The Open 2018: Francesco Molinari wins title on day of drama as it happened | The Open 2018

Report and reaction

And that brings our coverage of the 2018 Open Championship to an end. Francesco Molinari was highly fancied by many coming into the week, having already won the Quicken Loans National on the PGA Tour and the BMW PGA in Europe. He’s certainly delivered! A stunning performance over the weekend: rounds of 65 and 69, and not a single bogey since Friday! He’s the deserving winner of the oldest and grandest major ... and having gone one step further than Costantino Rocca managed at St Andrews in 1995, he’s Italy’s first Open champion! Their first major champion. Congratulations to Francesco ... and commiserations to Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods, who all thrilled us over a magical week at Carnoustie. Next stop for the Open: Royal Portrush in 2019. Next stop for us: the PGA at Bellerive in three weeks’ time. Please join us again for Glory’s Last Shot. Thanks for reading. Nighty night, and sweet dreams!

And now Rory! “I have to take a lot of positives from it. It was a tough day today. It was a matter of grinding it out. Par was a good score. I’m really pleased with my week’s work, and my form going into the final major of the year. It was fun to be out there. When Tiger was in the lead on his own, we thought wow, this is going to be a dogfight all the way! And so it was. I was encouraged how I putted down the stretch. I stayed aggressive, and made full, committed swings. I don’t leave here with any regrets. I played a good tournament, it just wasn’t good enough.”

A philosophical Tiger Woods speaks! “I played my way back into it. Looking at the scores, there was only one good round today. So there weren’t a lot of low scores today. I figured I could get to -9, I might have a chance. I hoped to get that number, but I could not. I was playing consistent, solidly all week. I was right there. Unfortunately I made some mistakes early on the back nine today that cost me. It was close to really being good.”

Here’s our snap report:

Now the new champ gives his first interview, to Sarah Stirk from Sky. “It is absolutely amazing. It will take a long time to sink in. It’s been a great week. The course bit me a few times the first couple of days, but then to go bogey free over the weekend on a course like this is incredible. I was as composed as much as you can be on the final round of the Open. But for the first time I felt like I was ready for it. Playing with Tiger makes it even more special. I couldn’t have written it any better. It’s been a long journey, and holding this trophy changes a few things. It’s been about confidence. Winning at Wentworth after coming close so many times. Then even more winning in the States, because not a lot of Europeans have done it. And here we are!”

“What a week!” he begins with a laugh. He thanks his wife and his family back home in Italy. And then his manager and caddy. “Congratulations to the runners up, it’s been a tough fight. Unfortunately in golf there’s only one winner, this time it’s me! But they played very well, and congratulations to them.” He thanks the R&A and the greenkeepers. Then the volunteers and the fans. And he hoists his prize high, as the love pours down from the stand!

“And with a score of 276, the winner of the gold medal, and champion golfer of the year, is Francesco Molinari!” The 35-year-old from Turin takes possession of the auld Claret Jug, raises it modestly in the air, smiles broadly, and makes off to the microphone to give his winner’s speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the leading amateur, and the winner of the silver medal, Sam Locke!” The 19-year-old Aberdonian, a protege of 1999 Carnoustie champion Paul Lawrie, comes up to collect his medal. Recent winners include Rory McIlroy, Matthew Fitzpatrick ... and one Tiger Woods. Congratulations to Sam!

Francesco Molinari - the Open champion, a major winner, Italy’s first Open champion, Italy’s first major winner - takes to the 18th green. Huge cheers greet a very popular player! The chap from the R&A thanks everyone for coming; remembers the great Peter Thomson, who passed away last month and won this title five times in the 1950s and 1960s; and bigs up the Carnoustie staff and volunteers. He probably needs to pick up the speed, tell the truth. But eventually he gets round to thanking the players for “a wonderful week of golf”. Damn straight.

The new Open champion is having a very relaxed chat with the silver-medal winner Sam Locke. While they wait for the prize-giving ceremony, here’s how the final leaderboard looks:

-8: Molinari
-6: Rose, McIlroy, Kisner, Schauffele
-5: Pepperell, Woods, Chappell
-4: Finau, Kuchar, Spieth
-3: Cantlay, Olesen, Moore, Fleetwood, Simpson
-2: Day, Perez, van Rooyen, Hoffman, Scott, Z Johnson, Noren
-1: Cink, Mickelson, Langer, Willett

The tears are threatening to come. But the new champion is in a mellow place right now. He’ll be mentally and physically exhausted: on an afternoon when the wind picked up and gave many of the world’s top players immense heartache, Molinari battled and battled, making 13 pars in a row, knocking in a couple of big savers around the turn. Then on the closing stretch - Carnoustie’s notorious closing stretch - he made a couple of stunning birdies to seal the deal, at 14 and 18. It’s a magnificent performance. And make no mistake: even though Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner went backwards today, Molinari won this, seeing off late charges from Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy. And he held off Tiger Woods all the way round, too. No mean feat!

