The Open 2018: Francesco Molinari wins by two strokes after flawless final round
With one of the great, and certainly most disciplined, final rounds in the Open Championship, Francesco Molinari repelled one of the great leaderboards to win his and Italy’s first major.
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth… none of them were a match for the unassuming 35-year-old from Turin, who some will claim is a “robot”, but is, in fact, rather more consistent and reliable.
This was another crazy Sunday at Carnoustie, this Angus links which does not so much have a penchant for drama as a junkie’s addiction to the stuff.
Granted, the ridiculously clinical nature of Molinari’s closing stretch did not afford this spectacle the mania of 1999 with Jean van De Velde and all that, or indeed, the most recent championship of 2007 when Padraig Harrington double-bogeyed the 18th before winning in a play-off, but by then everyone’s emotions here were in ribbons anyway.
Molinari, who lives in London with his wife and two children, actually had the temerity to birdied the 18th, that monster of a par four for a 69 and an eight-under total and that basically took out of the reach of the American Xander Schauffelle, who ended up two shots behind in a tie for second with McIlroy, Rose and countryman Kevin Kisner.
While the rest of them blew leads, Molinari, a West Ham fan, continued to bubble, recording am incredible 16 pars and two birdies on a day when the wind played havoc. And what made his success all the more remarkable was that he compiled it in the presence of Woods, just when he was contending once more on the final day of a major.
As Woods stormed into the lead around the turn and the galleries went into apoplexy, certain that were bearing witness to a very special piece of golfing history, Molinari remained steadfast and carried on reeling off the pars.
On Twitter, his brother Edoardo – with whom he played with in the 2010 Ryder Cup – was imploring him to retain the composure. It was like asking the tide on the nearby North Sea to carry on going in and out. Molinari, the metronome, had been in pressurized situations with Woods before, most notably in the final singles match of 2012.
“Frankie, as he is known, kept his cool on that occasion to ensure the half point which completed the Miracle of Medinah and here he was again; puffing his cheeks now and again, but to the main, sending tee-shot after tee-shot down the fairway and then approach after approach into the green and, when missing, allowing his radically improved shortgame to do the business.
There were no bogeys on his scorecard and none of the other 79 players who made the cut could claim the same. It was such as deserved victory in every facet and although he is not a household name, it was far from unexpected on the range. He is warranted new standing as world No 6.
Molinari, always one of the best ball-strikers on Tour, has been red-hot since May, when he fended off McIlroy down the stretch at the BMW PGA Championship. In his last two starts he won the Quickens Loan National - which Woods, himself, promotes - and second at the John Deere Classic last Sunday.
Naturally the question will be ‘what will this do for Italian golf?” - yet just as importantly in the short-term is what this means for Europe. This ended America’s stranglehold of the majors, ending their proud streak at five, and that will please Thomas Bjorn as much as the fact that Molinari has guaranteed himself berth in September’s match. Anybody for another Woods-Molinari rematch?
In truth, this duel was a contested by multitudes. With overwhelming favouirte Spieth double-bogeying the par-five sixth and making a hash of defending his title – the 24-year-old finished with a 76 come ninth – and fellow overnight leaders Schauffelle and Kisner also throwing away shots like confetti in the breeze, so many loomed into contention.
One of these Eddie Pepperell, the 27-year-old from Oxford, who was so adamant he had no chance going out on one-under that he had “too much to drink” on Saturday night. Pepperell shot a 67 for a five-under total and for a while on this mad, bad afternoon it looked as if he could commit grand golfing larceny.
Carnoustie had suddenly bared its teeth in menace after three days of essentially flashing its welcoming pearlers. At one stage there were six tied for the lead and these included McIlroy after he eagled the 14th. Rose, who only made the cut by one, birdied the 18th for an unprecedented fourth time in succession to post the clubhouse lead of six-under courtesy of a 69. Yet all the while, Molinari was plodding his inexorable path to glory.
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Woods was as gracious as ever in defeat, and that must have been difficult after his 71 left him on five-under and in a tie for sixth. It is best finish in a major in six years, but it promised so much more. Woods double-bogeyed the 11th, bogeyed the 12th and notwithstanding the late roars of a mini rally with birdies on the 14th and indeed the 18th, he was a long way second best to his playing partner.
