“My story is unique,” Molinaro said. “I was just lucky enough that my dad wanted me to start playing when I was young and I got better and better and really enjoyed it.”
Giulia (pronounced JULE-ya) was born in Italy, but moved with her family to Kenya as a toddler. Her father, Fabrizio, visited Kenya from his homeland of Italy at age 22 to serve as a wind-surfing instructor during a break from medical school. He fell in love with the East African nation. After becoming a doctor, Kenya became his new home as he started a safari tourism business and opened luxurious beach villas called the Alfajiri Villas on the southern Kenya coast of the Indian Ocean. Soon after a golf course sprung up at the nearby Leisure Lodge Resort.
“As you can imagine, it’s very hot there,” Molinaro said. “I have touched rhinos, elephants and buffalo and seen all kinds of animals on safaris every other week. It became natural to me.
“The golf course is a nice layout, a holiday course for the guests at resorts. There are monkeys and baboons on the course. That’s where I learned to play. When I go back home, I practice there.”
By age 12, Molinaro had earned a spot on the Italian National Team. Her family had spent most summers in Italy as she was growing up and she received coaching during her stint with the national team that traveled all over Europe. Most notable was coach Enrico Trentin.
“It was very good timing,” Molinaro said. “I met the right people at the right time.”
The momentum carried over to high school in Bradenton, Fla., at the IMG Pendleton School. That led to a college scholarship at Arizona State, where Molinaro was an All-American and the 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year and was best friends with Spanish teammate Carlota Ciganda. Her younger sister, Sofia, matriculated to the Savannah (Ga.) College of Art and Design where she will be a senior on the golf team this fall.
Professional golf had a very fast start. After turning pro at the end of 2012, Molinaro succeeded on the 2013 Epson Tour, winning her first professional title at the Friends of Mission Charity Classic, recording four more top-10 finishes, earning Rookie of the Year honors and placing second on the money list to gain her LPGA card for 2014.
In contrast, her first season on the LPGA was not so successful. She made just eight cuts in 18 starts, with a best finish of T23 at the Meijer Classic in August. She lost fulltime status on the LPGA for 2015.
The rebound to the Epson Tour this year has been reassuring. She has six top-six finishes, including two runner-ups, and is right back in contention for a 2016 LPGA card. Additionally, she has made two aces in the last year while playing in LPGA events, the most noteworthy coming at the JTBC Founders Cup earlier this year when she holed an 8-iron on the 17th hole and won a 2016 Kia K900.
“Maybe it was calming coming back to the Epson,” Molinaro said. “I am way more relaxed than I was on the LPGA last year. No, it wasn’t easy to let go of the LPGA card. That was the hard part. I need a consistent schedule since I don’t do well bouncing back and forth in anything. I’m happy with the choice I made to play here fulltime.
“Being here and playing this year has been a great time. I’m getting better every week.”
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