasing pack when world number10 McIlroy went into the trees with his drive at the third.
The Ulstermen looked to have recovered their nerves,however, with a string of four birdies from the fourth to surgethree shots clear.
Sweden, who shot a final-round 63 to win last year, hadpicked up two shots before dropping their first and only shotof the tournament at the eighth.
Calamity struck for the Irish around the turn, however,when they chalked up two more bogeys at the eighth and 10thholes, the latter when McIlroy missed a two-foot par putt.
ITALIANS AHEAD
The Molinaris, meanwhile, had gone through 10 holes at asteady one-under before three successive birdie putts fromFrancesco, the second a curling beauty from 30 feet, broke thethree-way tie then put the Italians ahead by two.
The Swedes and Irish cut the lead to one shot with birdiesat the 15th and there was more drama at the 18th.
First Stenson’s birdie putt tracked around the lip of thehole and out and then Edoardo’s second shot went into agreenside bunker, while the Irish carved out a birdie chance.
World number 37 Francesco, however, came up with abeautiful sand wedge to two feet and, when McDowell’s putt cameup short, Edoardo had a simple shot for championship.
Francesco had seven top 10s finishes on the European Tourthis year, while his brother Edoardo, the 2005 U.S. Amateurchampion, was the Challenge Tour champion.
After his victory in a playoff over Karlsson at the DunlopPhoenix in Japan last week, 28-year-old Edoardo has now wonfour of his last six tournaments.
England’s Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher finally lived up totheir billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites with a 64for fourth place on 26-under.
World number eight Sergio Garcia missed a two-foot putt asSpain finished a miserable week with a double bogey that leftthem 22 shots behind the winners with only the hapless Scottishduo (78) behind in 28th and last place. (Editing by John O’Brien; To query or comment on this storyemail sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com) ((nick.mulvenney@thomsonreuters.com; +8610 6627 1282; Reutersmessaging: nick.mulvenney.reuters.com@reuters.net. For the newReuters sports blog Left Field:http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/))
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