The 2018 Open Championship was held at Carnoustie Golf Links this week, where 156 players from all around the world teed it up for the title of “Champion Golfer of the Year.” All the world’s best players were on hand to play one of the toughest venues in golf for a chance to have their name etched onto the prize given to the winner of the oldest championship in all of golf, the Claret Jug.
147th Open at Carnoustie – Photo Courtesy of The Open Championship
First Round
During the first round Carnoustie was very dry, firm and the fairways were running although the greens were holding good shots from short and even middle irons in some cases. This resulted in players employing a variety of strategies with the possibility of positive results. Conservative play was rewarded as even shorter tee shots would roll to good distances and more risky play was rewarded with dry wispy rough in most places that did not hinder approaching the green. The breeze picked up a bit for the afternoon, making it a bit tougher, but for the most part, the players faced similar conditions all day.
Kevin Kisner led the way with 5-under par 66, one stroke ahead of Tony Finau, Zander Lombard, and Erik Van Rooyen, who all shot 67. Three men were at 68, including Scottish Open winner Brandon Stone, along with Ryan Moore and Brendan Steele. Zach Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas were among ten players tied at 2-under par 69, while a group of fourteen players shot 70 , including Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Francesco Molinari, and Henrik Stenson. In all, 31 players shot under par in the first round.
First Round Highlights
Video Courtesy of The Open Championship
First Round Leaderboard
1 Kevin Kisner -5 66 T2 Tony Finau -4 67 T2 Zander Lombard -4 67 T2 Erik Van Rooyen -4 67 T5 Ryan Moore -3 68 T5 Brendan Steele -3 68 T5 Brandon Stone -3 68 T8 Russell Henley -2 69 T8 Zach Johnson -2 69 T8 Sunghoon Kang -2 69 T8 Rory McIlroy -2 69 T8 Pat Perez -2 69 T8 Jon Rahm -2 69 T8 Chez Reavie -2 69 T8 Matthew Southgate -2 69 T8 Justin Thomas -2 69 T8 Danny Willett -2 69 T18 Patrick Cantlay -1 70 T18 Kevin Chappell -1 70 T18 Rickie Fowler -1 70 T18 Yuta Ikeda -1 70 T18 Matt Kuchar -1 70 T18 Luke List -1 70 T18 Francesco Molinari -1 70 T18 Kevin Na -1 70 T18 Alexander Noren -1 70 T18 Thorbjørn Olesen -1 70 T18 Thomas Pieters -1 70 T18 Webb Simpson -1 70 T18 Henrik Stenson -1 70 T18 Chris Wood -1 70
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Second Round
Rain was falling during the morning of the second round, leading to softer conditions. As the day progressed the rain stopped and the wind did not pick up, giving way to even better scoring opportunities. The players who teed off early Thursday and late Friday ended up having a one or two stroke advantage, but Tommy Fleetwood had the championship’s best round yet, a 6-under par 65, during the rain on Friday morning.
Zach Johnson shot a 67 to move to 6-under par and tied with Kevin Kisner, who held onto a share of the lead with a 70. Fleetwood’s round moved him into a tie for 3rd place one stroke behind at 5-under par with Pat Perez, who shot a 68, and Xander Schauffele, who fired a 66.
Rory McIlroy shot a second straight 69 to sit two shots back at 4-under par in a tie for 6th place with Matt Kuchar, who had a 68. Erik Van Rooyen, Tony Finau, and Zander Lombard were also at 4-under par each shooting 71 in the second round. Jordan Spieth moved to three shots behind at 3-under par with a 67, tied for 6th place with RIckie Fowler and Kevin Chappell, who both shot 69.
