Francesco Molinari yet to drink from Claret Jug ahead of Firestone
Wednesday 1 August 2018 22:36, UK
Open champion Francesco Molinari has revealed he has yet to drink anything from the Claret Jug as he remains focused on continuing his brilliant run of form at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
The Italian heads to Firestone off the back of three victories and two runner-up finishes in his last six worldwide starts, including most recently a two-shot win at Carnoustie.
Molinari had a week off after his maiden major success but has thus far decided against drinking out of the trophy, which has become a tradition amongst past Open champions.
"Nothing has gone in it (the Claret Jug) yet," Molinari said. "I'm not a big drinker, so to fill it with water would be a bit of a blasphemy it feels like.
"Last week there was a lot of recovery needed, so it didn't seem like a great time to get hammered. So maybe end of the season, when everything quiets down, it will be more appropriate."
The 36-year-old, who is up to a career-high of sixth in the world rankings and mathematically assured of a place in Thomas Bjorn's European Ryder Cup side in September, is now targeting an end-of-season run in the FedExCup play-offs.
"I think the main goal behind me and the team is getting better every day, even though it's probably not a specific goal," added Molinari, who lies seventh in the FedExCup standings.
"The specific goal was to get to East Lake. Last year I missed it by one shot, I think, in Chicago, missing a five-footer on the last green.
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"I don't know to be honest if I've got enough points to be safe already or not, but I'll try to make as many points as possible and get there. Then when I get there, obviously try to achieve even more."
Watch the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage begins on Thursday with Featured Groups from 2pm on the red button.
