Johnnie Walker Championship 2011: Molinari Brothers
By Ben, BettingExpert.com | Published
Google+: Ben Bexpert
Around this time last year, Johnnie Walker Championship was the decisive tournament for some the players who wanted to secure their place in the European team for the Ryder Cup 2010. It was this event that help the defending champion Edoardo Molinari to impressed the Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie with his amazing finish at Gleneagles. Edoardo was handed the wild card entry to the European team to team up with his younger brother Francesco – who was already in the team - in Celtic Manor.
Slipping outside the top 30 ranking in the world and having failed to qualify at PGA's FedEx Cup Playoff Series, Tiger Woods was invited to take part in the Johnny Walker Championship this weekend in Scotland by tournament director Graeme Marchbank. However, The former world No1 choose to opt out and turned down the offer that would give him the chance to at least not sink farther down in the world ranking while he waits for the four PGA's postseason events to finish at the end of September.
The Defending Champion
Edoardo Molinari returns to the place where he triumph last year that made Colin Montgomery give his wild card selection for the European Ryder Cup team in favour of defending champion. Around this time last year, Edoardo was under a lot of pressure to impress Montgomery as he enters the final round. Having recorded 4 bogeys in the early holes, he ended his final three with birdies in a consecutive row. With his amazig shots, he closed his game beating the Australian Brett Rumford by one shot with his 1-under 71 finishing a total of 10-under 278. Although the Italian won the Johnnie Walker 2010, it was not enough to secure a place in the Ryder Cup team but because of his superb final round and along with his loyalty to the European Tour, it was enough to sway Monty’s decision to his side and was given the wild card selection by Colin. He was then team up his younger brother Francesco to help the European team win the Ryder Cup 2011. Fired up with his second European victory last season, he went the following week at Omega European Masters to finish as a runner up. Since then, this fire has slowly diminished. He started the season in Abu Dhabi missing the cut. His best finish so far was T8, but that was in way back in January. Since May, he has failed to finish inside the top 30 and with his last tournament at the PGA Championship, he finished T69. On top of these, he started the season ranked 18th but has slipped and hanging on just inside 50th in the world. As the Ryder Cup returns in Gleneagle next year, the defending champion will be hoping that his fond memories of last year will give him the form to win back to back as he gets ready for the Ryder Cup 2011 where it will be played in Gleneagles. Edoardo Molinari is in odds 40/1 to retain his title.
The Blood Brother
Francesco Molinari is the younger brother of the defending champion. Unlike his brother, Francesco qualified automatically in the European team when Ross McGowan withdrew from this tournament last year due to injury. Despite his seven bogeys in the final round in Perthshire in 2010, he closed the tournament T3 with his 7-under par total 281, three shots behind his brother. Although he missed more cuts in his tournaments - six in total, compare to his brother who has only three - Francesco is doing well in the ranking. He has only slipped from 16th to ranked No22 in the world. Having missed the cut two consecutive rows, in Alstom Open de France and in the Open Championship in Sandwich he rallied himself to finish T15 in Ohio for the World Golf Championship. His last tournament in Atlanta Athletic Club, Francesco finished T34. Francesco Molinari will be hoping to win the title and would give it a fair fight to grap it from his sibling as he the favourite by the bookies at 16/1 to win the Johnnie Walker Championship 2011.
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