Open championships at Carnoustie have developed an association with the grisly elements of golf. The last time the oldest major was staged here Sergio García was reduced to tears following play-off defeat by Pádraig Harrington. The Open of 1999 will for ever be synonymous with Jean van de Velde’s 72nd‑hole capitulation.
Francesco Molinari has the hardly insignificant consolation of the Claret Jug as a household accessory, given he may now be portrayed as the man who killed Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy in a single gory act. Stewart Cink, who triggered sighs when ending Tom Watson’s epic Open quest in 2009, is unburdened now.
Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose fall two shots shy in quest for Open triumph | Mark Tallentire Read more
For so long on Sunday afternoon one of the most extraordinary stories in golf was playing out. Tiger Woods, amid his latest comeback from personal and professional trauma, led the Open. Suddenly it was oh so real.
That the 42-year-old could not complete the claiming of a 15th major, a decade after number 14, owed more to Woods hitting the self-destruct button than the landing of body blows by the understated Molinari but there was still despondency in the Carnoustie air. There was not even the marquee backup option of success for Rory McIlroy or Jordan Spieth to soften the blow. Look what you could have won.
None of this, of course, should take away from Molinari’s latest and biggest triumph. His accuracy under the most extreme of pressures was robot-like. The fact he played in the company of Woods when hitting a bogey-free 69 should only heighten appreciation of the 35-year-old’s achievement. Molinari’s home city of Turin is typically famous for cars. Italy has a well‑versed passion for football. Another sport has delivered a new national hero; it can only be hoped this is properly recognised.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Francesco Molinari shakes hands with playing partner Tiger Woods at the end of their round. Photograph: Harry How/Getty Images
It was odd, in a way, that Molinari’s eight‑under‑par success came by the relatively comfortable margin of two shots. This had been a tense final day played in whipping winds, distinctive early on for how many players had the top of the leaderboard within view. McIlroy, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner shared second.
Rose’s weekend showing – he signed off with a 69 – was terrific. He had knocked in a lengthy birdie putt on the 36th hole to survive the cut by one. Two days later he stood with wedge in hand in what bore endearing similarity to his Open debut 20 years ago. Rose holed his approach shot at Birkdale; here, he played the iron to tap-in range. “It brought back memories for sure,” Rose admitted. “I was thinking, ‘Can I do it again?’ I very nearly did.”
Jordan Spieth fails to find Hogan’s Alley and suffers Open collapse | Andy Bull Read more
Drama attached to Woods had started with his birdie at the 6th. Moments later Schauffele and Spieth dropped shots; Woods was within one of the lead. At 25 minutes to five Woods was the solo leader. He later played one of the shots of the tournament, from a hazardous fairway bunker on the 10th to within 20ft of the hole.
The 11th was to prove Woods’s Carnoustie nemesis. Missing the green to the left should not have been a disaster but his attempted flop shot could not reach the putting surface. The double bogey left eight players within a shot of the lead. Woods played the closing stretch in level, his 71 and five-under aggregate enough only for a tie for sixth with Kevin Chappell and Eddie Pepperell, who revealed he had started day four with a hangover. Pepperell duly produced a 65.
A year ago it was doubtful whether Woods would play competitive golf again. A decade ago he would never have failed to press home the advantage he earned here. “I’m a little ticked off at myself,” he conceded before leaving Scotland.
McIlroy’s Sunday was in neutral before the kind of special moment that so often separates him from the rest. The Northern Irishman converted a 70ft eagle putt at the 14th, which suddenly catapulted him into a six-way tie for the lead. With an hour to play the championship was wonderfully hard to call.
Tiger Woods lights up the Open but Claret Jug slips through his grasp | Kevin Mitchell Read more
McIlroy does not really have cause to rue a birdie chance at the last which slid agonisingly past, given Molinari finished two ahead of him anyway. McIlroy belied a few myths during the week relating to his supposed inability to contest at firm venues, windy venues or when the rain batters down. McIlroy was happy to turn immediate attention to praise of Molinari. “He is a fantastic golfer and a great guy,” the 2014 champion said.
