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European Ryder Cup players Francesco (L) and Edoardo Molinari of Italy walk on the third...
European Ryder Cup rookie Francesco Molinari could turn out to be the lord of the manor this week, team mate Ross Fisher said on Wednesday."He's a phenomenal player ... I think if he gets his putter warmed up like his brother (Edoardo) he could be unstoppable," the Englishman told reporters at Celtic Manor.
"They are both very good players but are very different. Francesco is probably the more solid of the two.
"I played with him at Gleneagles (last month) and I think myself and (my caddie) 'Wobbly' were joking with him and his caddie saying: 'When did you last miss a fairway?' He probably said 1990 or something," joked Fisher.
The long-hitting Englishman, who is also making his Ryder Cup debut here, described the Italian Molinari brothers as "a fantastic combination".
Fisher added: "Edoardo has a little bit more power to his game and putts very well. Winning the World Cup the way they did last year was tremendous for them and great for Italian golf.
"They bring a little bit extra to the team."
WET WEATHER
Fisher, who has won on the European Tour every year since 2007 and lifted the World Match Play title in Spain last year, said the wet weather in Wales would be a hindrance to the U.S. holders.
"A lot of the Americans don't really play too much golf in the rain," said the 29-year-old. "In the States when it rains it is usually thunderstorms so you come off the course.
"Whereas we do get to play in pretty bad conditions quite a lot throughout the year so I think it could potentially favour the Europeans."
Earlier this week, U.S. Ryder Cup stalwart Jim Furyk described the rough as the toughest he had seen and Fisher said that was another disadvantage for the holders.
"It's obviously going to be a very long golf course and I don't think the American guys have seen rough quite like it around the greens.
"When it gets wet it's pretty tough to control your ball and get it close to the pin. The rough, if you miss fairways, is very penal."
Fisher said he was living a dream this week and felt proud to be a part of the European effort to wrest back the trophy they lost in Valhalla two years ago.
"We have guys who are really coming into form," he said. "I think everyone on our team is playing really good golf.
"It's going to be a very special week and hopefully it will be a winning week."
(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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