Molinari admits mental toll from Masters

Francesco Molinari says he has regrets about how this year’s Masters ended and says he wants to get back to his best form. The Italian Ryder Cup hero was looking to become the first reigning Open champion to win the green jacket since Tiger Woods back in 2001. He had a two-shot lead going into the final round and maintained that lead through 11 holes. However, dunking the ball into the water on the 12th and 15th decimated his chances and the Green Jacket went to Woods who picked up his first major since 2008. Molinari rose to seventh in the world rankings after the Augusta weekend but has failed to register a top-10 finish in his last 11 tournaments. And, the 36-year-old says his Masters collapse has had a mental effect but insists he is trying to get back to his best. “In hindsight, obviously it’s easy to see after that, the results haven’t been quite the same,” Molinari said. “It’s tough, like any sport I think, when you lose a tournament or lose a game or something like that. It takes a toll mentally. “I think something obviously changed that week in a way. Since then, I’ve been trying to get back to where I was.”