Spieth, who started day four in a share of the lead, was derailed by a double bogey at the par‑five 6th. The Texan had to take a drop after landing his second shot in a bush. The defending champion did not collect another shot thereafter, with a bogey at the 15th all but ending his hopes of retaining the Claret Jug. Spieth’s 76 – the highest score of any player in the last eight Sunday groups – slid him back to tied ninth. Spieth was clearly irked at being warned for slow play by tournament officials, midway through his last round. “I think I played the fastest golf I’ve probably ever played while contending in a tournament,” he said.
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Thomas Bjorn, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, led the immediate tributes towards Molinari, a player now guaranteed to form part of the home contingent in France this year. “Is he a man or a machine?” asked Bjorn of Molinari. After five major successes in a row for American players, this was a boost to a golfing continent. Molinari stepped firmly out of Woods’s major shadow; not many players can lay claim to that. Brillante, Francesco.
Francesco Molinari said he felt a sense of disbelief after becoming the first Italian to win the Claret Jug, adding that the fact he achieved it while playing with Tiger Woods – who held the outright lead at seven under at one point – made it even more special.
“Tiger himself was great today,” said Molinari, who joked that he might make the headlines back in Italy given Ferrari did not win the German Grand Prix. “He showed really good sportsmanship with me. Obviously, there’s a lot more people [around] if you’re grouped with him than if I’m playing some of the other guys.
Jordan Spieth fails to find Hogan’s Alley and suffers Open collapse | Andy Bull Read more
“I’ve played with him before in Ryder Cups and in big occasions, so I knew what was coming, and I was ready for it. I was calm – you know, as calm as you can be playing in the last round of a major close to the lead, playing with Tiger. I focused on my process and on hitting good shots and on playing smart golf.”
The 35-year-old from Turin, who was inspired to become a golfer after watching Costantino Rocca on TV going close at the 1995 Open at St Andrews, said he hoped his win would have an inspirational effect on others back home. “The last round already was big news in Italy. Obviously, to achieve something like this is on another level. Hopefully, there were a lot of young kids watching on TV today, like I was watching Costantino coming so close. Hopefully they will get as inspired as I was at the time, watching him vie for the Claret Jug.
“To look at the names on that Claret Jug, obviously, what can you say? It’s the best golfers in history and to be on there it’s incredible. From someone like me coming from Italy, not really a major golfing country, it’s been an incredible journey.”
Molinari, who won with a total of eight under par, also said he was proud of his feat of managing to stay bogey free through the weekend, when the wind became more of a factor for what was his third win of the season and his first major title.
“For the first time I felt I was ready for it. Winning at Wentworth and in the States,” said the Italian, whose triumph at Carnoustie forced him to cancel plans to leave Scotland on a 9pm Easyjet flight on Sunday. “Not many Europeans have managed to achieve that.
Tiger Woods lights up the Open but Claret Jug slips through his grasp | Kevin Mitchell Read more
“I got here only Monday lunchtime from the States and walked a few holes, and I saw it was firm and fast and the rough wasn’t too bad,” said Molinari, whose previous best finish was tied for ninth in 2013. “It reminded me of Muirfield. Obviously, that was a great experience to play with [the eventual winner] Phil [Mickelson] in the last round and to see someone doing the job, getting the job done on Sunday. So I liked the way the course was playing but, again, it’s a beast of a course. So I don’t think anyone feels too confident when they stand on that 1st tee at Carnoustie.”
Molinari also admitted he tends not to contest the Dunhill Links Championship in the autumn as he has been “beaten up” on the links at Carnoustie a few times. “I didn’t particularly enjoy that feeling. It’s a really tough course. You can try and play smart golf, but some shots you just have to hit it straight. There’s no way around it. You can’t really hide.”
