Francesco Molinari To Swap London For California

The Italian has lived in London for 11 years, playing and practising at The Wisley in Surrey

Francesco Molinari To Swap London For California

Francesco Molinari has announced that he is leaving London after 11 years living in England's capital city.

The Italian says he is moving to California after the Covid-19 break gave a him and his family a chance to sit back and thing about things.

The 2018 Open champion is swapping London for the Golden State to spend more time with his wife and children.

Molinari has lived in London for over a decade and played and practised at The Wisley in Surrey, where his coach Denis Pugh is based.

It remains to be seen whether he will remain with Pugh.

The 37-year-old split with his caddie Pello Iguaran late last year to team up with Justin Rose's former bag man Mark 'Fooch' Fulcher.

"It's been a very strange few months for everyone lately, facing challenges that we never thought possible," Molinari said.

"As many of my colleagues, this forced break gave a chance to sit back and think about many things.

"It mostly made me think about the future and what I want to achieve in the coming years, from a professional point of view but mostly from a family standpoint.

"This is why we've decided to leave London after 11 happy, intense, satisfying and consuming years.

"The next chapter of our life is going to be in California, where we hope to be safe, happy and spend more time together as a family.

"This is what's keeping me busy now and away from tournament golf, the hope is to be back for the US PGA Championship."

Molinari currently ranks 30th in the world, having been as high as 5th in September 2018.

His last victory came at the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational and he is without a top-10 since his T5th at the 2019 Masters where two back nine double bogeys cost him a chance at the Green Jacket.

Tiger Woods went on to win his fifth Masters title that day.

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