Molinari has an English swing coach in Denis Pugh, an English putting coach in Phil Kenyon and an English performance coach in Dave Alred, the former guru of Jonny Wilkinson. They should all bask in Woods’s praise: “That was really, really impressive.” Enough said.
Francesco Molinari continues to speak ...
"It's been a great week, absolutely amazing. I felt like I was ready for it. Playing with Tiger made it very special. I could not have written it better."
And now it's Francesco Molinari
To receive the Claret Jug
"What a week. Obviously it's incredible to stand here. I must thank my family for the support, my wife is a really, really big part of the team and all my family back home in Italy. All my coaches, each one has been a massive part of the journey to get here. Thanks for all your work ... and the Spanish side of the team, my manager, my caddie. Congratulations to the runners-up it's been a tough fight. There's only one winner unfortunately and today that's me but congratulations to them and to the R&A and the greenkeepers who have done an amazing job. To the volunteers and the fans, thank you, it really is the greatest atmosphere in golf."
First up it's Sam Locke
Who receives the silver medal as leading amateur with a score of 293.
Champion Golfer of the Year
The first ever Italian Major Champion ���� #TheOpenpic.twitter.com/z2jOKL6fTD
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 22, 2018
16 pars and two birdies
Were the recipe for Francesco Molinari's success and his last 37 holes went par, birdie, par, par, par, par, birdie, birdie, par, par, birdie, par, par, par, birdie, par, birdie, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, par, birdie, par, par, par, birdie.
What a terrific tournament, gloriously memorable for the third year running. Woods was magnificent at times, the late rallies of Rose and McIlroy, Kisner's composure and Schauffele's youthful audacity. Molinari, though, what stones he demonstrated on a day of dogged attrition. Superb.
Schauffele
Ties for second after his bold birdie putt lips out on the right.
-8 Molinari (F)
-6 Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Kisner (F), Schauffele (F)
-5 Pepperell (F), Woods (F), Chappell (F).
And against all sorts of odds
So much noise happening today. So hard to play alongside Tiger in any round & Molinari gets him as he’s chasing a major championship and it didn’t rattle the 35-year-old at all. Playing for the Claret, playing for his country, and he goes bogey free around Carnoustie. Incredible
— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) July 22, 2018
Francesco Molinari
Is the Champion Golfer of the Year!
Here we go - Schauffele's second at 18
He's 130 yards or so from the pin. He arcs it dead straight but it stops on the first bounce after it lands and is left maybe 18ft short.
Bogey for Schauffele at 17
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore!
We will have our first Italian winner of the Open bar an eagle on 18 for Schauffele. Zander Lombard made one there yesterday but he is the only man to do so in the Open at Carnoustie.
-8 Molinari (F)
-7 Schauffele (17)
-6 Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Kisner (F)
-5 Pepperell (F), Woods (F), Chappell (F).
Only Schauffele realistically can match Molinari
Kisner missed his birdie chance at 17 and an eagle seems beyond him save for miracle holing out with his second shot at 18. Schauffele has his work cut out at 17 after his second shot leaves him in the semi-rough way over on the right with three bunkers in his eyeline. Lovely pitch gives him a chance of a save with a 12-footer. Kisner's second up the last is hot and bounces yards beyond the pin.
It's that time of the year again
Up on 18 Woods and Molinari line up birdie putts
Woods's stays up on the right and he rolls in for par. Molinari, though, drains his from 4ft to move into the lead all on his own on -8. Chappell double bogeys 16 and this is how it stands as Schauffele hits a decent tee shot at 17.
-8 Molinari (F)
-7 Schauffele (16)
-6 Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Kisner (17)
-5 Pepperell (F), Woods (F), Spieth (16)
Lord! Schauffele hits it pin high at 16
Off the tee with a five-iron. That's 260 yards! He's got eight feet down hill for a birdie ... and pushes it left. As for the fool who shouted at Woods:
I hate when someone yells in my backswing and I finish one-handed and miss the fairway to the right by an entire yard.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) July 22, 2018
Idiot yells during Tiger’s swing on the 18th hole at #TheOpen, proving there are idiots on both sides of the Atlantic.