Second Round Highlights
Video Courtesy of The Open Championship
Second Round Leaderboard
T1 Zach Johnson -6 69 67 136 T1 Kevin Kisner -6 66 70 136 T3 Tommy Fleetwood -5 72 65 137 T3 Pat Perez -5 69 68 137 T3 Xander Schauffele -5 71 66 137 T6 Rory McIlroy -4 69 69 138 T6 Erik Van Rooyen -4 67 71 138 T6 Matt Kuchar -4 70 68 138 T6 Tony Finau -4 67 71 138 T6 Zander Lombard -4 67 71 138 T11 Kevin Chappell -3 70 69 139 T11 Jordan Spieth -3 72 67 139 T11 Rickie Fowler -3 70 69 139 T14 Thorbjørn Olesen -2 70 70 140 T14 Danny Willett -2 69 71 140 T14 Luke List -2 70 70 140 T14 Brandon Stone -2 68 72 140 T18 Ryan Moore -1 68 73 141 T18 Charley Hoffman -1 71 70 141 T18 Alexander Noren -1 70 71 141 T18 Adam Scott -1 71 70 141 T18 Kyle Stanley -1 72 69 141 T18 Brooks Koepka -1 72 69 141 T18 Matthew Southgate -1 69 72 141 T18 Eddie Pepperell -1 71 70 141 T18 Patrick Cantlay -1 70 71 141 T18 Webb Simpson -1 70 71 141 T18 Sunghoon Kang -1 69 72 141
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Third Round
The third round may have been one of the best scoring days in the history of The Open Championship at Carnoustie, as the sun was out and the wind was down, while the greens remained soft from the rain. Jordan Spieth shot a 6-under par 65 to move into a tie for the lead at 9-under par with Xander Schauffele, who had a 67, and Kevin Kisner, who shot a 68 to remain in at least a share of the lead for the third straight day.
Kevin Chappell moved into 4th place alone at 7-under par with a 67, while Francesco Molinari matched Spieth’s 65 to jump to 5th place at 6-under par. Tiger Woods fired a 66 to move up to a tie for 6th place at 5-under par with six others, among them Webb Simpson and Alex Noren, both of whom shot 67. Also tied at 5-under were Matt Kuchar and Rory McIlroy, each shooting 70, Tommy Fleetwood with a 71, and Zach Johnson with a 72. The round of the day belonged to Justin Rose, who tied Carnoustie’s Open record with a 64, moving into a tie for 13th at 4-under par.
Third Round Highlights
Video Courtesy of The Open Championship
Third Round Leaderboard
T1 Jordan Spieth -9 72 67 65 204 T1 Xander Schauffele -9 71 66 67 204 T1 Kevin Kisner -9 66 70 68 204 4 Kevin Chappell -7 70 69 67 206 5 Francesco Molinari -6 70 72 65 207 T6 Tiger Woods -5 71 71 66 208 T6 Webb Simpson -5 70 71 67 208 T6 Alexander Noren -5 70 71 67 208 T6 Matt Kuchar -5 70 68 70 208 T6 Rory McIlroy -5 69 69 70 208 T6 Tommy Fleetwood -5 72 65 71 208 T6 Zach Johnson -5 69 67 72 208 T13 Justin Rose -4 72 73 64 209 T13 Austin Cook -4 72 70 67 209 T13 Adam Scott -4 71 70 68 209 T13 Charley Hoffman -4 71 70 68 209 T13 Zander Lombard -4 67 71 71 209 T13 Tony Finau -4 67 71 71 209 T13 Erik Van Rooyen -4 67 71 71 209 T20 Yusaku Miyazato -3 71 74 65 210 T20 Chris Wood -3 70 74 66 210 T20 Byeong-Hun An -3 73 71 66 210 T20 Hao-Tong Li -3 71 72 67 210 T20 Kyle Stanley -3 72 69 69 210 T20 Ryan Moore -3 68 73 69 210 T20 Danny Willett -3 69 71 70 210 T20 Thorbjorn Olesen -3 70 70 70 210
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Final Round
In the final round the wind was blowing harder, beginning at 10-15 mph and increasing to 15-25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Carnoustie played more difficult than each of the first three rounds, and scores of one or two under par moved players twenty or more spots up the leaderboard.
Jason Day had the second best round of the day with a 3-under par 68, which moved him up 34 spots, and he finished in a tie for 17th place. Eddie Pepperell fired a 67 for the best round all day, moving to 5-under par 279 and the leader in the clubhouse for a long time. Justin Rose would eventually supplant Pepperell, hitting it to two feet to birdie the 18th for the fourth straight day, finishing with a 69 and 6-under par 278.
Tiger Woods would grab the lead at 7-under par heading to the back nine as all the leaders faltered, but a double bogey on 11 and a bogey at 12 derailed his chances. Rory McIlroy made an eagle at 14 to jump into a six-way tie for the lead at 6-under par, and Francesco Molinari, playing alongside Tiger, made 13 pars in a row until a birdie at the 14th gave him the lead at 7-under par.
Rory would par in the rest of the way to finish tied with Rose at 6-under par after a final round 70 and Tiger would par the 18th, missing a six-foot birdie putt, to finish at 5-under par. Molinari hit it just inside Tiger at the last hole, made the putt for birdie and finished at 8-under par 276 with a bogey-free 69.
Kevin Kisner needed an eagle at 18 to tie Molinari but his second shot finished 25 feet away and he made a par for 6-under 278. Xander Schauffele got it to 7-under par but a bogey at 17 left him also needing an eagle at the 18th. Schauffele’s second shot was right on line but came up 15 feet short and Molinari had his first major championship. Schauffele settled for par and tied for 2nd place at 6-under par with Rose, McIlroy and Kisner. Jordan Spieth shot a 76 to finish at 4-under 280 and tied for 9th place.
Francesco Molinari won for the third time in three different countries in less than two months, making him the hottest player in the world. Molinari won the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship in England on May 27th, traveled to the U.S. and after a tie for 25th in the U.S. Open, he won the Quicken Loans National on July 1st, and just for good measure, finished tied for second at the John Deere Classic. Carnoustie once again selected the best player who was playing the best.
Final Round Highlights
Video Courtesy of The Open Championship
Open Championship Final Results
1 Francesco Molinari -8 70 72 65 69 276 T2 Justin Rose -6 72 73 64 69 278 T2 Rory McIlroy -6 69 69 70 70 278 T2 Kevin Kisner -6 66 70 68 74 278 T2 Xander Schauffele -6 71 66 67 74 278 T6 Eddie Pepperell -5 71 70 71 67 279 T6 Tiger Woods -5 71 71 66 71 279 T6 Kevin Chappell -5 70 69 67 73 279 T9 Tony Finau -4 67 71 71 71 280 T9 Matt Kuchar -4 70 68 70 72 280 T9 Jordan Spieth -4 72 67 65 76 280 T12 Patrick Cantlay -3 70 71 70 70 281 T12 Thorbjorn Olesen -3 70 70 70 71 281 T12 Ryan Moore -3 68 73 69 71 281 T12 Tommy Fleetwood -3 72 65 71 73 281 T12 Webb Simpson -3 70 71 67 73 281 T17 Jason Day -2 71 71 72 68 282 T17 Pat Perez -2 69 68 74 71 282 T17 Erik Van Rooyen -2 67 71 71 73 282 T17 Charley Hoffman -2 71 70 68 73 282 T17 Adam Scott -2 71 70 68 73 282 T17 Zach Johnson -2 69 67 72 74 282 T17 Alexander Noren -2 70 71 67 74 282 T24 Stewart Cink -1 72 70 71 70 283 T24 Phil Mickelson -1 73 69 70 71 283 T24 Bernhard Langer -1 73 71 68 71 283 T24 Danny Willett -1 69 71 70 73 283 T28 Thomas Pieters E 70 73 70 71 284 T28 Julian Suri E 74 69 70 71 284 T28 Rickie Fowler E 70 69 73 72 284 T28 Patrick Reed E 75 70 68 71 284 T28 Louis Oosthuizen E 72 70 69 73 284 T28 Chris Wood E 70 74 66 74 284 T28 Austin Cook E 72 70 67 75 284 T35 Henrik Stenson +1 70 75 71 69 285 T35 Adam Hadwin +1 73 70 71 71 285 T35 Michael Kim +1 73 69 69 74 285 T35 Satoshi Kodaira +1 72 71 68 74 285 T39 Luke List +2 70 70 77 69 286 T39 Cameron Davis +2 71 72 73 70 286 T39 Brooks Koepka +2 72 69 75 70 286 T39 Ryan Fox +2 74 71 71 70 286 T39 Masahiro Kawamura +2 77 67 71 71 286 T39 Ross Fisher +2 75 70 68 73 286 T39 Kyle Stanley +2 72 69 69 76 286 T39 Hao-Tong Li +2 71 72 67 76 286 T47 Brendan Steele +3 68 76 73 70 287 T47 Tom Lewis +3 75 70 68 74 287 T47 Sean Crocker +3 71 71 69 76 287 T47 Yusaku Miyazato +3 71 74 65 77 287 T51 Bryson DeChambeau +4 75 70 73 70 288 T51 Tyrrell Hatton +4 74 71 72 71 288 T51 Kevin Na +4 70 73 73 72 288 T51 Paul Casey +4 73 71 72 72 288 T51 Shubhankar Sharma +4 73 71 71 73 288 T51 Yuta Ikeda +4 70 73 71 74 288 T51 Jason Dufner +4 75 70 68 75 288 T51 Lucas Herbert +4 73 69 69 77 288 T51 Byeong-Hun An +4 73 71 66 78 288 60 Marc Leishman +5 72 72 69 76 289 T61 Brett Rumford +6 74 70 72 74 290 T61 Gavin Green +6 72 73 71 74 290 T61 Marcus Kinhult +6 74 69 71 76 290 T61 Brandon Stone +6 68 72 73 77 290 T61 Lee Westwood +6 72 72 69 77 290 T61 Shaun Norris +6 74 68 69 79 290 T67 Si Woo Kim +7 71 72 75 73 291 T67 Paul Dunne +7 71 73 73 74 291 T67 Gary Woodland +7 71 72 72 76 291 T67 Rhys Enoch +7 74 71 70 76 291 T67 Matthew Southgate +7 69 72 73 77 291 T67 Sunghoon Kang +7 69 72 72 78 291 T67 Zander Lombard +7 67 71 71 82 291 74 Rafael Cabrera-Bello +8 74 70 76 72 292 T75 Beau Hossler +9 73 70 77 73 293 T75 Kiradech Aphibarnrat +9 74 71 74 74 293 T75 Sam Locke (A) +9 72 73 70 78 293 78 Cameron Smith +10 73 71 73 77 294 79 Keegan Bradley +11 74 71 73 77 295
Missed Cut
CUT Daniel Berger 73 73 146 CUT Justin Thomas 69 77 146 CUT Branden Grace 74 72 146 CUT Chez Reavie 69 77 146 CUT Tom Lehman 75 71 146 CUT Matt Wallace 74 72 146 CUT Sergio Garcia 75 71 146 CUT Hideki Matsuyama 75 71 146 CUT Russell Knox 73 73 146 CUT Fabrizio Zanotti 72 74 146 CUT Martin Kaymer 71 75 146 CUT George Coetzee 75 71 146 CUT Peter Uihlein 74 72 146 CUT Charl Schwartzel 74 73 147 CUT Kelly Kraft 74 73 147 CUT Matthew Fitzpatrick 72 75 147 CUT Jorge Campillo 72 75 147 CUT Jordan L. Smith 74 73 147 CUT Andy Sullivan 71 76 147 CUT Oliver Wilson 75 72 147 CUT Shane Lowry 74 73 147 CUT Brian Harman 71 76 147 CUT Chesson Hadley 73 74 147 CUT Jon Rahm 69 78 147 CUT Alexander Levy 73 75 148 CUT Dustin Johnson 76 72 148 CUT Bubba Watson 75 73 148 CUT Bronson Burgoon 74 74 148 CUT Nicolai Hojgaard (A) 72 76 148 CUT Charles Howell 75 74 149 CUT Russell Henley 69 80 149 CUT Ryuko Tokimatsu 72 77 149 CUT Abraham Ancer 71 78 149 CUT Mark Calcavecchia 73 76 149 CUT Ernie Els 73 76 149 CUT Scott Jamieson 75 74 149 CUT Sang-Hyun Park 76 73 149 CUT Marcus Armitage 80 69 149 CUT Jimmy Walker 72 78 150 CUT Dylan Frittelli 71 79 150 CUT Jason Kokrak 72 78 150 CUT Padraig Harrington 76 74 150 CUT Jazz Janewattananond 74 76 150 CUT Thomas Curtis 82 68 150 CUT Emiliano Grillo 76 74 150 CUT Hideto Tanihara 75 75 150 CUT Anirban Lahiri 76 74 150 CUT Jhonattan Vegas 76 74 150 CUT Alexander Bjork 72 78 150 CUT Haraldur Magnus 72 78 150 CUT Kodai Ichihara 78 72 150 CUT Patton Kizzire 77 74 151 CUT Michael Hendry 73 78 151 CUT Shota Akiyoshi 77 74 151 CUT Todd Hamilton 75 76 151 CUT Ryan Armour 75 76 151 CUT Matt Jones 75 76 151 CUT Sandy Lyle 75 76 151 CUT Retief Goosen 74 77 151 CUT Danthai Boonma 78 74 152 CUT Jonas Blixt 77 76 153 CUT Nicolas Colsaerts 79 74 153 CUT Grant Forrest 80 73 153 CUT Minchel Choi 79 74 153 CUT Brandt Snedeker 76 78 154 CUT Ian Poulter 73 81 154 CUT Masanori Kobayashi 82 72 154 CUT Brady Schnell 79 75 154 CUT Yuxin Lin 80 74 154 CUT Jack Senior 79 76 155 CUT Ashton Turner 78 77 155 CUT James Robinson 75 81 156 CUT Andrew Landry 80 77 157 CUT Jovan Rebula (A) 79 79 158 CUT Jens Dantorp 76 82 158 CUT Darren Clarke 82 83 165 WD David Duval
