Report and reaction
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And that brings our coverage of the 2018 Open Championship to an end. Francesco Molinari was highly fancied by many coming into the week, having already won the Quicken Loans National on the PGA Tour and the BMW PGA in Europe. He’s certainly delivered! A stunning performance over the weekend: rounds of 65 and 69, and not a single bogey since Friday! He’s the deserving winner of the oldest and grandest major ... and having gone one step further than Costantino Rocca managed at St Andrews in 1995, he’s Italy’s first Open champion! Their first major champion. Congratulations to Francesco ... and commiserations to Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods, who all thrilled us over a magical week at Carnoustie. Next stop for the Open: Royal Portrush in 2019. Next stop for us: the PGA at Bellerive in three weeks’ time. Please join us again for Glory’s Last Shot. Thanks for reading. Nighty night, and sweet dreams!
And now Rory! “I have to take a lot of positives from it. It was a tough day today. It was a matter of grinding it out. Par was a good score. I’m really pleased with my week’s work, and my form going into the final major of the year. It was fun to be out there. When Tiger was in the lead on his own, we thought wow, this is going to be a dogfight all the way! And so it was. I was encouraged how I putted down the stretch. I stayed aggressive, and made full, committed swings. I don’t leave here with any regrets. I played a good tournament, it just wasn’t good enough.”
A philosophical Tiger Woods speaks! “I played my way back into it. Looking at the scores, there was only one good round today. So there weren’t a lot of low scores today. I figured I could get to -9, I might have a chance. I hoped to get that number, but I could not. I was playing consistent, solidly all week. I was right there. Unfortunately I made some mistakes early on the back nine today that cost me. It was close to really being good.”
Here’s our snap report:
Now the new champ gives his first interview, to Sarah Stirk from Sky. “It is absolutely amazing. It will take a long time to sink in. It’s been a great week. The course bit me a few times the first couple of days, but then to go bogey free over the weekend on a course like this is incredible. I was as composed as much as you can be on the final round of the Open. But for the first time I felt like I was ready for it. Playing with Tiger makes it even more special. I couldn’t have written it any better. It’s been a long journey, and holding this trophy changes a few things. It’s been about confidence. Winning at Wentworth after coming close so many times. Then even more winning in the States, because not a lot of Europeans have done it. And here we are!”
“What a week!” he begins with a laugh. He thanks his wife and his family back home in Italy. And then his manager and caddy. “Congratulations to the runners up, it’s been a tough fight. Unfortunately in golf there’s only one winner, this time it’s me! But they played very well, and congratulations to them.” He thanks the R&A and the greenkeepers. Then the volunteers and the fans. And he hoists his prize high, as the love pours down from the stand!
“And with a score of 276, the winner of the gold medal, and champion golfer of the year, is Francesco Molinari!” The 35-year-old from Turin takes possession of the auld Claret Jug, raises it modestly in the air, smiles broadly, and makes off to the microphone to give his winner’s speech.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the leading amateur, and the winner of the silver medal, Sam Locke!” The 19-year-old Aberdonian, a protege of 1999 Carnoustie champion Paul Lawrie, comes up to collect his medal. Recent winners include Rory McIlroy, Matthew Fitzpatrick ... and one Tiger Woods. Congratulations to Sam!
Francesco Molinari - the Open champion, a major winner, Italy’s first Open champion, Italy’s first major winner - takes to the 18th green. Huge cheers greet a very popular player! The chap from the R&A thanks everyone for coming; remembers the great Peter Thomson, who passed away last month and won this title five times in the 1950s and 1960s; and bigs up the Carnoustie staff and volunteers. He probably needs to pick up the speed, tell the truth. But eventually he gets round to thanking the players for “a wonderful week of golf”. Damn straight.
The new Open champion is having a very relaxed chat with the silver-medal winner Sam Locke. While they wait for the prize-giving ceremony, here’s how the final leaderboard looks:
-8: Molinari
-6: Rose, McIlroy, Kisner, Schauffele
-5: Pepperell, Woods, Chappell
-4: Finau, Kuchar, Spieth
-3: Cantlay, Olesen, Moore, Fleetwood, Simpson
-2: Day, Perez, van Rooyen, Hoffman, Scott, Z Johnson, Noren
-1: Cink, Mickelson, Langer, Willett
The tears are threatening to come. But the new champion is in a mellow place right now. He’ll be mentally and physically exhausted: on an afternoon when the wind picked up and gave many of the world’s top players immense heartache, Molinari battled and battled, making 13 pars in a row, knocking in a couple of big savers around the turn. Then on the closing stretch - Carnoustie’s notorious closing stretch - he made a couple of stunning birdies to seal the deal, at 14 and 18. It’s a magnificent performance. And make no mistake: even though Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner went backwards today, Molinari won this, seeing off late charges from Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy. And he held off Tiger Woods all the way round, too. No mean feat!
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Molinari, understandably, doesn’t quite know what to do with himself. He hugs his caddy. He goes back in the waiting room. He puts his head in his hands again. He allows himself a little smile. His mind must be whirling. On the 18th, pars for Spieth and Schauffele. It’s a 76 for the defending champion, and a 74 for the young man from San Diego. It’s probably worth pointing out that both of these super-talented players are 24 years of age. What a contribution they’ve made to a glorious Open!
FRANCESCO MOLINARI IS THE 2018 OPEN CHAMPION! Schauffele’s short iron in is straight at the flag, but it checks 12 feet from the hole, and that means Molinari is the deserved winner of this tournament after a stunning blemish-free round of 69!
Molinari is out on the putting green, keeping himself warm. He’s counting no chickens. If Lombard can eagle the hole, so can Schauffele. Spieth sends his drive into the rough down the left, then knocks his second over the back. Schauffele splits the fairway. He’s left with a 136-yard Hail Mary. He takes aim, cocks the club back, shoots, and ...
Up on 18, Kevin Kisner signs for a closing 74. He was never at the races today. He ends the week at -6. Meanwhile his partner Kevin Chappell puts his name to a close-but-no-cigar 73: he’s -5. OK, he can have a cigar. They can both have a cigar. And a glass of fine wine. They’ve both come up short, but both have contributed to a sensational Open Championship.
Nope. It’s a good effort, but he doesn’t hit it. Bogey. Which means that, unless Schauffele holes his second from the fairway - and only one man in Open history has done that at Carnoustie, Zander Lombard yesterday evening - the 147th Open Championship belongs to Francesco Molinari! Bogey for Spieth, too, as he drops to -4.
