Edoardo Molinari could have probably not asked for a more intimidating stage to make his debut at The Masters back in 2006, with the Italian in a group with Tiger Woods for the opening two rounds at Augusta National.
Of course, The Masters holds a special place in the heart of many golf fans. Every hole has provided a variety of moments which have defined tournaments over the years, for good and bad reasons. It also marks the unofficial start of the golf season in the eyes of many.
Certainly, with the majority of the 2024 PGA Tour season now in the rearview mirror, many fans will already be turning their attention to 2025 and that moment when the world’s best start preparing to take on Augusta National.
It was Edoardo Molinari’s turn to look forward to The Masters this time 19 years ago, with the Italian booking his ticket to Georgia by winning the US Amateur at Merion in 2005. That also meant that he was set to tee it up with Tiger Woods, the man who won the green jacket that same year.
Edoardo Molinari opens up on playing alongside Tiger Woods on his Masters bow
Playing alongside Woods would be daunting enough, let alone on your first trip to Augusta. Unsurprisingly, Molinari explained to Fried Egg Golf that he found the entire experience extremely surreal.
“It was an incredible week. The thing is, I didn’t know this until I won the US Amateur, when you win the US Amateur, you play the following year at The Masters with the defending champion. And Tiger happened to win in 2005, so basically I was waiting for this tee time with Tiger at The Masters for six, seven months,” he said.
“I just remember taking a lot of notes from the week. A friend of mine said you write them down, and it was a great idea because I still have this small diary with some thoughts and everything that happened that almost 20 years down the line, you’re starting to forget.
“The feeling was very weird to be honest. I remember not even being nervous on the first tee, it was like something between a dream, a movie set, it was just very, very weird. A lot of people around the tee obviously, with the first hole playing with Tiger, and he introduces himself like every other golfer, ‘hi, I’m Tiger Woods, nice to meet you’. It was weird. Francesco was caddying and I remember anytime Tiger went into a green side bunker, he was the first one to be right next to him trying to clean his ball.
“It was just an experience for both of us, which made me realise that a, even if I won the US Amateur, I was still far, far away from being able to compete in a major championship, but also you see other people play, you see those kind of courses that as an amateur, you don’t even dream about playing The Masters. It was an unbelievable experience.”
What few would have ever imagined happening to Woods after his 2005 triumph
Molinari would miss the cut, finishing at 13 over par from his two rounds. Woods meanwhile, would finish three shots behind eventual winner Phil Mickelson. The 15-time major champion would actually not break 70 all week, with the winning score proving to be seven under par.
Molinari would return to Augusta on three further occasions, with 2011 providing, by far, his best finish. The Italian would end up tied for 11th in the year following his Ryder Cup debut.
Few would have realised that Woods was a year into a 14-year run without winning The Masters. His 2005 triumph would bring Woods’ ninth major title, so at the time, it would have appeared inevitable to many that he would match Jack Nicklaus’ record at some stage.
No-one could have foreseen what would happen to Woods before he got the chance to put a green jacket on for the fifth time.
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