He added that he only started to believe he could win it when the young American Xander Schauffele missed a par putt at the 17th to slip two behind the lead with one hole to go. “I thought there was maybe a 5% chance. I couldn’t watch Xander play the last two holes, to be honest,” he said. “That’s why I went to the putting green because I probably would have felt sick watching on TV.”
Reflecting on his final score of six under par, which gave him a share of second place, Rory McIlroy said: “I don’t leave here with regrets, I played a good tournament but this week is just wasn’t good enough.”
Francesco Molinari is used to not being the centre of attention.
Indeed, for parts of his professional career he has not even been the best golfer in his family, with brother Edoardo taking that title as Francesco worked his way up from strong European Tour golfer into one of the best on the planet and, finally, a first-time major winner.
For that bogey-less final round of 69 on Sunday, the round that secured him the 147th Open Championship, he was surrounded by spectators but they weren’t necessarily there for him. His playing partner Tiger Woods, still golf’s biggest superstar, even shot to the top of the leaderboard in a whirlwind afternoon that saw six different leaders but Molinari, the one that none of them saw coming, didn’t take the sole lead until his birdie putt fell into the 18th hole.
“Clearly, in my group, the attention wasn't really on me, let's put it that way,” he said, sitting alongside the Claret Jug that had since been engraved with the name Francesco Molinari, the first Italian to ever win a major. “If someone was expecting a charge, probably they weren't expecting it from me, but it's been the same the whole of my career. I don't really care too much about it. I care about the people around me, the work that we put in. They know how much we've all worked to get here. So that's the most important thing for me.”
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Those were sentiments echoed by Molinari’s caddy, Pello Iguaran, as he struggled to process a victory that seemed to come from nowhere.
“We felt from the very beginning (that he could win) but the beginning was Tiger playing really well and it was tough. He made double on 11 that helped us go ahead. The consistency made Francesco win at the end. It was a really big mental fight and I think he deserved it because he is working so hard and that gave him the possibility to fight that good.”
That work ethic was also singled out by Jordan Spieth, who has seen Molinari “working his butt off” and felt his victory was fully deserved.
“I see him in the gym all the time, going through his routine, grinding on the range, doing his own stuff.
“It truly is hard work that paid off for Francesco. I'm certainly happy for him. I've watched this through the PGA Tour this year day in and day out, seeing him work as hard as anyone else.”
Playing alongside Woods on Sunday meant more spectators and more nerves for Molinari, not that you’d have known it as he prepared for his final day on the putting green listening to some music on his headphone.
“I felt ready for it,” he said. “Calm. You know, as calm as you can be playing in the last round of a major close to the lead, playing with Tiger. I mean, there was everything to make someone nervous, but I focused on my process and on hitting good shots and on playing smart golf. I knew the front nine with today's wind would play mostly into the wind, so pars were great. So I was happy with my score.”
Woods had surged into the lead as he and Molinari closed out the back nine but after the turn, things went south for the superstar American as his partner continued to par every hole. The Italian might not have hit a birdie until 14 but he hadn’t hit a bogey since Friday morning, finishing 37 holes without dropping a shot to ultimately emerge as champion.
It was Woods himself who had a better view of the 147th Open winner than anyone else, and put the Italian’s victory down to great finesse and phenomenal play around the greens.
“It definitely was his short game,” said Woods, himself a three-time Open champion. “I mean, he chipped it beautifully. I know he made a couple of putts here and there for par, but to get it to where it was basically kick in from some of the spots he put himself, that was impressive. Great touch.
“You could see him actually try and hit a couple with cut spin, a couple of draw spin. You know, he was working the ball around the greens, and that was cool to see.”
Molinari has found a new self-confidence and form since missing the cut at the Players’ Championship in May, winning three of his last six tournaments and finishing second in two more.
“He's always been a great player,” said Rory McIlroy, who finished tied-second at Carnoustie. “I think with how he's played this year there's just maybe a little more belief. I played with him the final day at Wentworth, where he won, and he didn't miss a shot. So there's going to be a lot of European guys vying for his partnership in the foursomes at the Ryder Cup, that's for sure.”
