'He listens a lot' - Manassero backs Molinari for Ryder Cup captaincy

Matteo Manassero has endorsed his compatriot Francesco Molinari as a potential future Ryder Cup Captain, citing the Italian’s “wise” nature as one of his biggest attributes.

Known for his quiet and understated demeanour, Molinari might not immediately seem like the archetypal motivator to rally a team of 12 European players against the United States in golf’s greatest contest.

Yet, this calm and measured approach, which Manassero experienced firsthand while playing under Molinari for Continental Europe at the Hero Cup earlier this month, could make him an ideal candidate to lead Europe in future Ryder Cups.

“Of course he could,” Manassero replied when Gulf News asked if Molinari has the attributes to be a future captain.

“Francesco is great, he is an amazing person and listens a lot. I’d describe him as a quiet, wise man – that’s how he is.

“He doesn’t say anything extra, he says what he needs to say. He’s very direct, he listens and he’s open with everybody. He was a great captain at the Team Cup.”

‘Lived nice moments’

Manassero’s victory in South Africa lasts season helped him on his to way to earning an automatic call-up to the Team Cup.

That triumph, at the Jonsson Workwear Open, was truly a fairy-tale moment for golf, marking the triumphant return of a prodigious talent who had endured the full spectrum of the sport’s highs and lows.

The Italian burst onto the scene as the youngest-ever DP World Tour winner, a record he still holds after his stunning victory at the 2010 Castelló Masters Costa Azahar at just 17 years and 188 days.

By 2013, his fourth win at the BMW PGA Championship seemed to cement his place among the game’s elite, with the golfing world at his feet. Few could have predicted it would take another 3,942 days before he would lift another DP World Tour trophy.

Manassero’s fall from grace was as dramatic as his rise. By 2018, he had lost his full playing privileges, and his struggles culminated in a disastrous 2019 season, where he made just one cut in 18 starts. Disillusioned, he even stepped away from the game briefly.

A win on the Alps Tour in 2020 offered a glimmer of hope, and the 2023 season saw him claw his way back with two victories on the Challenge Tour, regaining his DP World Tour card after five long years.

At Glendower Golf Club, the comeback story reached its pinnacle. Manassero lit up the Friday with a career-low 61 to take the lead, but the final round was far from straightforward. With five players sharing the lead on the back nine, the tournament turned into a tense showdown.

Adding to the drama, a storm delay of more than two hours late in the round tested his resilience. Yet, the 30-year-old remained composed, closing with a brilliant 66 to secure a commanding three-shot victory at 26 under par—his first DP World Tour win in 11 years.

“It was a fantastic year,” he said.

“A fantastic year because I had great results, but I also lived really nice moments on the golf course.

“If I look back five years ago, when I had to rebuild stuff, I was not so concerned about winning again. It was about living really nice, intense moments on the golf course. That’s what I wanted to get back to, and last year it happened.

“My performances at Wentworth, the Irish Open, the Olympics, and obviously the win in South Africa – they were all great moments that I lived. That’s why 2024 was so nice.

“You cannot win every single week – we try and give ourselves a chance by being as consistent as possible, which is very hard. We work hard, do a lot of stuff outside of the tournament, and that is ultimately what you see on the course. But all that work goes into dreaming of not only the nice moments but also the tough moments and dealing with them with freedom.

“It was really important for me to live those moments again.”