Schauffele takes a while to think about his chip. Someone mutters something in the crowd, causing him to back away. The young man doesn’t get mad, though, turning and smiling warmly. That’s a nice moment, with his Open chances hanging in the balance. He eventually sends a gentle flop high over the bush and past the bunker, landing his ball as softly as he can. It’s a lovely shot. But he’s got a left-to-right 15-foot slider for par, and he really needs to make it if he’s to deny Molinari.
From the centre of the 17th fairway, Schauffele tightens up. He slices towards the Kevin Chappell Memorial Gorse Bush, and gets a little stroke of fortune: the ball stops short of the killer plant. He’s still left with an awkward chip over it, and there’s a bunker between his ball and the flag too. And not much green to play with. Meanwhile in a small waiting room, Molinari, so close to his dream, holds his head in his hands. Then he sits back and blows out hard. Then he holds his head in his hands a bit more, and sips from a bottle of water. He’s fidgety, in short. Wouldn’t you be, if you were this close to your dreams, to the famous auld Claret Jug?
Francesco Molinari makes no mistake, though! He rolls in his birdie putt, his second of the back nine, and that’s a blemish-free card of 69! He ends the week at -8, and he celebrates accordingly, pumping the air with his fist and allowing a huge smile of relief and excitement to play across his face! He’ll be the 2018 Open champion golfer, and Italy’s first major champion ... unless the 24-year-old Californian Xander Schauffele makes a birdie at one of the final two holes! Because on 17, Kevin Kisner can only make par, while Kevin Chappell’s bid expires as, having found that gorse bush, he runs up a double-bogey six to slip to -4.
-8: Molinari (F)
-7: Schauffele (16)
-6: Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Kisner (17)
-5: Pepperell (F), Woods (F), Spieth (16)
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Tiger can’t make his short birdie putt, the ball dying off to the left. That’s a 71, and the dream died just after the turn with that double bogey / bogey whammy. Still, he’s -5. And though he didn’t win, Tiger’s back, baby. Tiger’s back! “Who ever the idiot was who intentionally tried to distract Tiger on his drive on the last hole, I hope is never allowed into a sporting venue, anywhere, forever. Why would anyone spend £80 to wait five hours just to sound like a howling tit on TV?” Hubert O’Hearn speaks for me, and all of us, I’ll be bound.
Schauffele’s putt on 16 stays high on the left. What a chance to take the lead with two holes to play! But it’s gone. He remains at -7; Spieth tidies up for his par and stays at -5. Meanwhile back on 18, Tiger and Molinari pepper the flag! Both will have five-footers for birdie! What glorious wedges. But that means Tiger’s bid is effectively over. Number 15 will have to wait, for another three weeks at least.
Spieth’s shot into 16 is on the dancefloor, too, but a long way away. He leaves his lengthy putt six feet short. On 17, Chappell’s tee shot is short. He goes full pelt with the second, and shoves it into a gorse bush down the right. There’s some terrible trouble found at exactly the wrong time. Kisner finds the heart of the green but his birdie putt will be a long one. And on 18, some eejit shouts during Tiger’s downswing, causing a rare old fume, and rightly so. What a clown! Fortunately for Tiger, his ball still careers down the fairway.
Schauffele sends a simply sensational tee shot straight at the flag on the long par-three 16th. His ball trundles up the green and stops ten feet past. That’s as good a shot as we’ve seen on this hole all week. Remember: the five-time Open winner Tom Watson jokingly refers to it as a good par-four. If he goes on to win his first major today, that might be the shot that sealed the deal. Or will it be the nigh-on perfect drive Molinari crashes down 18, leaving himself a short wedge in?
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Spieth’s par putt on 15 stays high on the right. That may be an end to a very brave title defence. He slips to -5. Schauffele does very well to get up and down from the back: he stays at -7. As does Molinari, who can’t make his birdie putt but continues on his blemish-free way. Tiger keeps his hopes alive by nearly hitting the flagstick with his chip up onto the green, then slotting away the six-footer that remains. On 16, Kisner goes over the back, but Todd Hamiltons with his rescue club to four feet, and tidies up for his par. Chappell pars too, in a more disappointing way, after creaming a lovely shot into the heart of the green, then failing to hit the birdie putt.
-7: Molinari (17), Schauffele (15)
-6: Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Chappell (16), Kisner (16)
-5: Pepperell (F), Woods (17), Spieth (15)
Spieth drives into sand down 15. That means he’s wedging three into the green. He sends that one pin high to 12 feet, and will have a great chance to save his par. Schauffele’s second is hot, and flies over the back. On 17, Tiger’s second is short, but Molinari’s is a seize-the-day arrow straight at the flag. He’ll have a 20-footer for a birdie that could go a long way to winning Italy’s first Open! “If several players (i.e. more than three) qualify for a playoff, do they split into pairings?” wonders Justin Horton. “Or if ten or eleven players all tie on, say, five under, do they all go round four holes together?” The R&A haven’t announced that yet. They may have to soon, the way things are going. Chances are, any more than three will be split into two groups of two, or two and three. There’s never been anything more than a four-man play-off at the Open: that happened in 2002, when Thomas Levet and Steve Elkington, and Ernie Els and Stuart Appleby, were split in two groups of two.
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Rory’s wedge into 18 isn’t all that. Very average. Pin high, but a good 25 feet to the right. He tries his best to make the birdie putt, but it’s always staying out on the left. He taps in for a 70 and the best he can hope for is a play-off now. At -6, he shares the clubhouse lead with Rose! Meanwhile on 16, Tiger takes two putts from distance, while Molinari pitches up to six feet and completes his up-and-down.
-7: Molinari (16), Schauffele (14)
-6: Rose (F), McIlroy (F), Chappell (15), Kisner (15), Spieth (14)
-5: Pepperell (F), Woods (16)
Rory crashes a huge drive down 18. He’ll be wedging in from 100 yards. Pars for Molinari and Woods at 15: the former’s tee shot at the long par-three 16th falls down the bank to the right, but the latter finds the heart of the dancefloor. Tommy Fleetwood signs for a 73 and ends the week at -3. And on the par-five 14th, Schauffele arrows his second to 20 feet, but his eagle putt somehow performs the wall of death, clockwise, and stays teetering on the edge! So unlucky! But he taps in for birdie and a share of the lead. Spieth however takes three putts from distance, a four footer lipping out, and he only pars. This is going to the wire!
