Every week of the 2010 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.
YEAR OF THE MOLINARIS
John Garrity, contributing writer, Sports Illustrated: Welcome, fellow One Worlders, to the Asian edition of PGA Tour Confidential. Our headline story comes from Shanghai, where restaurant suppliers are cranking out placemats heralding 2010 as the "Year of the Molinaris." Seriously, if you'd told me a decade ago that Italians would be dominating pro golf and that China would be building more golf courses than the U.S., I'd have questioned your sanity. So let's start with Francesco Molinari's unblinking dismissal of a star-studded field at the WGC-HSBC Champions. Are you guys as stoked as I am about the Molinari brothers' emergence as international stars?
Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: As stoked as you? No, probably not. But that's probably only because I haven't written a feature about them. Judging by your enthusiasm for these guys, to know them is to love them.
Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Impressive how Francesco closed the deal. Capped a great year by the Europeans.
Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Just what the European Tour needs — more twenty-something studs. It just shows how one great player from a country can inspire the next generation and start a wave. Greg Norman helped turn Australia into a golf factory. Nick Faldo certainly inspired the current crop of English stars. Martin Kaymer probably discovered golf only because of Bernhard Langer. And now, 15 years after Costantino Rocca put Italy on the golfing map, here come the Molinaris. They really seem like a breath of fresh air, two guys who enjoy the competition and show it.
David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: There is so much depth over there it's crazy. A few years ago there was speculation that the Nationwide Tour might be the second-best in the world. You don't hear that anymore. The best players are always attracted to the big-bucks of the U.S. tour, but week-to-week European Tour events are getting stacked with highly ranked players — homegrown highly ranked players.
Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: The Molinari brothers are good young players, but there are a lot of good young players from all over the world. The talent well is as deep as it's ever been from a worldwide perspective.
Morfit: Maybe I'm forgetting a year somewhere, but I can't remember a season where we saw the emergence of more exciting players than 2010. Rory. Ryo. Rickie. Matteo. Bros Molinari. And of course Ben Crane.
Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I agree that the story of this year is the emergence of so many strong young players. Tiger and Phil combined to win only once, and that vacuum created a lot of opportunity. Even if both get back to where they were, they'll find it's harder to win because all these young studs are just gonna keep coming.
Morfit: I have to say the result dispelled one myth: Edoardo was supposed to be the brother who was clutch and could actually putt. Now it seems that description applies to both of them.
Mark Godich, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: That half-point they stole on the 18th hole at the Ryder Cup had to do a lot for their confidence.
Morfit: Good point, Mark. And Francesco said getting demolished by Tiger in singles actually helped him in a weird way.
Shipnuck: They're definitely a breath of fresh air. How cool will it be when they go head-to-head to determine a big tourney?
Morfit: If they're like the Williams sisters in tennis, it'll be a pillow fight.
Damon Hack, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I think it would be more like the Mannings than the Williams sisters. The brothers would spend 18 holes trying to take each other down. Would be compelling theater.
Shipnuck: Both of the Molinaris are swell guys, but they seem to have an admirable competitiveness. I think each would love the chance to beat the other.
KC's Espinoza reflects on his World Cup experiencePGA Tour Confidential: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
