Edoardo Molinari

Height: 5 ft 11 in

Born: February 11, 1981

College: Polytechnic University

Year Turned Pro: 2006

Birthplace: Turin, Italy

Sponsor: Taylor Made

Edoardo Molinari began playing golf with his father at the age of 8. He was a highly decorated amateur player. He captured the 2005 U.S. Amateur Championship, becoming the first Italian to do so. He defeated American Dillon Dougherty 4&3 in the 36-hole final.

Molinari began to break through in 2007 on the Challenge Tour, Europe’s equivalent to the PGA’s Web.com Tour. His strong play in 2007 earned him a tour card for the 2008 European Tour season.

Molinari’s 2008 European Tour season was a struggle, inconsistent play and a nagging series of injuries led to him losing his tour card by the end of the year.

It was back to the Challenge Tour in 2009, but Molinari made the most of it. He demolished the all-time Challenge Tour earnings record with winnings that topped 240,000 Euros. He won three-times and also teamed up with his brother Francisco to become the first Italians to win golf’s World Cup.

Molinari’s momentum continued in 2010. In March of that year he played in the PGA Tour’s prestigious Bay Hill Tournament. Molinari finished runner up and pocketed $528,000. In July, he won his first European Tour title at the Barclay’s Scottish Open. A month later, he won the Johnny Walker Challenge at Gleneagles. Before the year was out, he was selected as a wild card pick for Europe’s Ryder Cup team and he broke into the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings.

Molinari stumbled in 2011, falling to 46th on the European Tour money list and then a series of injuries in 2012 and 2013 essentially turned those years into lost seasons.

He finally found his form in 2014, putting together a series of top tens including a tie for 7th place at that year’s Open Championship. He finished the year 40th on the money list securing his card for the 2015 season.