The Italian broke his duck stretching back to 2010 by beating Ireland's Paul Dunne in a play-off for the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco last week.
Molinari's previous Tour successes both came in 2010 and the second, in the final qualifying event for the Ryder Cup, persuaded European captain Colin Montgomerie to give the former US Amateur champion a wild card for Celtic Manor.
A serious wrist injury meant Molinari played just 14 events in 2013 and, although he finished 40th on the money list the following year, he had to regain his playing rights via the qualifying school in 2015 and 2016.
But the 36-year-old will tee off in the Shenzhen International at the Genzon Golf Club brimming with confidence after a long overdue victory.
"It feels fantastic – it was a long time coming," Molinari told www.europeantour.com.
"I was playing quite good in the beginning of the year but I never thought the win would come so soon, so obviously I'm very happy.
"It gets me into all of the Rolex Series events, which is massive, and hopefully I can play well in one of those and finish the Race to Dubai in a strong position come the end of the year, but the safety to be able to pick and choose your schedule for a couple of years is fantastic."
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson heads the field in his third appearance at Shenzhen.
The 38-year-old American is looking for his first win after tying for 29th in 2015 and eighth last year.
Watson, the world number 22, heads to China without a win in over a year and off the back of a missed cut at this year's Masters.
"I love the golf course," he said. "The course is a good challenge and the finish there is pretty nice.
"The 17th is a par five where you can try to make an eagle or a good birdie and on 18 the tee shot is so tough, especially when it gets windy and you're trying to hit over the water."
England's Tommy Fleetwood can close the gap on Masters champion Sergio Garcia at the top of the Race to Dubai standings with a strong performance this week.
