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Can Molinari build on recent Euro success in Italy?

By Ryan Lavner
Sep 12, 2012 11:12 AM ET

In the past five weeks, on both sides of the Atlantic, members of the European Ryder Cup team have won six tournaments.

Half of that total can be attributed to one man, of course – Rory McIlroy, who won the PGA Championship in a romp, then reeled off wins at the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship, too. Sergio Garcia also has captured a title, at the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship, and Paul Lawrie (Johnnie Walker) and Peter Hanson (KLM Open) have hoisted trophies on the European Tour.

“It’s great to see so many players on the team in good form,” fellow European Ryder Cupper Francesco Molinari told EuropeanTour.com on Wednesday. “Obviously Rory has been amazing in the last few weeks, and it’s really good for the team spirit. The Americans had a really good early season and summer, so it’s important to show everyone that the Europeans are ready for the Ryder Cup.”

If Europe is to build on that recent success this week at the BMW Italian Open in Turin, it’ll require a victory from local favorite Molinari, Lawrie or Martin Kaymer. Naturally, though, the focus at Royal Park I Roveri is on Molinari, who is attempting to capture his national open for the second time in the past seven years. (His brother, 31-year-old Edoardo, also is in the field this week. He’s been out since June with a wrist injury.)

Said Molinari, “It’s worse (having won in 2006) because then people expect you to win every year.”