Edoardo (left) and Francesco Molinari celebrate the one-point European Ryder Cup win in 2010 at Celtic Manor. Adrian Dennis

By Matt Smith
Team Europe captain Henrik Stenson has announced his second Vice Captain in the hope of some local knowledge can help the side regain the Ryder Cup.

Italian Edoardo Molinari will line up alongside the Swede and fellow Vice Captain Thomas Bjorn for the competition which will be held at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome from September 25 to October 1, 2023.

Molinari, alongside his brother Francesco, was part of the victorious Team Europe at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Wales. He has also won three times on the DP World Tour and has made 356 Tour appearances to date.

Molinari will be a popular addition to Team Europe among the home support when Italy hosts the biennial contest for the first time next year.

He said: “It is fantastic. I played the Ryder Cup in 2010 and to be able to be a Vice Captain in this one is a dream come true. It was a very unexpected call from Henrik. We had chatted a few times about stats and what I could do to help the team, but I never expected this.

“Knowing Henrik, he will leave no stone unturned. He will do everything he can to win the Ryder Cup back. It will be a lot of fun for all the guys playing for him too. He has always been a very friendly guy, and is always smiling, so I think it will be a fantastic atmosphere in the team room.

“The Italian fans will be loud and passionate at Marco Simone. For the players, it will be a lot of fun to play in front of such supportive crowds. Rome is a fantastic city, one of my favourites in the world. It is going to be a great week overall and I am very happy that the players will get to experience Rome.”

Stenson added: “I’m delighted to welcome Edoardo to the 2023 European Ryder Cup team as a Vice Captain. I’ve known him for a long time and he is obviously a Ryder Cup player himself. He is really into stats and he works with a few of the players who will potentially be on my team.

“I asked him if he would do me the honour of joining the team and he was delighted to. I’m very happy to have him on board and I’m very much looking forward to his input and to lean on his experience. With him being Italian, it is going to be an extra special week for him.

“I envisage Thomas and Edoardo as the working group that I will lean on for the foreseeable future. There will be a lot of healthy discussion and input between us. I’m delighted to have both of them as part of Team Europe.”

Molinari and his brother Francesco followed compatriot Costantino Rocca into Ryder Cup folklore when they represented Europe in the Ryder Cup in 2010 at Celtic Manor.

The Molinaris became the first brothers to compete against the United States since Bernard and Geoffrey Hunt played in the 1963 Great Britain & Ireland team, when they played in the 2010 contest. They halved their fourball match against Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar, while Edoardo contributed another crucial half point in his singles match against Rickie Fowler as Europe triumphed 14.5-13.5.

In addition to his three victories on the DP World Tour, Molinari was also the Challenge Tour No. 1 in 2009 and was, for a number of years, a respected member of the DP World Tour’s Tournament Committee.

Before turning professional Molinari won the 2005 US Amateur Championship and alongside Francesco, claimed the World Cup of Golf for Italy in 2009 at Mission Hills in China.

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