It is yet to be determined whether Viktor Hovland will win the Wanamaker Trophy at this week’s 105 th PGA Championship in Oak Hill. However, if he wins, it could be thanks to Edoardo Molinari, his secret weapon.
It would be Francesco Molinari’s older brother, who is a former U.S. He is an Amateur Champion, three-time DP World Tour Champion and European Ryder Cup winner. Molinari will serve as assistant captain in his native Italy later this year.
Molinari is also an engineer and his use of statistics made him a pioneer in using data analytics in golf. This has also led to the establishment of a company that helps some of golf’s best players to learn about their strengths and weakness, strategies and course management as well as how to improve their practice. His advanced data analytics is used by U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick as well as Thomas Pieters, Hovland and others.
Molinari stated that “Viktor’s potential is unlimited.” “He is very interested in the course management. Even on the day of his round, I talk to Shay Knight, his caddie. Viktor is an extremely smart kid who knows what he wants. He’ll sometimes ask you a specific question, then work away for a whole month. Then he can see how the data is changing.
Edoardo Molinari of Italy celebrates his victory at the 2019 Trophee hassan II held at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat in Morocco. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images).
Molinari stated, “I believe Viktor realized his course management was weak.” His ball striking is among the best on Tour. He never misses a shot. It’s just a matter of managing his few missed shots a little bit better, sometimes playing a little more aggressively off the tee. Because when he is on, he doesn’t miss a fairway.”
Hovland won the 2018 U.S. Hovland, 25, won the 2018 U.S. The Norwegian was in contention at both the British Open in April and the Masters in May, but he faded away.
Hovland, when asked why he had not been more successful at the majors, explained: “I think it’s because I was a bit young and stupid. I went after some pins I wasn’t supposed to go after, even though I felt good about my ball striking and it’s very easy to feel that, yeah, I will take it straight at it and make birdie here. You can hit a good shot and end up short-sided, making bogey, or even double. This is not acceptable in major championships. You have to wear the center of the green out.”
Hovland, also working with swing instructor Joe Mayo in this year, has compared his newly-found focus on managing the course to playing poker and making smart bets based on the cards he is dealt.
In poker strategy, you should bet on certain frequencies. Certain things will happen. He explained that he was plugged into the bunker more often than you might think. It seemed to happen every once in a while, or so. I’d be in a bad spot and not be able to make par. Edoardo and I crunched the numbers, and it was clear that I had been a bit too aggressive in my use of shorter irons.
Fitzpatrick, the first player to ask Molinari for help, remains the player most dedicated to Molinari’s data analytics method. His number of followers is increasing by leaps and soaring through word-of-mouth.
I thought that some players would ask for it. I thought I could only manage 10 players. In 3-4 years, I thought I would be satisfied with 10 players. We had 10 players registered within 3 months. I had to hire one guy part-time and hired another. “Both are now full-time,” Molinari stated. We have 10 clients on the PGA Tour, another 20 on DP World Tour. A couple of Champions Tour and LPGA players are also on our books.
Brandon Stone, a South African professional who has worked with Molinari in the past, may have best explained why so many players knock on ‘The Stat Man”‘s door and ask for help.
Stone stated, “You always look for the 1 percent that you can gain over everyone else.” “I gained 5 percent when I worked with Eddie.”
Molinari, who founded Statistic Golf in 2010, initially offered only statistics, but has since expanded to include course management, and tips on how to improve your practice. (Molinari wasn’t the first skilled golfer to venture into this cottage industry. Golfweek covered the story of Hunter Stewart last year ).
Fitzpatrick’s U.S. Open win in June was a major victory for Molinari. Imagine what it would mean to his business if one of his clients won a second one in less than one year. Molinari was asked last month if Hovland’s game suited a specific major. He said either the U.S. Open, or PGA Championship.
“It has to be extremely difficult to hit the ball off the tee for him to benefit most. He is one of the most talented ball drivers. Chipping out of tight lies is his only weakness. “But there is a lot more grass around those greens at majors, so it’s not as big of an issue,” explained he.
Hovland will be playing in the final group with Brooks Koepka on Sunday after shooting an even-par score of 70 at Oak Hill. Hovland has had a T-3 finish at the Players Championship this year and his most recent win came at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas for the second consecutive year. All of Hovland’s Tour victories have taken place on tropical islands, including Puerto Rico, Mexico and Cancun. Ironic, given that he was born in Norway.
“Sometimes, I tease Molinari that it is about time for him to win on a serious course and not at a tourism place,” said Molinari.
Oak Hill, a golf course in Western New York where there was a freezing delay on Thursday, would qualify as a “serious golf course.”