— David Dusek (@Golfweek_Dusek) July 22, 2018
Molinari uses his driver off the tee at 18
And spanks it right, evading the bunkers and leaves himself a short iron to the pin from a great lie in the semi-rough. Some yahoo yells during Woods' back-swing at the 18th tee and after hitting it up the right, competently, he gives him a death stare and the crowd rounds on the hobbledehoy. Darren Clarke tells us he is one foolish exception because these are 'the most knowledgeable fans in the business'. What is this, Anfield?
Confidence is the only 15th club in the bag that matters to these guys. Molinari’s results after a missed cut at the Players proves just that. pic.twitter.com/9jAxac581m
— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) July 22, 2018
Spieth drops a shot at 15
And drops back to -5. It was a nine-footer at most but he hasn't made a birdie today and looks sunk as he sprays it to the right of the cup. Schauffele saves par in just the fashion Spieth should have done, unperturbed. And up on 17 Molinari pushes his birdie effort close enough to make par.
Schauffele, soap and water
Drops an expletive that forces Butch Harmon into a quick apology for nothing he could have done to prevent. All stemming from Schauffele's flayed second at 15. Up on 17 Molinari gets his second over those horrible bunkers from and right and on to the island green. Long birdie chance for the co-leader.
Francesco. Nails. This has been some performance.
— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) July 22, 2018
Molinari gets up and down at 16
From a shonky drive. He hasn't dropped a shot since Friday at 17. That's 36 holes without a bogey.
-7 Molinari (16), Schauffele (14)
-6 Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Chappell (15), Kisner (15), Spieth (14)
-5 Pepperell (F), Woods (16)
Spieth's birdie attempt at 14
Also lips out. That was for a share of the lead. Rory McIlroy's second to 18 is greeted by 'Getinthehole' but he leaves it about 25ft short and he pushes his birdie effort close but not enough for a cigar ... unless it's a Hamlet, of course. Air on t G String and all that.
Jordan Spieth is on 14
Has the eagle putt, cannot quite make that but birdie looks odds on for Jordan.
Talking of eagle putts on 14, Schauffele has just left his on the LIP. Ooh my goodness. Taps in for birdie and Schauffele is now the co leader
I am going to hand you over to Rob Bagchi for the denouement.
Rory has monstered his drive on 18
That's some shot from the tee.
Justin Rose
"I am not going to be pessimistic but I would be surprised if I am back on the course."
Kisner
with a birdie at 14, has rejoined that group at six under. But, as it stands, Francesco Molinari stands alone on -7.
Justin Rose is the clubhouse leader
He did indeed birdie the last, he's carded a 69 and that gives him a tournament total of 278, six under par, and Eddie Pepperell can go get himself a beer.
Well played Justin. Not a bad effort for a guy who needed a 20 foot put on the 18th to make the cut!
.@JustinRose99 at the 18th this week...#TheOpen
R1: 3️⃣
R2: 3️⃣
R3: 3️⃣
R4: 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/UtX8M2oWUJ— The Open (@TheOpen) July 22, 2018
Scratch that.
We have a sole leader for the first time in a while. Francesco Molinari has broken his run of pars with... a birdie. He moves to seven-under.
Five men on six under: our co-leaders
Rory McIlroy. Francesco Molinari. Kevin Chappell. Xander Schauffele. Jordan Spieth.
Justin Rose is on the last
Good solid drive. Better than good, in fact. Perfect. If he can birdie this, he will be our clubhouse leader...
Tiger on 14th
He's put the tee shot into the crowd.
He manages to find the green with his second but the putt is an absolute double monster. 56 yards, it turns out.
In fact, he's so far away that he is going to chip... but he's muffed it up. Yards and yards short. I think that might possibly be the end of Tiger's challenge unless he can produce an excellent birdie put from here.
He has done it! Well done Tiger. Five under.
This could hardly be closer
There are five men tied for the lead with -6. Another three on -5, including clubhouse leader Eddie Pepperell. Woods among those on four under.
Tiger Woods two shots behind
But he has the par five to come now. Can he emulate Rory's eagle on 14?
Francesco Molinari
has produced a nerveless putt on 12, and followed it up with a nerveless putt on 13. He is keeping on at six under, but one man who relinquishes his share of the lead is Kevin Kisner, who bogeys 12.