A huge up and down by Rory McIlroy at 17! His second finds the bunker front right of the green. It jumps out of the plughole and onto flat sand. That allows him to splash to six feet, and nail a putt he couldn’t afford to miss. He celebrates with another excitable spin. For the first time in a long while, he’s involved at the business end of a major. One more solid hole, and he could either be joining Justin Rose in the clubhouse lead at -6, or setting a new mark himself!
Kisner is an inch away from draining a long eagle putt on 14. He rejoins the group at -6, one behind the new leader Molinari. Chappell scrambles a par after finding a gorse bush with his drive and then a deep greenside bunker. He celebrates almost as much as Rory did his eagle: every shot is crucial now, in this nip-and-tuck Open!
... up on 18, Justin Rose lashes a huge drive down the track, then wedges his second to three feet! In goes the birdie putt, and a man who had to birdie this hole on Friday to survive the cut is the new clubhouse leader! And the way things have been going, that mark might take some matching!
-7: Molinari (14)
-6: Rose (F), McIlroy (16), Chappell (13), Schauffele (13), Spieth (13)
-5: Pepperell (F), Woods (14), Kisner (13)
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Though he’s on the huge double green, Tiger opts to take a wedge. It’s the best part of 60 yards, after all. He’s basically on the 4th hole. He chips, but leaves himself well short. He’s got the best part of 20 feet left. He really desperately needs to make his birdie putt ... and in it goes! He’s -5. But still two off the lead, because his partner Francesco Molinari birdies the hole as well, in a much more calm, considered fashion, and he goes into the lead at -7! There’s the way to break a run of pars! Up on 16, Rory rolls a delicious putt up the hill onto the green, to a couple of feet. He saves his par! That’s quite special. He’s taken a lot of criticism, plenty of it justified, for his erratic putting this week, but that’s a touch of genius. New leaderboard in a minute, because ...
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Tiger’s tee shot at the par-five 14th finds the rough down the left. His second takes a flyer, all the way to the back of the big double green. He’d be miles away from the other hole, the 4th; as it is, he’ll have the monster putt to end all monster putts. If he manages to birdie from there, it’ll be some result. He walks up the hole with the air of a man who knows this is coming to the crunch. It’ll be a 170-foot putt!!!
McIlroy finds the centre of the 15th in regulation, but he’s a long way from the flag. He can’t find two monster putts in succession, but par will suffice. He stays at -6. And now the testing long par-three 16th. He pulls his tee shot down the swale to the left. It rolls on, way past the back of the green. That’ll be testing all right. Par will be some result from there.
Tiger gives himself half a chance for birdie from the fringe of the par-three 13th. But his effort from 20 feet slides by. Par. And it’s a 13th par out of 13 for Molinari, whose tee shot nearly found a bush at the back. But he chipped up well to ten feet, and nailed the saver. Bogey for Kisner at 12, the result of finding sand from the tee. He slips to -5. Chappell remains one of the joint leaders at -6 with par.
-6: McIlroy (14), Molinari (13), Chappell (12), Spieth (11), Schauffele (11)
-5: Pepperell (F), Rose (16), Kisner (12)
-4: Finau (F), Fleetwood (15), Kuchar (15), Woods (13)
Sensational eagle for Rory McIlroy on 14! He sends a left-to-right slider into the cup from 40 feet! The crowd go bananas as he spins round through 360 degrees, punching the air and skipping! His Open bid looked utterly kaput not so long ago ... but it’s very much back on now! He’s one of the many co-leaders of the 147th Open Championship! Meanwhile birdie for Tommy Fleetwood at 15. The odds on a four-hole play-off can’t be too long, can they.
-6: McIlroy (14), Molinari (12), Chappell (11), Kisner (11), Schauffele (10), Spieth (10)
-5: Pepperell (F), Rose (16)
-4: Final (F), Fleetwood (15), Kuchar (14), Woods (12)
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A 71 for Tony Finau, who ends the week at -4. This will be his third top-ten finish at the majors in a row! Meanwhile Tiger can only thrash his third to the back of 11; two putts later, that’s another stroke gone. His #15 dream is falling apart right now. Yet another par for Molinari-Faldo.
Schauffele finally gets something positive going. He crashes a big drive down 10, and sends his wedge to six feet. A much-needed birdie, and despite going out in 40, he’s co-leader of the Open again! Par for Spieth. Meanwhile on the par-five 14th, Rory drives into filth down the left, but uses every sinew to whip a long iron into the heart of the green. He’ll have a long look at eagle.
Some great quotes here from Eddie Pepperell, explaining how he prepared ahead of the 67 that has launched him into surprise contention.
I was a little hungover. I had too much to drink last night. I was so frustrated with yesterday that today was - I wouldn’t say a write-off, but I didn’t feel as though I was in the tournament.
I just had some wine with my coach. We drowned our sorrows for about half an hour. It was enjoyable. I didn’t really think I had that much to drink. I’m just a lightweight!
I wouldn’t always have a drink the night before, sometimes I have a few. It depends how you feel. I’ve done it all different ways. It depends on how you feel. I like to socialise in the evenings if I can. It takes some of the sting out of competitive golf at this level. It’s stressful.
So there you have it, kids. A nice big pour!
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Spieth and Schauffele are out of position, and have been put on the clock. That’ll ramp up the pressure. Up on 12, Tiger sends his tee shot into rough down the left, then lets the club turn over again, his ball squirting into misery on the right. This is a rough patch. Can he hold on? Meanwhile par for Rose on 15: he’s -5. And pars for the joint leaders Chappell and Kisner on 11.
Tiger’s putt slips past the right of the cup. The double bogey is met with almost funereal silence by the crowd. Par for his partner Molinari. Par for McIlroy on 13. Pars for Schauffele and Spieth on 9. Forgive the matter-of-fact entry, but that last burst of action-drama was emotionally intense. Are you reeling too?