Molinari, understandably, doesn’t quite know what to do with himself. He hugs his caddy. He goes back in the waiting room. He puts his head in his hands again. He allows himself a little smile. His mind must be whirling. On the 18th, pars for Spieth and Schauffele. It’s a 76 for the defending champion, and a 74 for the young man from San Diego. It’s probably worth pointing out that both of these super-talented players are 24 years of age. What a contribution they’ve made to a glorious Open!

FRANCESCO MOLINARI IS THE 2018 OPEN CHAMPION! Schauffele’s short iron in is straight at the flag, but it checks 12 feet from the hole, and that means Molinari is the deserved winner of this tournament after a stunning blemish-free round of 69!

Molinari is out on the putting green, keeping himself warm. He’s counting no chickens. If Lombard can eagle the hole, so can Schauffele. Spieth sends his drive into the rough down the left, then knocks his second over the back. Schauffele splits the fairway. He’s left with a 136-yard Hail Mary. He takes aim, cocks the club back, shoots, and ...

Up on 18, Kevin Kisner signs for a closing 74. He was never at the races today. He ends the week at -6. Meanwhile his partner Kevin Chappell puts his name to a close-but-no-cigar 73: he’s -5. OK, he can have a cigar. They can both have a cigar. And a glass of fine wine. They’ve both come up short, but both have contributed to a sensational Open Championship.

Nope. It’s a good effort, but he doesn’t hit it. Bogey. Which means that, unless Schauffele holes his second from the fairway - and only one man in Open history has done that at Carnoustie, Zander Lombard yesterday evening - the 147th Open Championship belongs to Francesco Molinari! Bogey for Spieth, too, as he drops to -4.

Schauffele takes a while to think about his chip. Someone mutters something in the crowd, causing him to back away. The young man doesn’t get mad, though, turning and smiling warmly. That’s a nice moment, with his Open chances hanging in the balance. He eventually sends a gentle flop high over the bush and past the bunker, landing his ball as softly as he can. It’s a lovely shot. But he’s got a left-to-right 15-foot slider for par, and he really needs to make it if he’s to deny Molinari.

From the centre of the 17th fairway, Schauffele tightens up. He slices towards the Kevin Chappell Memorial Gorse Bush, and gets a little stroke of fortune: the ball stops short of the killer plant. He’s still left with an awkward chip over it, and there’s a bunker between his ball and the flag too. And not much green to play with. Meanwhile in a small waiting room, Molinari, so close to his dream, holds his head in his hands. Then he sits back and blows out hard. Then he holds his head in his hands a bit more, and sips from a bottle of water. He’s fidgety, in short. Wouldn’t you be, if you were this close to your dreams, to the famous auld Claret Jug?

Francesco Molinari makes no mistake, though! He rolls in his birdie putt, his second of the back nine, and that’s a blemish-free card of 69! He ends the week at -8, and he celebrates accordingly, pumping the air with his fist and allowing a huge smile of relief and excitement to play across his face! He’ll be the 2018 Open champion golfer, and Italy’s first major champion ... unless the 24-year-old Californian Xander Schauffele makes a birdie at one of the final two holes! Because on 17, Kevin Kisner can only make par, while Kevin Chappell’s bid expires as, having found that gorse bush, he runs up a double-bogey six to slip to -4.

-8: Molinari (F)
-7: Schauffele (16)
-6: Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Kisner (17)
-5: Pepperell (F), Woods (F), Spieth (16)

Tiger can’t make his short birdie putt, the ball dying off to the left. That’s a 71, and the dream died just after the turn with that double bogey / bogey whammy. Still, he’s -5. And though he didn’t win, Tiger’s back, baby. Tiger’s back! “Who ever the idiot was who intentionally tried to distract Tiger on his drive on the last hole, I hope is never allowed into a sporting venue, anywhere, forever. Why would anyone spend £80 to wait five hours just to sound like a howling tit on TV?” Hubert O’Hearn speaks for me, and all of us, I’ll be bound.

Schauffele’s putt on 16 stays high on the left. What a chance to take the lead with two holes to play! But it’s gone. He remains at -7; Spieth tidies up for his par and stays at -5. Meanwhile back on 18, Tiger and Molinari pepper the flag! Both will have five-footers for birdie! What glorious wedges. But that means Tiger’s bid is effectively over. Number 15 will have to wait, for another three weeks at least.

