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OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP


November 22, 2011


Francesco Molinari

Edoardo Molinari


HAINAN ISLAND, CHINA

Q.  How does it feel to be returning here as defending champions?
EDOARDO MOLINARI:  It's great.  Two years ago, we had a very good week.  We enjoyed ourselves very much.  And hopefully we can do the same this year.  I think the most important thing is that we are playing quite well and we know each other very well, so I'm sure we will have a lot of fun again this week.
FRANCESCO MOLINARI:  As Edoardo said, we have great memories of two years ago, and obviously it feels very good to be back here, even if it's a different venue.  I think we both remember very well the emotions of that week and that Sunday.  So just try our best to repeat it this year. 

Q.  And going back two years ago, just describe what that victory meant.
EDOARDO MOLINARI:  It was fantastic, because neither of us had won such a big tournament before also, I think when you play for your country, there's always a little bit of extra pressure.  It was definitely a fantastic feeling when everything finished on Sunday.

Q.  What were your memories, Francesco?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI:  Again, great week.  We came into the week probably not expecting to win.  Obviously we tried very hard to do it, but nobody looked at us as favourites, or it was a bit of a surprise.  Just a fantastic week.  We had more and more fun as the week progressed.  So just fantastic memories.

Q.  And that victory, it set the ball rolling for both of you, fantastic seasons in 2010 and a WGC win and Ryder Cup together, two titles.  Do you think that World Cup victory was the thing that kind of put everything in motion for that year?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI:  Yeah, I think so.  I think it was obviously a big step for both of us, winning against some of the best players in the world, and under such a big pressure, gave us a lot of confidence and helped us a lot last year to achieve everything that we achieved and probably not only for us, you know, but for Italian golf, as well.  It was a bit of a turning a corner and really trying to get some huge results to make the sport grow in Italy.

Q.  Manassero did very well and Lorenzo Gagli has had a great season; do you think you've inspired others?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI:  Yeah, more than directly, maybe inspiring them, it was a huge moment for Italian golf.  It was, as I said before, nobody expected it, but it was a huge victory and obviously becoming world champions in any sport, it's big; not only for golfers, but for other‑‑ for non‑golfers, as well.  It was a huge title, and we got a lot of publicity and golf started to be more and more popular in Italy.

Q.  What are your first impressions of here?
EDOARDO MOLINARI:  It's a very good golf course.  We played nine holes today, the back nine.  In a very it's quite similar to the old one.  It's quite big fairways, and quite small greens.
I think it's going to be very interesting, because there are some very good holes, and it's a great course for this format, because there are some holes where one player can go for it and the other can play it more defensive.  All in all, I think it will be a very good test of golf.

Q.  Is it nice to be doing a slightly different week when you're playing together and not just focussed on your own game?
EDOARDO MOLINARI:  Absolutely.  I think it's always nice when you play a team event in golf because it doesn't happen very often.  As I said before, to be playing with Francesco, we know each other very well, so we know what to expect from each other.
I'm sure it will be a lot of fun this week.

Q.  How do you feel like your games are at the moment coming into this event?
EDOARDO MOLINARI:  Personally I haven't had a great season so far.  But I played well in Singapore a couple of weeks ago and I'm definitely playing better than the middle of this year.  So you know, hopefully good form will keep going until the end of the year and I have a good run of events.
FRANCESCO MOLINARI:  Yeah, I think the same.  We didn't have obviously as good a season as last year, but it's always a bit hard to follow, you know, the success.  We are both playing better now compared to the middle of the season.
So it's looking good.  You know, it's not going to be easy to do what we did two years ago, but we are playing well, so we are going to give it our best and see what we can do.

Q.  And maybe this year you have that extra confidence as defending champions?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI:  Yeah, there's a bit of extra pressure, as well, and obviously comparing to two years ago, everybody is expecting more from us.
So it's going to be interesting.  I think the main thing is for us to go out and try to have fun as we always do when we play together.  And you know, if we are lucky to play some good golf, hopefully we'll have a good result again.

Q.  And do either of you have your families here this week?
FRANCESCO MOLINARI:  No.
EDOARDO MOLINARI:  The same as two years ago, just the two of us with our caddies.  It will be nice and quiet.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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