-6: Molinari (11), Chappell (10), Kisner (10), Spieth (9)
-5: Pepperell (F), Rose (14), Woods (11), Schauffele (9)
-4: Finau (17), McIlroy (13), Noren (12)
The rough grabs hold of Tiger’s club as he lashes his second up the 11th. The ball flies off to the left, and would be in gorse bushes had it not hit some poor punter upside the head. The ball rebounds closer to the green, in some medium-length rough. After giving the man he hit a signed glove, Tiger wafts at his chip. He’s very lucky the ball doesn’t drop into the bunker ... but it still stops short of the green and he’s left with a tricky putt over the shoulder of said sand trap for his par. He sends that one racing past the hole, and will have a six-footer coming back for bogey. The first true crisis of his round.
Hello! Justin Rose had done nothing today. Just the bogey at 5. But his long iron into the par-five 14th clatters the flagstick and stops at the side of the hole! So close to an albatross! He kicks in for eagle, and suddenly the 2013 US Open champion is right in the mix at -5. Meanwhile two fine approaches into 10 by the Kevins Chappell and Kisner lead to birdies. They’re both -6. And it really is all happening, because ...
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Spieth and Schauffele both find sand at the par-three 8th. Both manage to get up and down to save their pars. Both send their tee shots at 9 down the fairway. Tiger hoicks his tee shot at 11 into rough down the right; Molinari follows him. Rory finds the 12th in regulation, but he’s a long way from the flag and sends his putt four feet past. Then he pulls his par putt, sending it left the moment it came off the face. That’s an appalling miss under the circumstances. He slips to -4, and his putting is killing him right now. “I’m getting nervous for Tiger,” shudders Simon Farnaby. “This is going to be a mini Tom Watson.”
Tiger’s got room to get over the face of the bunker and go for the green. He’s not going to die wondering about the chance of this 15th major, so goes for broke, taking on a tree and the burn and lashing to the front fringe. That’s a sensational effort! He’ll have an uphill birdie putt from 20 feet. He nearly makes it as well, but it stops an inch to the right of the cup. He remains at -7. Molinari meanwhile finds the heart of the green, takes two putts, and he’s parring his way round. He stays at -6. Hey, it didn’t do Nick Faldo any harm in 1987. Here’s Matt Dony: “He’s had his issues, he’s had his ups and downs, he’s had his controversies. But, is there anyone who wouldn’t be excited by a Tiger victory? The lean years have just exaggerated the myth of the all-conquering Mark I Tiger, and he’s talked so much about getting back to the top, it’s almost entered the realm of parody. It’s fantastic for the game (and its wider appeal) to see him bothering the leader board at a major. Exciting times!”
Schauffele’s backswing is impeded by the OB post. He does very well to punch up onto the green, to 20 feet, but he can’t make his bogey putt. The double sends him crashing out of the lead. He’s -5. Spieth does well to save his par with two puts from off the back: he steadies the listing ship a little to remain at -6. And Rory’s right in this again! He batters a huge drive down 11, sends a wedge screeching to a halt six feet from the cup ... and knocks in the birdie putt! That’s his second birdie in three holes. Meanwhile the new leader Tiger Woods - the new leader Tiger Woods! - sends his tee shot at 10 into a bunker down the left of 10, and this Open is beginning to turn psychedelic.
-7: Woods (9)
-6: Molinari (9), Spieth (7)
-5: Pepperell (F), McIlroy (11), Chappell (8), Kisner (8), Schauffele (7)
-4: Finau (15)
The final pair are all over the shop. Schauffele’s tee shot at 7 finds the rough down the left. Doubling up the pain: an old divot. He can only top his next shot further up the same side of the hole, still in the long stuff. Then his third goes over the back, into more filth. He’s a couple of feet from going out of bounds! Spieth’s second topples just off the back of the green. Meanwhile a good up and down from sand at 9 for Tiger to save his par, and he’s reached the turn in 34. He’ll be the sole leader of this championship in a couple of minutes, unless something odd happens.
Suddenly, a lot of players who thought their race was run will be thinking: aye, aye! A sensational afternoon of golf coming right up!
-7: Woods (8), Schauffele (6)
-6: Molinari (8), Spieth (6)
-5: Pepperell (F), Chappell (7), Kisner (7)
-4: Moore (17), Finau (14), McIlroy (10), Kuchar (10)
Shauffele can’t make his long one, so bogey it is. Spieth races an excitable attempt to save par six feet past, and can’t make the one coming back. That’s a double bogey, all the fault of that preposterous decision to take a fairway wood from the gallery’s path, and suddenly Tiger Woods is co-leader of this Open! Meanwhile a three-putt bogey for Kisner on 7. For the first time today his ice-cool demeanour cracks: he smiles wryly and his shoulders slump. The bogey that follows on the par-three 8th is almost inevitable. He’s slipped to -5.
Spieth doesn’t need half an hour to work things out this time. No trailers in the road, you see. He finds a place to drop on the path trodden down by the gallery, which means he can send his fourth into the heart of the green with spin. It bites pin high, 25 feet from the hole, a decent result from where he was. But a bogey looks likely now. The same applies to Schauffele, who is on the downslope in the bunker and very nearly sends a hot one into the sand on the other side of the green. Tiger’s going to be co-leader of the Open in a moment, unless somebody can knock in a long putt here.
Tiger splashes out delicately to four feet! That’s a great par save, and if anyone out on the course is looking like the champion right now, it’s him. He’s in control of his emotions, while the current co-leaders are letting theirs run wild. Schauffele has dumped his third at 6 into a bunker, while Spieth has retrieved his ball from the bush and taken an unplayable lie. That means an ersatz rerun of events on the 13th at Birkdale last year: he’s working out a place to drop, making sure there’s a line between the dropping point, the place where the ball was found, and the hole.
Tiger finds the bunker front right of the par-three 8th. Meanwhile maybe Rory’s not quite finished yet. Having bogeyed 2 and 5, he’s just drained a monster on 9 to reach the turn in 37. He’s -4, and a slim hope remains for the 2014 champion. Here’s Hubert O’Hearn: “Fascinating watching Rory and Tiger. Rory wants to be the player he once was, whereas Tiger is playing as the player he is - sort of a modified, ‘don’t lose the tournament’ Nick Faldo. I admire how he’s settled into his middle aged and damaged body. Ben Hogan would be proud. And now I’m starting to believe. There’s a certain whiff of a Sunday at Augusta in 1986 about a Sunday at Carnoustie in 2018.”
