MILAN, Italy, May 7 (UPI) -- Before a home crowd Sunday, Italy's Francesco Molinari won the Italian Open golf tournament in Milan by four shots.
With a closing 7-under-par 65 -- his third straight bogey-free round -- Molinari, who is ranked 44th on the European Tour, finished 23-under 265.
"It's amazing, really unbelievable," he said. "I wouldn't have thought of winning so early. I was hoping to give joy to the Italian golfers, but I wasn't thinking of this year."
Molinari's first career win made him the first Italian to win the event since Massimo Mannelli in 1980. In 2005, his older brother, Eduardo, won the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Anders Hansen of Denmark (66) and Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin (65) both made runs at the winner, but finished tied for second at 18-under 269.
Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen, who shot a course-record 9-under 63 on Thursday, finished tied for fourth with France's Benoit Teilleria (69) at 18-under 271.
