Molinari earns crown
Woods lost the lead with one bad swing that would have been even farther left of the 11th green had it not crashed into the fans, leading to double bogey. He followed that with a bogey and never caught up. He had to settle for a 71.
Jordan Spieth, tied for the lead in his bid to go back-toback in the British Open, failed to make a single birdie and shot 76, his highest score Sunday in a major.
Kevin Chappell made two double bogeys, the final one on No. 17 that derailed his hopes. Kevin Kisner made his double bogey early. Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose each made a run with eagles on the par-5 14th hole, McIlroy with a 50-foot putt, Rose with a second shot that bounced off the base of the pin. They ran out of holes.
Xander Schauffele, the final hope to keep alive the American streak of five consecutive majors, was one shot behind until he sent a long iron to the right of the 17th and failed to make a 15foot putt for par.
Molinari clinched it with a driver that skirted the edge of a pot bunker, leaving him a lob wedge from 112 yards to 5 feet. He poured it in, raised his right fist and shook it lightly before slamming it for emphasis.
Then, he waited in the trailer to see if anyone could catch him. At one point, he went over to the practice green, but not to prepare for a playoff.
“I probably would have felt sick watching on TV,” he said.
Molinari finished at 8-under 276, the lowest score in eight Opens at Carnoustie, the course where Jean Van de Velde threw away the British Open with a triple bogey on the final hole in 1999, where Padraig Harrington twice hit into Barry Burn on No. 18 hole to make double bogey and still won.
“Just disbelief, to be honest,” Molinari, 35, said. “To go the weekend bogey-free, it’s unthinkable. Playing with Tiger was another challenge. But I felt really good this morning. I felt I was ready for the challenge.”
Woods had every reason to believe he would cap a most improbable comeback from four back surgeries. Woods had the lead. And then he lost it with two bad holes. Still in range, he couldn’t get close enough for a birdie when it mattered. It was the first time since the 2007 U.S. Open that he trailed going into the final round of a major, had the lead and didn’t win.