Jordan Spieth, who was leading as he stepped onto the 16th tee but carded two bogeys in his final three holes to end up tied for ninth, was only too happy to join the chorus of praise for Molinari.
“Today was pretty ridiculous. He's been playing unbelievable golf.”
And unbelievable golf was the only fitting way, in the end, to win an unbelievable Open. An Open championship where, at different times, it appeared we would see McIlroy take the Claret Jug back to Northern Ireland for next year’s competition at Portrush, where we thought we had Tiger Woods winning a first major in five years and first Open for a decade, where it appeared set up for Spieth to bag back-to-back Claret Jugs and ascend into the pantheon of Open greats. And that’s without Kevin Kisner, who spent more time atop the leaderboard than any other player.
Instead, coming through Friday’s rain and Sunday’s wind to beat a gaggle of golf’s biggest names was Francesco Molinari, the quiet man who worked his butt off and stayed calm when it mattered.
“I have an easyJet flight at 9am tomorrow to get home, but I think that’s gone now,” quipped Molinari when considering his celebrations.
The flight may be gone but Molinari has arrived. A popular winner and a worthy one too.
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Even on days when Francesco Molinari allowed himself to contemplate lifting the Claret Jug and become the first Italian to win a major, he could not have imagined a scenario as perfect as this.
On a breathless, stupendous day punctuated by magic and mistakes in equal measure, it was the slow and steady progress of the London-based man from Turin that won the race.
With Tiger Woods by his side and Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose in the clubhouse on a total of six under par, Molinari knew he couldn't afford any mistakes on the formidable par four 18th.
Francesco Molinari got his hands on the Claret Jug after triumphing at The Open on a dramatic final day at Carnoustie
Thirty-five-year-old Molinari raised his trophy aloft after winning the first major championship of his career
Molinari looked rightfully proud as he posed with the famous prize in the evening sunshine at Carnoustie Golf Club
Valentina Molinari joined her history-making husband for a priceless photo opportunity with the Claret Jug
Mrs Molinari, who married Francesco in 2007, linked arms with the champion as they both smiled for the cameras
Molinari planted a kiss on the Claret Jug after the prestigious trophy had been inscribed with his now immortal name
The 35-year-old hits so many drives straight and true he is often referred to as a machine by his fellow pros, and here was one more. Now he had just 113 yards to cover with his approach. On the green was the ball of Woods, just 7ft away.
Amidst a picture postcard scene of blue skies and packed grandstands, and accompanied by the greatest player of the last 30 years, Molinari took dead aim. All day he had listened to the roars signalling the bombardment of heavy artillery. McIlroy holed a 50ft bomb for an eagle at the 14th as part of a wonderful back nine.
Rose, the man who only made the halfway cut by the skin of his teeth, hit the flagstick with his approach to the 14th for a tap-in eagle as he followed his 64 on Saturday with a fabulous 69.
Molinari had also had a ringside seat on the front nine as Woods give an uncanny impression of the man who once dominated the game. But through it all he had not flinched. He didn't blink now, either.
Molinari judged his sand wedge approach perfectly, the ball skipping twice and finishing inside Woods's ball. Just as he had done all day, he rapped home the short putt and allowed himself a hearty fist pump, following an unblemished round of 69, featuring two birdies and 16 pars.
Woods congratulated him warmly and told him: 'You played beautifully all day.' There was still a chance he could be caught by American Xander Schauffele, who needed to replicate Molinari's par-birdie finish. He retreated to the practice putting green with the Southport man Phil Kenyon, who has done so much for the putting of not only Molinari, but Rose and Tommy Fleetwood.
