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DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI

November 15, 2018

Francesco Molinari

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Q. Thoughts on the finish after playing so beautifully through the day?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: A shame because I putted really well up until the 14th and then just misjudged the pace on a couple of those putts and left myself more work to do than I needed to.

But yeah, my game was okay, probably not my best, but putting and short game was very good up until the 14th, and that's how I built the 6-under score.

Q. Overall reaction on your play?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, good day. Especially not having played my best for sure. A few too many wayward tee shots probably, but I fought hard. The putting was fantastic, really, for the first 14 holes, so you know, I can improve on a few things.

Obviously some of the things are not going to be easy to maintain at the same level but I think I just have to keep going like I did today and do my own things, stay out of trouble, try to make birdies and see what happens.

Q. How was the atmosphere with Tommy?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: It was still fun. It's only Thursday, so there's so many things that can happen. It's really too early. We had fun. I think both of us, we didn't really hit the ball maybe our best, but we managed to scramble well and get two solid rounds together.

Q. Tommy told us last year that unlike closing out a regular tournament where if you don't close it out, you have another chance next week, and the pressure felt different because it's the Race to Dubai and it's a year-long quest, what was it like for you pressure-wise?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: I was trying not to think of that sort of stuff. I did a good job today to just think about shot by shot and hitting fairways, hitting greens, try to get the ball up-and-down when I miss greens, and that's what I need to do. I don't think there's any benefit in starting to think about what could happen if; it's just too early.

I'm playing all right. I'm putting very well, despite the last three putts on the last few holes. But I'm playing very well, so there's definitely a chance for birdie me to do well this week.

Q. Disappointing finish, but overall, how pleased are you with the way you played up to that point for a 68 today?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Very happy. I didn't play my best but I was very good at staying in the moment and putting was amazing the first 14 holes. I got it up-and-down when I needed to, so I did what I need to do and hopefully I can hit the ball a little better tomorrow and leave myself even more chances than today.

Q. Do you enjoy playing this golf course?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, I like it. I think you enjoy if you hit the ball decently, you can create a few chances. Obviously if you start missing fairways, it gets tough because of the bunkers. They are all very deep, and the greens are big, but if you're in the rough, it's hard to get the ball close. It's fairways, greens and try to make some putts.

Q. Playing with Tommy today your great round, how is the atmosphere? Could you have fun bearing in mind what's at stake at the end of the day?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, yeah, we did have fun. It's still early days. There's three more days of golf, so there's a lot of golf to be played, and yeah, we had fun. It was a good atmosphere. We didn't probably play our best, both of us, but we scrambled well and managed to get two good rounds together.

Q. Knowing what's on the line, winning The Race to Dubai, do you feel under extra pressure this week to get the job done?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Well, I'm trying not to see it that way. It's still golf at the end of the day and I need to do what I've done all year so well, and we'll see on Sunday if that's going to be enough or not.

Q. Did you feel like you had your best stuff out there today?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Not really. I thought my putting and my chipping were great for most of the round. Obviously a bit disappointing to finish with two 3-putts in the last four holes, but I really holed some good putts. Some good shots and not-so-good shots. But I did what I need to do to get the ball up-and-down when I was missing greens, and tried to post a good score.

Q. What's your attitude walking off the golf course, knowing you didn't have your best game but you still post a 68?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, us golfers, we always think it could have been better.

No, I'm happy the way I scored out on the course. I can't really say I'm happy the way I played, but I hit some good shots. I think the game is pretty close to being good. I think it's the end of a very long and tiring season, so it's normal not to have maybe a ton of energy.

Q. You've faced a lot of pressure this year. How would you describe the pressure that you have on the golf course, knowing what you have to do in order not to lose The Race to Dubai?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Well, obviously I'm not trying to think too much about it. I'm trying to focus on the shot at hand and go hole-by-hole, shot by shot and do the best that I can, and then today, being the first day, obviously you can have a very poor round and kind of get out of the game. But it was too early, really, to feel any pressure. I'm sure, depending on all the different scenarios on Sunday, it might be different.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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