HERO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

January 22, 2026

Francesco Molinari

Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club

Press Conference

Q. Sensational 65 out there today. Try and describe your day out there.

FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, I mean, obviously good comes to mind. Not super unexpected but I wasn't expecting a score like that. Last week I felt very rusty, so I was hoping it would be very good prep for this week. Yeah, putter was the biggest difference to be honest. Made some nice putts. Kept the round going in the middle where played a couple of iffy holes and made some good pars. Obviously very, very pleased with the start.

Q. Try and describe conditions out there today.

FRANCESCO MOLINARI: Yeah, it's not easy. It's very tricky. The wind obviously is up. It's sort of switching between northwest and north. And the greens, I think are the biggest difficulty. They are fast and firm. They are getting to the point where your putter has leaves on it, always a sign of firm greens. It's tricky, but I did a good job of staying in the moment. Like we always say, not get too flustered one way or the other, and at the end of the day, obviously you add them up and it's pretty good.

Q. I know your game is not where you want it to be the last few years but this is your lowest round on the DP World Tour since January 2024. Can I ask what you've been changing, if anything, in your game?

FRANCESCO MOLINARI: I don't know, compared to when? It's been a long time. I've changed everything and then I've changed back. I'm back working with Denis Pugh. That's been really nice. He doesn't travel to tournaments anymore but I see him just a day a month at home, and he's always been great and sort of simplifying stuff for me and clearing stuff out of my mind that doesn't need to be there. And yeah, that's been the biggest help.