Serious bother for Spieth now. He sends his drive at the par-five 6th into the gallery down the right. Then he takes out a fairway wood, and hoicks his second into a gorse bush down the same side. We’ve not seen where that landed yet, but it looked like it slam-dunked right in the middle. God speed, young Jordan. That wasn’t a clever move, though. The first rule of links golf: take your medicine. Schauffele meanwhile sends two nervy shots down the right, but escapes serious trouble. Meanwhile Molinari has been going along without fuss or drama. He very nearly chips in from the side of 7, but that’s another par. He’s -6. Tiger pars too, to keep on keepin’ on.
Schauffele, down on his knees at those wireless knobs, Telefunken, Telefunken by the side of the bunker, splashes out. Just. The ball threatens to topple back into the trap, but somehow stays up on the fringe, despite the ground tilting back to the sand. Shades of Freddie Couples on the 12th at Augusta in 1992. That allows him to take two putts and limit the damage to bogey. Spieth takes two putts, and suddenly Tiger is a shot off the lead. As is Kisner, who birdies 6 by holing out from the sand to turn his round through 180 degrees! Not a flicker of a smile on his gameface. Bogey for his partner Chappell though, after a short pulled putt. This Open is on, ladies and gentlemen! It. Is. ON!
-8: Spieth (5), Schauffele (5)
-7: Woods (6), Kisner (6)
-6: Molinari (6)
-5: Pepperell (F), Chappell (6)
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Kuuuuuuuuuch! Matt Kuchar sends a tramliner into the cup from 50 feet at 7: suddenly he’s back to -5. And another birdie for Tiger on the par-five 6th! He wasn’t far away from holing a monster eagle putt from the front, but that’ll do. He’s -7, just two off the lead. And it could be closer soon, because back on 5, Spieth can only advance his ball 30 yards from the bunker, and his third in isn’t all that. Schauffele meanwhile dumps his second in the sand to the left of the green. And he’s plugged, seriously plugged, right up against the face! Tiger ... well, number 15 is a very realistic prospect now! This is on! A long way to go, mind, as William Hargreaves suggests: “This is exciting! All of a sudden I’d be glad to be Eddie Pepperell in the hut.”
Trouble for Spieth. He flies his tee shot into a bunker down the left of 5, his ball landing near the big face. Not sure he’ll be able to advance from there. We’ll see. Meanwhile here’s the latest dispatch from our old pal o’ Angus, Simon McMahon: “What a month it’s been for sports fans. Last weekend it was the World Cup final, this weekend it’s the Open at Carnoustie. We’ve also had Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix, England v India at cricket and Le Tour, not to mention the World Matchplay darts just started at Blackpool. And to top it all there’s Elgin City v Dundee United in the Scottish League Cup next Saturday. Somebody call Dr Sport!”
Pars for Spieth and Schauffele on 4. Pars for Tiger and Molinari at 5. It’s a bit like that right at the minute. Meanwhile news of some players back in the clubhouse: Phil Mickelson ends the week at -1 after posting a 71; Jason Day shot a fine 68 to finish at -2; and the extremely popular Pat Perez, who swanned around the place not giving so much as a single flying one, shot a level-par 71 today to end the week at -2. A 71 for the veteran two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer: he ended up at -1. And the 2009 champion Tom Watson GOOD GOD IT STILL HURTS Stewart Cink shot 70: he’s had a good week, his best in the majors since St Andrews three years ago.
Pepperell could sell that 67 for a few quid now. Some news of assorted struggles. Justin Rose has bogeyed 5 to drop to -3. Zach Johnson has followed bogey at 1 with another at 5; he’s -3. Webb Simpson bogeyed 3; he’s -4. Erik van Rooyen doubled 9, then dropped another at 11: he’s -2. Alex Noren doubled 5 to clatter down to -3. And Thorbjorn Olesen followed up that double on 9 with more dropped shots at 11 and 12, though he’s just birdied 14 to bring himself back up to -2.
Eddie Pepperell is the new clubhouse leader! He can’t make his birdie effort, but nevertheless that’s a closing par, and an excellent 67. He ends the week at -5. Chances are he’s a little shy of the total required to win, or make a play-off, but we’ve seen carnage at Carnoustie before, so you never know. More realistically, he’s got a great chance of finishing in the top ten. Not bad seeing the 27-year-old from Abingdon only qualified at Gullane last week, after finishing second at the Scottish Open!
Spieth is this close to draining a 35-footer across 3 for a birdie, but he’s forced to tap in for par. Schauffele’s effort, from 20 feet, stops a little short too. Pars all the way so far for the final pair, who remain at -9. Meanwhile up on 18, Pepperell cracks two fine shots up the hole, sending his ball pin high. He’ll have a look at birdie, straight across the green, from 25 feet. If he makes that, he’ll post a clubhouse total of -6 that will give the players out on the course serious pause, should the wind become too hot to handle.
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An illustration of how difficult this wind is making the course: not a single player in the final 15 groups are under par for their round today. That’s 30 players! But scrub that! Make it 29, because who’s this rolling in a 20-footer for birdie on 4? Tiger Woods, that’s who! He joins the group at -6, and if Carnoustie had a roof, it would be flying over the Cairngorms right now!
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Back on 2, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth both find the green in regulation, but both have monster putts up the long green. Spieth from 50 feet, Schauffele from the best part of 100. Both lag up magnificently; both tidy up for their pars. They’re still -9. On 3, Kisner’s tee shot finds the rough to the right. His second takes a flyer towards the back of the green. He lags his long putt to four feet, but he can’t make the short saver, and can’t stem the bleeding. The colour drains from his face. Meanwhile on 17, Eddie Pepperell rolls in a 30-footer for another birdie! If he can make one last birdie up the last, he’ll be posting something that will make the leaders think, especially if the wind continues to blow, and blow hard.
-9: Spieth (2), Schauffele (2)
-6: Molinari (3), Chappell (3), Kisner (3)
-5: Pepperell (17), Fleetwood (5), Noren (4), Woods (3)
-4: Kuchar (5), Simpson (4)
Eddie Pepperell is going along nicely. A birdie at 14 brought him up to -4, and that’s where he remains having played 16. If he can get home, he’ll post a total that won’t be enough to win, but won’t be bettered by too many players once it all comes down. Birdie for Matt Kuchar at 5: after his shaky start, bogeys at 1 and 3, he’s back to -4. His partner Rory McIlroy watches another short putt lip out, and the bogey surely ends his challenge. He needed a fast start, and he’s got one. Sadly he’s stuck in reverse at speed. He’s -3.