Another bogey for Tiger
Three shots dropped in two holes.
Rory has produced
A lovely effort from the rough, lasering through the bunkers, on to the top tier of the green. He will have a chance at an eagle.
Rory has made the eagle putt!
Great putt - and he joins the leaders on six under.
Six men are on six under.
Schauffele has joined the leaders
on six under.
Tiger Woods is in bad trouble again
He's hacked his second shot into the rough. "DONE IT AGAIN!" he yells in fury.
A lot of guys having up and down rounds. The exception is Molinari, 11 pars out of 11.
Four men then
are tied for the lead. Molinari. Chappell. Kisner. Spieth. All six under par.
Here is Kisner with a game long putt that just slides past.
Talking of which, Justin Rose has a birdie putt that tortures him by slipping only a fraction wide.
Woods in trouble
So he tried to attack the pin there from the filth, didn't get it at all right, and left himself a challenging very long putt from the edge of the green with his next shot.
It all leaves him this for a bogey...
He has to write down a double bogey. First time he has had to do that this week. Tiger Woods loses the lead.
Tiger gift
Four players on six-under
Molinari. Kevin Chappell. Kisner. Spieth.
Tiger on the 11th
Strikes it and yells "Oh my God". A yell of fore and it barrels into the crowd. Rebounds out, off somebody or something.
We will have to see what the upshot of all that was....
Meanwhile, Justin Rose has EAGLED on 14...
Spieth steadies the ship
with a solid par on 8, gets his driver out on 9 and threads the needle to send that sailing gloriously up the fairway.
Rory, though, has given a shot back.
Woods on the 10th
Gets out of this bunker with a pearler, safely over the Burn, safely onto the green. Two putts from there. What a shot.
Tiger's bunker play and putting are keeping him going here, he's made a few approach blunders in the last few holes.
This really would be one of the most incredible stories in sport ever...
— John Mullin (@jmullinjourno) July 22, 2018
Francesco Molinari
has moved quietly but firmly into contention. He's even for the day and is six under par.
Turning back to Schauffele
He has missed it, and TIGER WOODS IS NOW IN THE LEAD, ALONE.
Rory now!
Lovely second shot from the Northern Irishman on 11, a birdie there, and he moves to five under.
Tiger Woods is now the joint leader
He's on seven-under, as is Schauffele. But Schauffele might not be there for long: he's into the long grass and faces an uphill battle to make his par here.
Eddie Pepperell is the clubhouse leader at five under par after making a very impressive 67 today. Who knows, he might be getting back out there for a play-off later?
Woods, via a bunker, manages to make his par on nine and he's gone out in 34: two birdies and no bogeys on his first nine. He couldn't, could he?
�� 1999 Champion Golfer @PaulLawriegolf believes only 1 man can win �� #TheOpenpic.twitter.com/YyUXp8ygCn
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 22, 2018
Speith having a mare!
Speith has eventually hacked his way onto the green and he has this to make a bogey.
Fails! Double bogey for Jordan Spieth, he falls back to six under.
Leaders struggling
Schauffele and Speith are both in pickles on six. The former was in a steep bunker and has managed to get out, but could get no spin on his shot, and it's left a hell of a putt for par. Game effort. But not to be.
Back-to-back bogeys for Schauffele. He's back to seven under.
Tiger Woods
has whacked his tee shot into the bunker guarding the 8th green. It has left him this...
and the great man has produced a sensational escape shot to within a few feet. Can he putt his way out of trouble?
Yes! That is in.
Rory McIlory
has just produced a monster of a putt on the ninth to make birdie.
The wind has dropped from about 20mph to about 8mph, or so they just said on the telly.
Jordan Speith
is out of pocket. He's in the rough and he's got a hefty looking wood out. Ooh, this is NOT a percentage play! He's found some ugly looking stuff with this shot too. Well, well.
Afternoon pals
Tyers here. Are we about to witness something very special from Tiger?
I'm off for my sausage butty at halfway
And will leave you in the hands of Alan Tyers, our version of the Oldest Member.
Jam today!