Spieth’s shot into 16 is on the dancefloor, too, but a long way away. He leaves his lengthy putt six feet short. On 17, Chappell’s tee shot is short. He goes full pelt with the second, and shoves it into a gorse bush down the right. There’s some terrible trouble found at exactly the wrong time. Kisner finds the heart of the green but his birdie putt will be a long one. And on 18, some eejit shouts during Tiger’s downswing, causing a rare old fume, and rightly so. What a clown! Fortunately for Tiger, his ball still careers down the fairway.

Schauffele sends a simply sensational tee shot straight at the flag on the long par-three 16th. His ball trundles up the green and stops ten feet past. That’s as good a shot as we’ve seen on this hole all week. Remember: the five-time Open winner Tom Watson jokingly refers to it as a good par-four. If he goes on to win his first major today, that might be the shot that sealed the deal. Or will it be the nigh-on perfect drive Molinari crashes down 18, leaving himself a short wedge in?

Spieth’s par putt on 15 stays high on the right. That may be an end to a very brave title defence. He slips to -5. Schauffele does very well to get up and down from the back: he stays at -7. As does Molinari, who can’t make his birdie putt but continues on his blemish-free way. Tiger keeps his hopes alive by nearly hitting the flagstick with his chip up onto the green, then slotting away the six-footer that remains. On 16, Kisner goes over the back, but Todd Hamiltons with his rescue club to four feet, and tidies up for his par. Chappell pars too, in a more disappointing way, after creaming a lovely shot into the heart of the green, then failing to hit the birdie putt.

-7: Molinari (17), Schauffele (15)
-6: Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Chappell (16), Kisner (16)
-5: Pepperell (F), Woods (17), Spieth (15)

Spieth drives into sand down 15. That means he’s wedging three into the green. He sends that one pin high to 12 feet, and will have a great chance to save his par. Schauffele’s second is hot, and flies over the back. On 17, Tiger’s second is short, but Molinari’s is a seize-the-day arrow straight at the flag. He’ll have a 20-footer for a birdie that could go a long way to winning Italy’s first Open! “If several players (i.e. more than three) qualify for a playoff, do they split into pairings?” wonders Justin Horton. “Or if ten or eleven players all tie on, say, five under, do they all go round four holes together?” The R&A haven’t announced that yet. They may have to soon, the way things are going. Chances are, any more than three will be split into two groups of two, or two and three. There’s never been anything more than a four-man play-off at the Open: that happened in 2002, when Thomas Levet and Steve Elkington, and Ernie Els and Stuart Appleby, were split in two groups of two.

Rory’s wedge into 18 isn’t all that. Very average. Pin high, but a good 25 feet to the right. He tries his best to make the birdie putt, but it’s always staying out on the left. He taps in for a 70 and the best he can hope for is a play-off now. At -6, he shares the clubhouse lead with Rose! Meanwhile on 16, Tiger takes two putts from distance, while Molinari pitches up to six feet and completes his up-and-down.

-7: Molinari (16), Schauffele (14)
-6: Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Chappell (15), Kisner (15), Spieth (14)
-5: Pepperell (F), Woods (16)

Rory crashes a huge drive down 18. He’ll be wedging in from 100 yards. Pars for Molinari and Woods at 15: the former’s tee shot at the long par-three 16th falls down the bank to the right, but the latter finds the heart of the dancefloor. Tommy Fleetwood signs for a 73 and ends the week at -3. And on the par-five 14th, Schauffele arrows his second to 20 feet, but his eagle putt somehow performs the wall of death, clockwise, and stays teetering on the edge! So unlucky! But he taps in for birdie and a share of the lead. Spieth however takes three putts from distance, a four footer lipping out, and he only pars. This is going to the wire!

A huge up and down by Rory McIlroy at 17! His second finds the bunker front right of the green. It jumps out of the plughole and onto flat sand. That allows him to splash to six feet, and nail a putt he couldn’t afford to miss. He celebrates with another excitable spin. For the first time in a long while, he’s involved at the business end of a major. One more solid hole, and he could either be joining Justin Rose in the clubhouse lead at -6, or setting a new mark himself!

Kisner is an inch away from draining a long eagle putt on 14. He rejoins the group at -6, one behind the new leader Molinari. Chappell scrambles a par after finding a gorse bush with his drive and then a deep greenside bunker. He celebrates almost as much as Rory did his eagle: every shot is crucial now, in this nip-and-tuck Open!