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Kisner bumps a wonderful chip straight at the flag. It deserves to drop, but hits the stick and stays out. That’s a double bogey, and an illustration of how quickly things can go west on the east coast. He’s -7. A bogey for Erik van Rooyen at 6 drops the impressive South African debutant back to -5. A three-putt bogey for Tommy Fleetwood at 5, and he slips to -5 too. The chasing pack can’t afford too many of these slip-ups, though the wind is picking up and accuracy from the tee is increasingly coming at a premium. So all is far from lost at the moment.
-9: Spieth (1), Schauffele (1)
-7: Kisner (2)
-6: Molinari (3), Chappell (2)
-5: van Rooyen (8), Fleetwood (5), Noren (3), Woods (3)
Kisner’s in all sorts of bother here, hitting four into the green from thick filth, 100 yards out. He does very well to lash his ball onto the green. It topples off the back and snags in some semi-rough, but the hole isn’t a million miles away and that’s quite a result from there. He’s done very well to maintain his composure after the bunker took a chunk out of him. He’ll still need a decent up-and-down to make double bogey, but everything in context: when he left that first shot in the sand, plugged up against the face, anything could have happened.
Disaster for Kevin Kisner at 2! His drive slam-dunks into a steep-faced bunker down the right. His only option: splash out sideways. But he hits the face and stays in. And this time he’s plugged right up against the face. He does extremely well to extricate himself from the sand with his second effort, but can only send his ball a few yards up the hole, and he’s in thick rough. This could end up being very costly. Back on 1, Spieth swishes a stunning iron from the rough on the right, over the mound and the bunker, to ten feet. That’s a statement of intent. Can he make the birdie putt? No. He’s just one turn short. He smiles broadly anyway. Schauffele takes two putts from the centre of the green, and he pars as well.
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Kisner doesn’t have much green to work with, but he clips his bunker shot to six feet, and tidies up to calmly save his par. He’s still -9. But Chappell can’t make his long putt and the bogey knocks him back to -6. Suddenly there’s a three-shot gap at the top. Up on 2, Tiger’s approach only finds the fringe, but he’s pin high with a 20-footer for birdie. He sends it a long way left, and three feet past too. A terrible misread. But he makes the one coming back.
-9: Kisner (1), Spieth, Schauffele
-6: Fleetwood (4), Molinari (2), Chappell (1)
-5: van Rooyen (7), Noren (2), Simpson (2), Woods (2)
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The final pairing of the 2018 Open Championship takes to the tee. Xander Schauffele is up first, and this is the very first time in his young career that he has a share of the lead at the 54-hole mark. He cracks an iron down the middle. And then a huge ovation for the defending champion Jordan Spieth. His first shot dribbles into the semi-rough down the right.
Kisner’s second at 1 is swallowed up by the bunker front right of the green. He looks a little pensive, just like his playing partner Chappell, who can only hack back onto the fairway from the rough down the right. His third finds the middle of the green, but he’s 30 feet from the pin. Both players struggling for their par here. Meanwhile Noren sends his second at 2 onto a high bank to the left of the green. But he scoops a fine recovery to four feet. That’s scrambled his par, and he remains at -2.
Fleetwood only just gets his second shot over Jockie’s Burn on 3. He’s left with a long putt across the green, and leaves himself a good five feet short. But in goes the nervy par saver, and he’s still -6. Back on the opening tee, the penultimate group take to the course. Kevin Chappell looks nervous as he pulls his driving iron into some thick stuff on the left; the co-leader Kevin Kisner, who has been steady as you like all week, save a double at the last on Friday, hits his short but straight.
The wind is whipping around Carnoustie now, at speeds of up to 25mph. It’s a different course today all right. But that doesn’t stop Tiger sending a gorgeous second straight at the flag on 1. He’s left with an uphill 15-footer for a fast start. The crowd holler for the ball to GETINTHEHOLE, but while he’s got the pace, he hasn’t got the line, and it drifts off to the left. Just a par to start, but promising signs nonetheless. He’s -5. Molinari takes two putts from distance for his par, and he stays at -6.
A poor tee shot by Thorbjorn Olesen at 9 leads to a double bogey that sees the Dane drop out of the reckoning at -3. Better Scandinavian news back on the opening hole, as Alex Noren of Sweden pars. He stays at -5. The 2012 US Open champion Webb Simpson also pars to stay at -5. But on 2, Rory McIlroy seriously compromises his challenge by racing a 15-foot putt past the hole at 2, then failing to tidy up the four footer he’d left himself. He’s -4, already up against it, and that flat stick is becoming a really serious problem.
-9: Spieth, Shauffele, Kisner
-7: Chappell
-6: van Rooyen (5), Fleetwood (2), Molinari
-5: Noren (1), Simpson (1), Woods
And with that, the great Brewin was gone. Just like Ben Hogan, in and out, no fuss. Hey, here comes another legend: Tiger Woods! A huge North Sea rippling reception as he takes to the 1st tee. But you didn’t need me to tell you that happened. He whip-cracks an iron down the track, and his bid for major number 15 is on! His playing partner Francesco Molinari receives some wild applause too, and he follows Tiger down the fairway.
Kuchar’s par putt falls short. His second shot cost him a bogey at the first. Rory, as expected, sinks a par on a hole that has been costly for a few of the pretenders, including Zach Johnson just a few moments ago. Behind them, Alex Noren and Webb Simpson take to the stage at the first, and both play decent tee shots. The difficulty of this hole lies in the second shot, which Kuchar fluffed and Rory did not.
Kuchar’s chip from the undergrowth was decent enough but he couldn’t get the required spin on it. Rory, far closer in, tries a bump and run up the slope with a wedge but he can’t sink the ball. A par is within reach, though.
Zach Johnson bogeyed the first after Fleetwood birdied. That puts him back on -4. Tommy on a charge, Zach on the retreat, then. Kuchar’s second shot is up into the high rough to the right of the green. Rory beats the bunker but can’t get a lucky bounce. He looks rueful about that.
It’s Rory time. Clad in pink, he goes for the driver. The swing is mighty and goes down the right side. He will have a good view of the flag. Matt Kuchar goes next. His shot, with an iron, it looks like, does not have the purchase. And on the first green, Tommy Fleetwood sinks a long-range beauty to go to -6.
