Edoardo Molinari birdied four of his last five holes to set a new course record on his home course and surge into the lead after day one of the DS Automobiles 83° Open d'Italia.
In the build-up to action starting at Circolo Golf Torino, the home hero estimated he and brother Francesco would have played rounds into the several thousands over the layout since starting playing putting and chipping contests together.
Incredibly considering they have nine DP World Tour wins between them, neither of them held the course record but now Edoardo does after an eight-under-par 63 that put him one shot ahead of Chile’s Joaquin Niemann.
Should nobody else go lower this week, Molinari will take home the US$40,000 Course Record Award presented by Nexo.
The 45-year-old has endured a torrid time with injury since regaining his card via the 2024 Qualifying School, playing just 16 events due to first wrist and then thumb surgery.
But making just his sixth start of the season and sitting 205th on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World, he rolled back the years and made ten birdies on a sweltering day in Turin.
“It was great,” said the Ryder Cup Vice Captain. “I had a few weeks off before this event and I tried to put my swing a bit together because I wasn't really playing very well in the beginning of the season.
“But obviously I had surgery last year in August, so I was very, very rusty. And I had some very good practice sessions but you never know until it's tournament day and obviously you have to hit the ball very good.
“It was great. I had my family, my wife, my kids, my physio who I spent the last six months with pretty much every day. He did an amazing job together with everyone else. It was a very pleasing day.
“It's never this hot. It's only this hot usually for a week in the middle of the summer, not this early. But we got a heatwave these days and it's very hot. It's a shame because they cannot get the greens very firm but, on the other hand, the course is a little bit more gettable and plays a bit more like it usually plays.”
The three-time DP World Tour winner made a birdie-birdie-birdie start but gave two of the shots back on the fourth and fifth before picking up a shot on the par-five ninth to turn in 34.
It was on the back nine that he made hay, however, holing from off the green at the tenth and leaving himself mid-range putts for gains at the 11th and 14th.
A two-putt gain followed on the par-five 15th and he holed a 20-footer on the 17th before hitting the front after a smart approach into the last.
“I changed the driver last week and I have to say the new driver from Titleist is amazing," he said. "I'm always a bit tentative to move to a new club but it did make a big difference.
“I was very pleased with the way I hit it off the tee. There's some tight tee shots where I pretty much always hit the fairway today
“Then I hit some really good tee shots down 15, 17, 18, it was quite far down for a guy like me, old and with a lot of stitches. I think the driving today made a big difference.
“I think I've been putting quite well the last year. Today I had a great day on the greens but that's not a big surprise.”
Niemann looked like he would be the man to take control as he turned in 31 with five birdies and then picked up shots on the 14th and 15th to break out of a leading logjam.
A three-putt on the next was his only dropped shot of the day and while he regained it on the last, Molinari’s late charge would leave him in solo second.
Home favourite Guido Migliozzi, Spanish duo Nacho Elvira and Rocco Repetto Taylor, Kiwi Kazuma Kobori and Frenchman Tom Vaillant were then all two shots off the lead.
At five under Angel Ayora, Jorge Campillo, Eugenio Chacarra, Angel Hidalgo and Pablo Larrazábal made it seven Spaniards in the top 15 where they were joined by Frenchman Jeong-weon Ko, Swede Joakim Lagergren and Finn Oliver Lindell.
