Molinari wins Shot of the Month

Last updated: 17th December 2009

The quite brilliant bunker shot which led to Italy winning the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for the first time has earned Francesco Molinari The European Tour Shot of the Month Award for November.

After elder brother Edoardo had found the sand with his approach to the final hole at Mission Hills Golf Club in China, Francesco was left with the treacherous task of playing his bunker shot towards the water which flanked the green.

Knowing anything less than a par would consign Italy to a play-off at best and defeat at worst, with Sweden already in the clubhouse on 28 under par and Ireland facing a birdie putt to finish on 29 under, Francesco fearlessly played a superb shot to within three feet of the flag.

After Graeme McDowell had left his birdie attempt short of the cup, Edoardo was left with the relatively simple task of rolling in his par putt to ensure the Molinari brothers' place in the history books.

Francesco said: "It was such a tough day, because we were playing against some of the best golfers in the world. It was really tough until the very last hole, but it feels even better to win it like that."

Second place went to Sweden's Alexander Noren, whose third shot to the final hole in the second round of the Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World went straight in the cup for an eagle three.

South African Ernie Els was awarded third place for his tee shot on the 17th hole in the final round of the WGC-HSBC Champions, which left him with a tap-in for birdie.

The 2009 winners of The European Tour Shot of the Month have been: Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy (January and March), England's Paul Casey (February and May), three Argentine golfers in Angel Cabrera (April), Rafa Echenique (June) and Ricardo Gonzalez (July), Sweden's Noren (August and September) and England's Lee Westwood (October).

The Shot of the Month is awarded to the Tour Member for the shot judged to be the best played each month on The 2009 European Tour International Schedule. The winning shots from each month have been nominated for The European Tour Shot of the Year Award, which will be announced at the end of December.