Story highlights
Francesco Molinari wins 147th Open for first major
Italian finishes eight under to win by two
Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Kevin Kisner, Xander Schauffele tied second
Tiger Woods finishes three shots back
The Tiger Woods fairytale may not quite have come true, but it was a dream finish for Francesco Molinari as he became the first Italian man to win a major with victory in the British Open.
The 35-year-old held off an early surge from playing partner Woods and overhauled the back-pedaling defending champion Jordan Spieth to clinch the historic Claret Jug at Carnoustie Sunday.
Molinari, the world No.15, kept his nerve in the circus surrounding the reborn Woods to win by two shots on a sun-baked, breezy afternoon on Scotland’s east coast, saying afterwards he was in “disbelief.”
He fired a round of 69 to finish eight under ahead of four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, Americans Kevin Kisner and Xander Schauffele and England’s former US Open champion Justin Rose.
Molinari was on the practice putting green – “I couldn’t watch, I don’t know how my wife does it,” he said – when Schauffele, the only man who could beat him, came up short in the final group.
“It’s amazing to sit here with the Claret Jug,” Molinari told a later news conference.
“I look at all the names on the jug and they’re the best golfers in history – and to be on there, it’s incredible. For someone like me coming from Italy, which is not really a major golf country, it’s been an incredible journey.”
READ: Tiger mania back in full swing at Carnoustie
Fairytale dashed
Woods’ seemingly impossible dream of a 15th major and first for 10 years looked a very distinct possibility when he took the lead with nine holes to go.
Electricity sparked around the course as if someone had just plugged the crowd into the mains.
The former world No.1, once disgraced by scandal of his own making and then broken by injury, was finally back where he belonged.
The 42-year-old had cast a spell over Carnoustie this week on his first return to the Open for three years after multiple back surgeries – with rousing support on every hole reminiscent of his heyday.
As he moved into contention, the Carnoustie crowds were thinking the unthinkable: that Woods could go from being in so much pain that he couldn’t get out of bed a few years ago, and arrest for driving under the influence complete with a police mugshot and videos paraded around the world last May, to closing the gap on Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles.
But after edging clear on his own he tripped up with a double bogey on the 11th and couldn’t quite regain his momentum, ending five under with fellow American Kevin Chappell and England’s Eddie Pepperell.
“At the beginning of the year, if they’d said you’re playing the Open Championship I’d have said I would be very lucky to do that,” said Woods, who finished tied sixth.