PGA Tour: Former Open winner is again contending and it’s nice to see

For the primary time in what looks like eons, the 2018 Champion Golfer of the Yr finds himself on the entrance web page of a PGA Tour leaderboard.

Francesco Molinari, the primary and solely Italian to ever win a significant, posted a 5-under 66 on Friday and now sits at 8-under par on the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. He made six birdies, and his solely bogey of the day got here on the difficult seaside par-3 sixteenth, the place he didn’t stand up and down from the tough. Molinari is now 4 strokes again of chief Justin Decrease, who has carded a pair of 65s on days one and two.

“It was very constant. I believe iron play typically was excellent, I gave myself numerous possibilities,” Molinari stated of his second spherical.

“Hit a very good 4-iron on 13, the downhill par 3, to about 5 ft. It was most likely the very best shot of the day.”

Photograph by Carmen Mandato/Getty Photographs

Accidents have plagued Molinari over the previous few years, which helps clarify why he solely has 4 high 10s since 2020. It looks like a pivotal level in Molinari’s profession got here on the twelfth gap at Augusta Nationwide on Sunday, Apr. 14, 2019. Whereas enjoying alongside Tiger Woods and Tony Finau within the last pairing that day, Molinari held a two-shot benefit over Woods after they arrived on the twelfth tee. However Molinari discovered Rae’s Creek, which led to a double. He hit it into the water three holes afterward 15, ending his possibilities and shocking your entire {golfing} world.

Roughly 9 months earlier, at Carnoustie in Scotland, Molinari proved to the world that he might win the massive one. He fended off Woods, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and others en path to successful the Claret Jug. He additionally went 5-0-0 on the 2018 Ryder Cup that September, the primary participant ever to take action. So when The Masters rolled across the following April, Molinari had change into a villain of kinds to American golf followers. It additionally appeared he would stymie Woods once more at Augusta and go away nostalgic golf followers to ask, “What if?” once more. However he paid the last word worth for taking over Rae’s Creek.

However, greater than 5 years later, Molinari finds himself contending in Bermuda, the primary time he has been remotely near the leaders all season. Of the 13 occasions he has performed in 2024, Molinari has made solely 5 cuts, along with his finest end coming on the Genesis Scottish Open, the place he tied for forty sixth. The previous couple of years have adopted the same but unlucky development, however figuring out what Molinari has needed to endure, together with accidents to his again and wrist, golf followers have to like seeing his identify on the leaderboard once more.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.