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Justin Rose took on a long putt that he only narrowly missed for birdie on the first. He and Cook settled for par. Fleetwood goes first for the following pair after considerable discussion with his Liverpudlian caddie and lands on the dance floor. Johnson was closer in, but his angle is not so easy. He takes an eight iron, having consulted with his caddie, and it is a decent shot, even if birdie looks unlikely. Up ahead, Van Rooyen’s birdie run stopped with a three on the par 3 third.
Tommy Fleetwood and his flowing mane are soon to take to the first, in the company of Zach Johnson and his far more sensible locks and clean-shaven chops. Tommy looks cheery as Johnson goes first with a whelp of the driver. He gets serious air, a good lie away from danger. Fleetwood’s shot gets a big cheer despite it not getting the bounce he would have liked.
Sam Locke at +9 has suffered today, but he deserves the warm reception he is getting on the 18th as he crosses over Van Der Velde Bridge over the Barry Burn. His final putt for a 78 gets a hell of a roar and he can sit back and relax before collecting his Silver Medal later. Back on the first, Hoffman bogeys and pars.
Justin Rose takes to the first tee, 20 years on from teenage rampage at Royal Birkdale. That round of 64 yesterday pulled him from no hoper to possible contender. He could pull off the biggest comeback since 1920 if he gets the job done. Austin Cook has the honour on the first and smoshes a fine effort into safety. Rose’s reception is rapturous and after some deliberation, he blams one to the left.
At the second, Van Rooyen sinks a beauty from the fringe of the green for a second birdie of the day to go to -6. Back in form after being an early leader, he’s on a charge. “Dammit,” says Adam Scott as he hits his second shot at the first too far right. Hoffman follows him in, and is just as disgusted with himself only to get a stroke of luck. It bounces over the bunker, and he has a good lie to make par at the least.
Tiger, meanwhile, is on the practice range having come off the putting green. The red shirt is looking resplendent and he looks relaxed and free in his swing.
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On the first tee, Charley Hoffman and Adam Scott take their opening shots. Hoffman is sat nicely, while Scotty beams one up to a similar place in the centre of the fairway. Lombard, ahead of them, misses his birdie putt on the first.
Afternoon, all. While Scott polishes off his lunchtime bottle of plonk and tucks into his Sunday Turducken, I shall be do my best to follow the action. At the moment, we are watching players whose main aim is to be clubhouse leader, before performing a rain dance. There is a suggestion the wind is picking up.
Erik van Rooyen was leading this championship for a while. He’s probably too far back, just, to become the first player since Ben Curtis in 2003 to win on debut ... but maybe he’ll give it a go anyway. Birdie at the opening hole, after a wonderful wedge to six feet, and he’s -5. For the record, if he did manage it, he’d become the third person to win the Open on debut at Carnoustie, following Ben Hogan in 1953 and Tom Watson in 1975. That ... that would be not bad company to keep.
And with that, I’ll hand over to our old pal John Brewin for the next hour. I’ll see you again in the not-too-distant future. Enjoy!
The 22-year-old Chinese superstar-in-waiting Haotong Li enjoyed a sensational final round at Birkdale last year. He shot 63 to catapult himself into third place, announcing his talent on the biggest stage. But it doesn’t look as though he’s going to have such a good Sunday this time round. Starting the day at -3, after a superb 67 yesterday, he’s double-bogeyed 2 after finding himself snagged in filth down the right of the hole. He slips to -1. Meanwhile bogey for Eddie Pepperell at the par-three 8th, punishment for finding the bunker on the right and failing to get close with his escape. He’s back to -3.
Olesen takes no chances with Jockie’s Burn at 3, sending his second safely to the back of the green. That leaves him a monster birdie putt coming back ... and he nearly makes it! Perfectly paced, just a touch to the right. Par will suffice, and he stays at -5. Jason Day is going very well, meanwhile: having turned in 35, he’s just birdied 13 and 14, though the latter should really be an eagle, but he shoved an eight-footer wide right of the cup. It was never going in. Still, he’s -2 overall, the 2015 PGA champ solid this week but never spectacular.
Rickie birdies 6, then bogeys 7. He’s way back at level par, so no real reason to tell you that, other than it gives me an excuse to post this picture. We’ll all be wearing them out on the course next week. Golf’s most stylish moustache since the halcyon days of Lloyd Mangrum.
There hasn’t been much in the way of low scoring to report so far ... but times change! And is this the beginning of the first serious break from the pack? Thorbjorn Olesen follows his birdie on the opening hole with another at 2, after knocking his second to three feet. Suddenly he’s -5 for the tournament, and only four shots off the lead! He’s being chased up the leaderboard by Eddie Pepperell, who birdies 6 with a 15-footer to move to -4.
-9: Spieth, Schauffele, Kisner
-7: Chappell
-6: Molinari
-5: Olesen (2), Woods, Simpson, Noren, Kuchar, McIlroy, Fleewood, Z Johnson
The first gentle oscillations on the leaderboard. Thorbjorn Olesen lifts a wedge to six feet on the opening hole, and strokes the putt into the cup. He rises to -4. Patrick Cantlay birdies 4: he’s -3. And a fast start for Eddie Pepperell, who only qualified last week by finishing second behind Brandon ‘Mr 60’ Stone at the Scottish Open. He’s continued that good form this week, and birdies today at 3 and 5 have taken him up the standings to -3.
The 2011 PGA champion Keegan Bradley’s record at the Open is decent without being spectacular: three top 20 finishes in five starts. He’ll most likely end the week in 79th spot, though, the last of those who made the cut. A disastrous front nine today, featuring a double bogey at 3 and a triple on 7, saw him hit the turn in 42 strokes. A birdie at 14 didn’t offer much succour, and a bogey at the last put a tin lid on his day. A 77 and he finishes the week at +11.
Sport is in New Yorker Julian Suri’s blood. He’s the great-great-grandson of Buchi Babu Naidu, a socialite who was a prime mover of the development of cricket in India. The 27-year-old Suri has one European Tour victory to his name - the 2017 Made in Denmark - and was runner-up at the recent French Open. He’s taken that form into this championship: rounds of 74, 69 and 70, and now birdies today at 1, 5 and 7. He’s currently the hottest property out on the course, the only man three under for his round today. He’s -3.