Schauffele manages to pop it out on to the slope at the top and gets it to stick in the springy stuff, about six inches from the edge of the drop. The wind helps keep it up. Spieth has a 25 footer for par and measures it almost perfectly, breaking it from right to left but shouting 'you've got to be kidding me' when it slides an inch past. Schauffele opts to putt uphill and leaves it 3ft short. He rolls it in for a bogey, as does Spieth.
-8 Spieth (5), Schauffele (5)
-7 Woods (6), Kisner (6)
-6 Molinari (6), Chappell (5)
-5 Pepperell (F)
-4 Moore (15) Kuchar (8), Simpson (7)
Bravo Bernhard Langer
Finishes his 31st Open with a 71 to finish on -1 at the age of 61. I remember him finishing second at Royal St George's in 1981, behind Bill Rogers. Birdie at the sixth for Woods and Spieth and Schauffele are in trouble at five, Spieth pulling his tee shot into the bunker to the left and Schauffele fails to bolt through the door Spieth leaves open for him and also heads into the sand, plugged and up against a steep bank.
Pepperell is hanging around
He says the recorder said to him that 'stranger things have happened' and urged him not to bolt for his digs to pack his bags and head south.
Spieth and Schauffele make it four pars from four
Each remain on -9. You can see the wind rippling the back of their polo shirts as they line up putts from within 6ft and nail them.
How they stand
-9 Spieth (3), Schauffele (3)
-6 Woods (5), Molinari (4), Kisner (4), Chappell (4)
-5 Pepperell (F)
-4 Kuchar (6), Simpson (5)
Noren follows Fleetwood
With a double bogey at the fifth. Is it the wind or the figurative wind that's been put up them. 'Figurative wind, blowing down the back roads headin' south.' Eddie Pepperell takes the clubhouse lead with a par at 18 to sit fairly pretty on -5. Schauffele and Spieth have parred the first three, the former more serenely than the defending champion.
Woods makes his move?
At the fourth with a superbly assured birdie putt, right to left, drained into the heart of the cup. Fleetwood, I'm afraid to say, is coming apart in the wind, falling back to -3 with a double bogey on seven to follow his bogey at the previous hole. He lashed his third shot out of bounds and it has hobbled his challenge, probably terminally.
More dropped shots for McIlroy and Kisner
Whose par putt at five stays up on the right. That leaves Eddie Pepperell tied with Tommy Fleetwood as the best two GB and Norn Iron players on -5. Pepperell has birdied 14 and 17. Par at 18 will take him home in 67. Kisner makes five at the third and is reversing backwards into the field.
Woods makes his third successive par
Shades of Faldo at Muirfield? No Gullane mizzle here, though.
Kisner hacks out
But only advances a few feet and is tangled up in the rough. He manages to escape with only a double bogey that leaves him at -7. He flayed it out of the rough then almost bumped and ran it in, hitting the pin from 18ft, but when it's not your hole ... Fleetwood reverts to his starting position when he drops back with a bogey at the fifth.
Kisner cracks first on 2 but still has plenty of time to recover. So many twists and turns ahead.
— Ben Everill (@BEverillPGATOUR) July 22, 2018
-9 Spieth (1), Schauffele (1)
-7 Kisner (2)
-6 Molinari (2), Chappell (1)
-5 Van Rooyen (8), Fleetwood (5), Noren (3), Woods (2)
Kisner has a nightmare at two
From the tee he finds the deep bunker to the right of the fairway, up against a steep ridge. He can't get it out at the first attempt and plugs it. Spieth and Schauffele make four apiece at the first, Spieth by virtue of a great second shot.
Woods rattles in his putt
For par at the second. McIlroy squanders another birdie chance at four:
-9 Kisner (1), Spieth, Schauffele
6 Fleetwood (4), Molinari (1), Chappell (1)
-5 van Rooyen (7), Noren (2), Simpson (2), Woods (2)
Pars for dough
Kisner splashes out and gives himself a wriggly five-footer for par. Up on the second Woods is on the fringe to the right of the pin with 20ft for birdie. He misreads it, hammering it to the left of the cup and looking fed up when it does not break in. Chappell drops a shot at the first, Kisner saves par. 'Pars are your friend today,' says Darren Clarke.
"Well, the ol' TaylorMade five-iron was rattling a bit at the turn, but we made a couple adjustments and the Titleist 3 brought us home in one piece."
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) July 22, 2018
Out come the penultimate group.
Kevin Chappell makes a nervy start, hooking his drive into the crowd on the left. The other Kevin, Kisner, is much straighter but leaves himself maybe 180 yards to the pin. Up on the third green Fleetwood has left himself a lot to do to make par, a wobbly six-footer, but he drains it to remain at -6 and punches the air. Kisner’s second is arced straight into the bunker in front of the green while Chappell lays up out of the rough and fires his third to give himself a 35ft putt for par.
Woods starts with a par
Molinari has a monster birdie chance at the first, maybe 40ft up hill and he gives it every chance but leaves it up on the right. Woods' opportunity is longer than I first thought, up the hill and maybe 12ft. He, too, leaves it up on the right, by about 18 inches.
Woods and Molinari roll their par putts in.
McIlroy drops a shot
Up on nine, Olesen's luck runs out and he double bogeys after his tee shot kicks right. McIlroy's second shot to the second hole leaves him marooned on a bank above the green. He bumps it down but leaves himself too much to do and he drops a shot to fall five strokes behind the lead. Woods, king of the wind, smears his second low and flat superbly at the first to give himself a great birdie chance.
Here comes Tiger Woods
Fleetwood makes par at the second, curling in a seven-footer. Back on the first tee Tiger Woods has the honour in his pairing with Francesco Molinari. The ovation for Woods is as loud if not louder than even the ones for Fleetwood and McIlroy. He's in red, natch, with a David Brent goatee and creams his drive flat and hard. He likes it. Molinari matches him, the cries of the seagulls, greeting his fine drive with chirps of approval.
Thorbjorn Olesen
Has made three successive par-savers at six, seven and eight with bunker shots. Kuchar and McIlroy both went a little astray with their second shots and then Kuchar chipped to 20ft and two-putted to drop a shot. Rory McIlroy went for a bump and run from the right first cut to leave himself a six-footer for par, which he sinks without drama.
Psychedelic Furs are digging that shirt:
Caroline laughs, and it's raining all day
Loves to be one of the girls
Fleetwood starts with a birdie
He absolutely drains his 15ft birdie putt at first. I thought he'd put too much on it, never giving it an opportunity to fall short, and swept it in. Johnson three-putted for a bogey five, his par putt from 5ft lipping out. He made three and a double bogey yesterday ... still in a pickle over his choice of clubs for the second shot?
McIlroy and Kuchar up next
Fleetwood goes first with his second shot into a headwind of about 17mph. Ian Finnis, his Scouse caddie, tells him it's one of those feel shots that he needs to keep low, about 144 yards to the pin, and he does just that, punching it to about 15ft short. Johnson, in a dilemma over whether to use his eight- or nine-iron, goes for the eight and pitches it to the right of the green.
McIlroy takes out his driver, waits for an appreciative crowd to quieten, and smears his tee shot miles, starts down the right with some draw. Kuchar, second last year, also finds an advantageous position bang in the middle of the fairway.
Here come the men on -5
Tommy Fleetwood and Zach Johnson arrive at the first tee. Johnson has the honour and smites a fine drive right into the heart of the scorched fairway. Fleetwood receives a rapturous reception and also attacks with his driver, thundering a perfect drive, also down the middle, juts to the left, 20 yards or so short of Johnson's. Up on the first green, Justin Rose had a 25ft birdie putt, undulating from right to left, and brushed it up close enough to excite the gallery and guarantee par.
Jason Day
The US PGA champion at Whistling Straits has birdied the second, fifth and 13, 14 and 15 to charge up to -3 after 16 holes. Shame about the bogey at the second ...
The clubhouse leader
Is none other than the 2016 champion, Henrik Stenson, who, dodgy elbow and all, made 69 this morning to tuck into his giant Yorkshire pudding in the clubhouse at +1. No point him hanging around much, though. While the wind will hinder the later players, there's no chance of the kin of deluge that would put him in contention.
As he says: "I would definitely say it's a four or five-under par out there, if you're playing well today."
Oxon's finest
Eddie Pepperell has had an intriguing morning - he began the day on -1 after yesterday's 71, birdied 3, 5 and 6 to move up to -4 but has dropped a shot at 7, which he also bogeyed on Friday. He's 11th on the Ryder Cup rankings, Olesen, seventh. With Thomas Bjorn, Olesen's compatriot, now having four wildcard picks for Le Golf National, there is plenty to play for today.
Late for moving day?
Thorbjorn Olesen, the Dane who won the Italian Open last month and the Dunhill Links Championship in 2015, has made a storming start to Sunday, with birdies at the the first two holes and par at the third to move to five-under for the tournament. Three successive rounds of 70, yesterday's a WS Gilbert topsy-turvy masterpiece of an eagle, three birdies and four bogeys, was classic Carnoustie on the least characteristic Carnoustie day for years.
The wind is up at Carnoustie
You can see Tiger Woods on the driving range and his red shirt is flapping just above the hips as the 15mph gusts roil around him. The rough, too, is bending in the breeze: 'Straw in the wind, straw in the wind, straw in the wind ...' As fans of Hancock's Half Hour will doubtlessly recall.
Who do you think you are?
Xander Schauffele, who won the Greenbrier Classic and Tour Championship last year on his way tio becming Rookie of the Year, shares a three-way tie for the lead. This is his second year as a professional and you may remember him for his -6 first round at the US Open in 2017 or, if you're French, German or Austrian, because two of his great grandfathers were prominent footballers with Sochaux, Rapid Vienna and VfB Stuttgart and the latter, Molly Schauffele, a world-class athlete and later sports administrator.
"I played soccer until I was like 10 or 11, maybe 12," Schauffele said last night when asked whether he contemplated following their lead and where his allegiance lay at the World Cup. "I had fun with it, but it was a team sport, and I hated losing, and we kept losing, so I quit. That's an easy answer."
"The US obviously didn't qualify, which is the big part of me," he said. "And then Germany is a quarter, and they got kicked. Conveniently, I jumped with France, since that's the other quarter of me."
Good afternoon
And welcome to live coverage of the fourth day of the 2018 Open. Padraig Harrington, the last winner at Carnoustie in 2007, was also the last man to win back-to-back Opens the following year. Jordan Spieth, who became 'Champion Golfer of the Year' at Birkdale in 2017, has the opportunity to emulate Pudge here. It's strange how indifferent most of the golf playing people of my acquaintance are to Spieth. They concede that he's a great putter but persist in using the term 'boring'. I don't see it. I think he's a magnificent, modern all-round player. Last year at the 13th, afteer that 19-minute delay while he worked out what to do, we witnessed one of the greatest saves in history, genuine seat-of-the-pants shot-making. The kid has phenomenal talent and serenity and he provides an engaging commentary of his own shots when the microphones get close enough to eavesdrop.
The start times for the leading groups are as follows:
13.55 Zach Johnson (USA) -5, Tommy Fleetwood -5
14.05 Rory McIlroy -5, Matt Kuchar (USA) -5
14.15 Alex Noren (Swe) -5, Webb Simpson (USA) -5
14.25 Tiger Woods (USA) -5, Francesco Molinari (Ita) -6
14.35 Kevin Chappell (USA) -7, Kevin Kisner (USA) -9
14.45 Xander Schauffele (USA) -9, Jordan Spieth (USA) -9
The finale
Afternoon all and welcome to coverage of the final round at Carnoustie where Jordan Spieth is one of three tied for the Open lead.
The American will begin his quest to defend the Claret Jug at 2.45pm alongside compatriot Xander Schauffele.
Kevin Chappell completes the trio of Americans at the top of the leaderboard and will get his final round under way alongside Kevin Kisner at 2.35pm.
Tiger Woods, who is four shots off the leaders, will tee-off at 2.25pm alongside Italian Francesco Molinari.
Carnoustie has been set up to provide a tough test for the final round of the 147th Open.
Despite the wind being forecast to gust up to 25mph, the course was set to play to 7,447 yards, the longest all week and 45 yards longer than the supposed full yardage of 7,402.
Eleven of the pin positions were also located within five yards of the edge of the greens, including on the daunting 18th where the champion golfer of the year will be decided - either in regulation or via a play-off.