... up on 18, Justin Rose lashes a huge drive down the track, then wedges his second to three feet! In goes the birdie putt, and a man who had to birdie this hole on Friday to survive the cut is the new clubhouse leader! And the way things have been going, that mark might take some matching!

-7: Molinari (14)
-6: Rose (F), McIlroy (16), Chappell (13), Schauffele (13), Spieth (13)
-5: Pepperell (F), Woods (14), Kisner (13)

Though he’s on the huge double green, Tiger opts to take a wedge. It’s the best part of 60 yards, after all. He’s basically on the 4th hole. He chips, but leaves himself well short. He’s got the best part of 20 feet left. He really desperately needs to make his birdie putt ... and in it goes! He’s -5. But still two off the lead, because his partner Francesco Molinari birdies the hole as well, in a much more calm, considered fashion, and he goes into the lead at -7! There’s the way to break a run of pars! Up on 16, Rory rolls a delicious putt up the hill onto the green, to a couple of feet. He saves his par! That’s quite special. He’s taken a lot of criticism, plenty of it justified, for his erratic putting this week, but that’s a touch of genius. New leaderboard in a minute, because ...

Tiger’s tee shot at the par-five 14th finds the rough down the left. His second takes a flyer, all the way to the back of the big double green. He’d be miles away from the other hole, the 4th; as it is, he’ll have the monster putt to end all monster putts. If he manages to birdie from there, it’ll be some result. He walks up the hole with the air of a man who knows this is coming to the crunch. It’ll be a 170-foot putt!!!

McIlroy finds the centre of the 15th in regulation, but he’s a long way from the flag. He can’t find two monster putts in succession, but par will suffice. He stays at -6. And now the testing long par-three 16th. He pulls his tee shot down the swale to the left. It rolls on, way past the back of the green. That’ll be testing all right. Par will be some result from there.

Tiger gives himself half a chance for birdie from the fringe of the par-three 13th. But his effort from 20 feet slides by. Par. And it’s a 13th par out of 13 for Molinari, whose tee shot nearly found a bush at the back. But he chipped up well to ten feet, and nailed the saver. Bogey for Kisner at 12, the result of finding sand from the tee. He slips to -5. Chappell remains one of the joint leaders at -6 with par.

-6: McIlroy (14), Molinari (13), Chappell (12), Spieth (11), Schauffele (11)
-5: Pepperell (F), Rose (16), Kisner (12)
-4: Finau (F), Fleetwood (15), Kuchar (15), Woods (13)

Sensational eagle for Rory McIlroy on 14! He sends a left-to-right slider into the cup from 40 feet! The crowd go bananas as he spins round through 360 degrees, punching the air and skipping! His Open bid looked utterly kaput not so long ago ... but it’s very much back on now! He’s one of the many co-leaders of the 147th Open Championship! Meanwhile birdie for Tommy Fleetwood at 15. The odds on a four-hole play-off can’t be too long, can they.

-6: McIlroy (14), Molinari (12), Chappell (11), Kisner (11), Schauffele (10), Spieth (10)
-5: Pepperell (F), Rose (16)
-4: Final (F), Fleetwood (15), Kuchar (14), Woods (12)

A 71 for Tony Finau, who ends the week at -4. This will be his third top-ten finish at the majors in a row! Meanwhile Tiger can only thrash his third to the back of 11; two putts later, that’s another stroke gone. His #15 dream is falling apart right now. Yet another par for Molinari-Faldo.

Schauffele finally gets something positive going. He crashes a big drive down 10, and sends his wedge to six feet. A much-needed birdie, and despite going out in 40, he’s co-leader of the Open again! Par for Spieth. Meanwhile on the par-five 14th, Rory drives into filth down the left, but uses every sinew to whip a long iron into the heart of the green. He’ll have a long look at eagle.

Some great quotes here from Eddie Pepperell, explaining how he prepared ahead of the 67 that has launched him into surprise contention.

I was a little hungover. I had too much to drink last night. I was so frustrated with yesterday that today was - I wouldn’t say a write-off, but I didn’t feel as though I was in the tournament.
I just had some wine with my coach. We drowned our sorrows for about half an hour. It was enjoyable. I didn’t really think I had that much to drink. I’m just a lightweight!
I wouldn’t always have a drink the night before, sometimes I have a few. It depends how you feel. I’ve done it all different ways. It depends on how you feel. I like to socialise in the evenings if I can. It takes some of the sting out of competitive golf at this level. It’s stressful.

So there you have it, kids. A nice big pour!

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