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Henrik Stenson hasn’t had much luck at the Open since winning that Homeric duel with Phil Mickelson at Troon in 2016. His digs were burgled at Birkdale last year, and he went into this week nursing a sore elbow that nearly caused him to withdraw at the last minute. The 42-year-old Swede’s not quite been at his stellar best as a result, but he’s looking to sign off this year’s tournament with something positive: birdie at 14, his third of the day after 4 and 7, takes him up the leaderboard to +1. Just the hellish four closing holes to go, then, and it’s better luck next year.
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Phil Mickelson’s come out today with a self-imposed remit to entertain. Yes, I know, when does he not? He guides a left-to-right slider into the cup at 2 from 25 feet for birdie, then very nearly curls a 50-footer in at 3. Not quite, but the 2013 champion is certainly trying his level best to get something moving for the galleries. It’s been a slow start to the day. He’s -2. Nobody else is managing it. Though there’s a sensational up and down on by Patrick Reed, bunkered at 4 and up against a steep face. He lashes out hard and high, landing his ball in the centre of the green, then fires in a 30-footer, one of those that was clearly going nowhere but the hole from the very second it left the face of his putter. He remains at -1.
Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler are playing together today. The Masters champion and the Masters runner-up. Neither man quite got going this week, but what quality the pair possess. Good news for Reed, who birdied the opening hole to rise to -1. But Rickie comes a cropper at the 3rd, finding the hazard that gives the hole its name: Jockie’s Burn. A wedge hangs on the breeze and drops into the drink that snakes in front of the green. With the pin only six yards on, and the wind getting up, quite a few players will make that mistake today. It leads to a bogey; he’s back at +1.
Rickie, incidentally, has shaved off the beard he’s been sporting this week. Not totally, mind: he’s now rocking a very bold Zapata moustache. Not many can carry off such a brazen style statement, but Rickie’s handsome enough to get away with pretty much anything. He’ll sadly not be drinking wine from the Claret Jug tonight, but perhaps with his new revolutionary look, he can enjoy a cup of tea and a little something from the Peek Freans Trotsky Assortment.
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There are no early birdie blitzes to speak of, though a few of the early starters have picked up a shot or two here and there. Cameron Davis is three under for his round today through 14; Masahiro Kawamura two under after 9. Both are level par for the championship. Brooks Koepka has just birdied 14 to move to two under for his round and +1 overall; Luke List is two under through 16 and +2 for the tournament; Julian Suri has birdied 1 and 5 to move to -2. But otherwise, no hugely dramatic moves to report.
Morning, y’all, to this US-dominated Open. Players from the States fill up all the spots in the final two groups, and seven of the top dozen places on the 54-hole leaderboard. Most likely, it’s down to one of Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood to break the current American dominance of the majors: the big prizes are currently held by Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth. Problem for the Europeans is, they’re giving the current leaders, Americans all, three to four shots head start, and none of them look like slipping up. Spieth’s last two rounds are 67-65, while Xander Schauffele is coming off the back of 66-67. The unfancied Kevin Kisner and Kevin Chappell appear totally unwilling to buckle under the intense pressure, too. Somebody’s got to struggle today, of course, just as somebody will no doubt piece together a card to run through the field. But the winds are due to pick up as the day goes on - they’re already blowing at 15mph - so it’s going to take something special. At least it’s sunny, huh.
Preamble
If Jordan Spieth wins the Open today, he’ll join an elite club of golfers to have enjoyed successive victories in the oldest major championship. That group currently consists of Old Tom Morris, Young Tom Morris, Jamie Anderson, Bob Ferguson, JH Taylor, Harry Vardon, James Braid, Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington. The swashbuckling young Texan would belong in that sort of company all right. Spieth would also become only the second player to win back-to-back Opens under the age of 25, after Young Tom Morris in 1868! We could witness some golfing history today.
There are a fair few folk of a mind to stop him making that history, mind you. Bearing in mind Paul Lawrie won at Carnoustie from ten shots back in 1999, and the winds will be up today causing a little havoc, that list is quite long. But let’s consider a handful: Xander Schauffele, who beat Justin Thomas to the Tour Championship last year in his rookie season, and already has two top-ten finishes at the US Open to his name; Kevin Kisner, who has near misses at the Players and the PGA on his CV, and could be ready to take the step up; Kevin Chappell, who has top-ten finishes at the Masters and the US Open on his resume, and might be similarly poised to pounce; Francesco Molinari, the in-form BMW PGA champ; Webb Simpson, the rejuvenated Players and former US Open champ; the two-time major winner Zach Johnson; the European number one Tommy Fleetwood; Justin Rose, who shot a best-of-week 64 yesterday; Rory, providing he gets that putter going. There are many more.
Yes, many more ... including Tiger Woods. Now, the 2000, 2005 and 2006 Open champion hasn’t won a major for ten years. And all of his 14 majors were won leading from the front at the 54-hole stage. So in that sense it doesn’t look too promising for one of the game’s living legends. But the great man’s got his mojo back: that 66 yesterday was a thing of beauty, a callback to his imperial phase. His performance enthused Butch Harmon so much that his former coach exclaimed: “Tiger’s back, baby!” So there it is. Tiger’s back, baby! Whatever happens to him today, Tiger’s back. He’s already made a significant contribution to this very exciting, very entertaining, very open Open. The final 18 holes - plus fingernail-bothering four-hole play-off if required - promises to be something extremely special. Buckle in. Let’s go for a ride. It’s on!
Here’s how they’re standing after the third round ...
-9: Spieth, Schauffele, Kisner
-7: Chappell
-6: Molinari
-5: Woods, Simpson, Noren, Kuchar, McIlroy, Fleetwood, Z Johnson
-4: Rose, Cook, Scott, Hoffman, Lombard, Finau, van Rooyen
-3: Miyazato, Wood, An, Li, Stanley, Moore, Willett, Olesen
-2: Kodaira, Crocker, Oosthuizen, Norris, Herbert, Kim, Cantlay, Perez
-1: Langer, Mickelson, Pepperell, Fowler
E: Reed, Fisher, Dufner, Lewis, Leishman, Westwood, Suri, Pieters, Cink, Kang, Stone
... and here are the final day’s tee times. (GB and Ireland unless stated. All times BST.)
0800 Beau Hossler (USA)
0810 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spa)
0820 Si Woo Kim (Kor), Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
0830 Keegan Bradley (USA), Luke List (USA)
0840 Brendan Steele (USA), