Player Profile - Edoardo Molinari

Twenty-nine year old Edoardo Molinari is taking the European Tour by storm. Born in the picturesque and regal town of Turin, in north-western Italy, the Italian showed an interest in golf from a young age.

Balancing a very successful amateur career and his engineering studies, the young Italian made his first mark on the golf world when he became the first European to win the US Amateur Championship in 2005. This impressive win allowed Molinari to take part in the US Masters, US Open and British Open championships in 2006, his first taste of professional golf. The year 2007 saw the young golfer blossom, winning the Club Colombia Masters, and the Kenyan Open while playing on the lower-ranked Challenge Tour. After graduating with a degree in Engineering, Molinari joined the European Tour in 2008.

After a challenging year on the European Tour, 2009 saw Molinari return to the Challenge Tour, where he won two championships in his home country Italy, the Piemonte Open and the Italian Federation Cup. In the same year, he teamed up with his younger brother and fellow-professional golfer Francesco to win the World Cup of Golf in China, the first time Italy had ever won that event. Topping the Challenge Tour money list in 2009, Molinari has once again qualified for the European Tour for 2010.

This year has seen Molinari's game steadily flourish as he rises to the challenges of top-rated professional golf. His win at the Scottish Open on July 11th has confirmed his place as one of professional golf's young stars. This talented young player, a year shy of 30, should be on every fan's watch list as he is set to offer a challenge to the old guard on the European Tour. Known as a friendly and sportsmanlike golfer, the young Italian will add some Mediterranean flair to the game, joining fellow southern Europeans Seve Ballesteros and Serge Garcia.