Over the next several weeks LPGA.com will take a look back at Epson Tour players landing inside the top-10. This edition of the 'Meet the Epson Tour Grads" features Giulia Molinaro. She had five top-10 finishes including career best first place finish at the Friends of Mission Charity Classic. She finished ranked No. 2 in the Volvik Race for the Card and earned LPGA status for the 2014 season.
A Blessed Life
Born in Italy and raised in Kenya, Epson Tour rookie Giulia Molinaro has lived the life most people only see in the latest National Geographic documentary.
Molinaro was born in Italy but at just two-months-old, moved to Kenya with her parents so her father could skip the military in Italy.
“I was born in Italy and when I was two months old my parents took me to Kenya,” said Molinaro. “That was where my mom and dad lived. My dad moved there when he was 18 years old to skip military service in Italy and fell in love with the place. He decided to live there and finish his medical degree in Italy while still living in Kenya.”
While growing-up in Kenya, it wasn’t uncommon for Molinaro to wake-up to the sight of an elephant at her backdoor (Molinaro’s photo included above) or to see things that would only typically be found in the jungle. Molinaro’s childhood consisted of the ocean and nature and she dreams of one day giving that same life to her kids.
“It’s a unique experience. I know I’m blessed to have lived that way and I hope to be able to give that life to my kids. I would be surrounded by nature the whole time, I would come back from school to the ocean and on the weekend go on safaris so I was very lucky. I didn’t live the whole big city normal life I was always in the ocean or just in nature in general.”
Molinaro came to the United States when she was 16-years-old to attend the highly acclaimed IMG Academy before moving to Arizona where she attended Arizona State University. Molinaro, who still resides in Phoenix, Ariz., is currently in the midst of her rookie season the Epson Tour and recently became the first rookie to win on tour in 2013 after her victory at the Friends of Mission Charity Classic.
After her win, Molinaro took some well-deserved time off then played in a Cactus Tour event in Arizona to keep her game sharp.
“I just went home,” said Molinaro of what she did during the break, “I took some time off immediately after Asheville then come back into it. I played a Cactus event and I did good, I just needed to get back into it.”
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