Mauricio Molina (golfer)
Mauricio Molina (20 December 1966 – 13 October 2023) was an Argentine professional golfer.
| Mauricio Molina | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 20 December 1966 Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina |
| Died | 13 October 2023 (aged 56) Chile |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Sporting nationality |  Argentina |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1985 |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour Canadian Tour PGA Tour Latinoamérica Tour de las Américas European Senior Tour |
| Professional wins | 24 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Senior Tour | 1 |
| Other | 23 |
Career
Molina was born in Río Cuarto, Córdoba. He worked as a caddie in Buenos Aires, before turning professional in 1985. He was the nephew of the Argentine golfer, Florentino Molina.
Molina won several tournaments in Argentina and South America, including the Mendoza Open in 1999 and the Metropolitan Championship in 2009. In 1997 he shot 59 in the first round of the Náutico Hacoaj Grand Prix to set the record for the best round in Argentina.[1]
In 2009 Molina played on the Canadian Tour and recorded two victories at the Costa Rica Classic and Mexican PGA Championship, finishing the season in fourth place on the Order of Merit.
Molina played on the European Tour in 1998 and 2001, and the second-tier Challenge Tour between 2003 and 2008. His best tournament finishes were third at the 2004 Costa Rica Open and fifth at the Los Encinos Open in 2005.
Molina finished fifth in the 2018 European Senior Tour qualifying school to gain a place on that tour.
Death
Molina died on 13 October 2023, at the age of 56.[2]
Professional wins (23)
Canadian Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Dec 2008 (2009 season) |
Costa Rica Classic1 | 71-65-71-68=275 | −13 | 3 strokes |  Rob Grube |
| 2 | 20 Apr 2009 | Corona Mazatlán Mexican PGA Championship | 70-72-66-69=277 | −11 | Playoff | Andy Matthews |
1Co-sanctioned by the Tour de las Américas
Tour de las Américas wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Dec 2008 | Costa Rica Classic1 | 71-65-71-68=275 | −13 | 3 strokes | Rob Grube |
| 2 | 10 Oct 2010 | YPF Classic2 | 67-69-68-68=272 | −8 | 3 strokes | Félix Córdoba, Rodolfo González |
1Co-sanctioned by the Canadian Tour
2Co-sanctioned by the TPG Tour
TPG Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Nov 2009 | Campeonato Metropolitano | 65-64-71-66=266 | −14 | 1 stroke | Gustavo Acosta, Roberto Cóceres |
| 2 | 10 Oct 2010 | YPF Classic1 | 67-69-68-68=272 | −8 | 3 strokes | Félix Córdoba, Rodolfo González |
| 3 | 26 Feb 2012 | Abierto del Sur | 69-63-64=196 | −14 | 4 strokes | Rafael Echenique |
| 4 | 20 Dec 2014 | Tour Argentino Championship | 78-66-65-65=274 | −10 | Playoff | Nelson Ledesma, Francisco Ojeda |
1Co-sanctioned by the Tour de las Américas
PGA Tour Latinoamérica Developmental Series wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 Apr 2013 | Abierto Los Lirios | 72-71-68-65=276 | −12 | 5 strokes |  Gustavo Silva |
| 2 | 27 Oct 2013 | Abierto Internacional de Golf Hacienda de Chicureo | 71-69-72-70=282 | −6 | 5 strokes | Santiago Russi |
Argentine wins (2)
- 1997 Náutico Hacoaj Grand Prix
- 1999 Mendoza Open
Cordoba Tour wins (2)
- 2002 Río Cuarto Tournament
- 2003 Villa María Tournament
Other wins in Argentina (5)
- 1996 Pilar Grand Prix (Driving Range Circuit)
- 1997 SHA Grand Prix Pro-Am
- 2007 Los Lagartos Tournament (ProGolf Tour), Las Praderas Tournament (ProGolf Tour)
- 2012 Juan J. Galli Cup
Other South American wins (5)
- 1994 Ecuador Open
- 2006 Hacienda de Chicureo Open (Chile)
- 2012 Chile Open
- 2013 Santa Augusta Open (Chile), CBG PRO TOUR Brasília (Brazil)
European Senior Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Oct 2021 | Riegler & Partner Legends | 66-66-67=199 | −17 | 4 strokes | José Cóceres |
Results in senior major championships
| Tournament | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | NT | ||||||
| Senior PGA Championship | CUT | NT | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||
| U.S. Senior Open | NT | CUT | CUT | CUT | |||
| Senior Players Championship | |||||||
| Senior British Open Championship | T38 | T64 | T18 | NT | T43 | T3 | T53 |
"T" indicates a tie for a place
CUT = missed the halfway cut
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
References
- "Mauricio Molina logró un score histórico: 59". La Nación (in Spanish). 29 August 1997. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- "Falleció Mauricio Molina" [Mauricio Molina passed away] (in Spanish). Asociación Argentina de Golf. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
External links
- Mauricio Molina at the PGA Tour official site
- Mauricio Molina at the European Tour official site
- Mauricio Molina at the Official World Golf Ranking official site