Italian Molinari punched the air after sinking a birdie putt on the 18th hole at The Open on Sunday evening
Champion Molinari hugged his caddie after finishing his final round at The Open with a birdie on the 18th hole at Carnoustie
Molinari shot a bogey-free, two-under round of 69 on Sunday to finish eight under overall – which saw him win by two strokes
The result made Molinari the first ever Italian to win a major championship and he was supported by countrymen in the crowd
Twenty-four-year-old American Xander Schauffele was one of four players who tied for second at Carnoustie on four under
Englishman Justin Rose was also tied for second, after carding a two-under 69 on the final day, with a birdie on the 18th
When Schauffele bogeyed the 17th, McIlroy appeared by the side of the green and gave Molinari the thumbs-up. Still he would not move. Only when Schauffele had played his approach and all doubt had been removed did he embrace Kenyon.
PRIZE MONEY 1st. £1,439,121.00 2nd. £832,253.92 3rd. £533,769.44 4th. £414,984.80 5th. £333,510.72 6th. £289,347.20 7th. £248,229.44 8th. £209,396.00 9th. £183,507.04 10th. £165,993.92
Molinari has long been considered one of the nicest men in golf and one of its best ball strikers, under the expert tutelage of Englishman Dennis Pugh. But it's the improvement in his short game and the strengthening of his mind with the help of another Englishman, sports psychologist Dave Alred, that has brought about a startling transformation.
Over the last two months it has resulted in a stunning body of work, including a victory in Europe's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship and his first win on the PGA Tour.
Now he's become the man to end American dominance at the majors, something he had talked about on the eve of the championship. 'Every European wants to end their winning streak,' he told Sportsmail.
Goodness, it was close. Schauffele had his chances and so did defending champion Jordan Spieth, Kevin Chappell, and Kevin Kisner. The man who had the biggest chance of all, though, was the bloke marking Molinari's card.
Setting up this mesmerising final round were ten holes from Woods that must have left the entire sporting world daring to dream. The last time he led any major on Sunday was in 2011 at the Masters but that was the position he found himself in with nine holes to play.
The 42-year-old had begun four shots off the lead but that all changed following a majestic and skilfully plotted outward half that reached its apex down Hogan's Alley, the par five 6th.
Rory McIlroy looked frustrated on the final green but also shared second place, after carding 70 for a second consecutive day
Tiger Woods threatened to win his first major since 2008 but ultimately finished joint-sixth on five under par
Courteous in defeat, 42-year-old Woods congratulated Molinari on the 18th green as the two players shared a handshake
A final look at the leaderboard showed Molinari two shots clear of his closest rivals as the clock passed 7pm in Scotland
The scoreboard had message for Molinari, which read: 'WELL PLAYED FRANCESCO. SEE YOU AT ROYAL PORTRUSH 2019'
On this day it was a beast of a par five, one Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood both double bogeyed. Woods struck a three wood and two putted for his second birdie of the round. Two sand saves at the 8th and 9th took him out in 34 shots and a story that could only be described in terms of a sporting earthquake had moved into view.
Behind him, the players who had begun with a useful advantage were struggling in the conditions and playing into Tiger's hands. All the stars appeared to align. The defending champion Spieth had to take an unplayable at the 6th, on his way to a desperately disappointing 76; Kevin Kisner double bogeyed the second. Schauffele, the third American who began on nine under, dropped four shots in three holes.
When Tiger played a miraculous fairway bunker shot at the 10th, all the agonies he's been through were melting away along with the years as we contemplated his first major victory for a decade.
Then harsh reality stepped in, the sort of mistakes he would never make in his prime. Given what had gone before, the mess he made of the 11th, as he took four shots from nowhere for his first double bogey of the tournament, was shocking. A bogey at the 12th, and a tournament one man appeared to have under his control had become anyone's.
What happened over the next 90 minutes touched the heights of golfing perfection, where one player after another came up with a prodigious deed to stake their claim. At one point, there was a six-way tie for the lead, with three players a further stroke behind.
In the midst of it all, the softly spoken man often referred to as the pro's pro churned out his pars, and delivered the sort of accomplished, unfussy round that invariably wins an Open at Carnoustie.
A sublime day at the 147th edition might not have ended with the champion golfer the sporting world craved, but no-one could deny the coronation of a worthy one.
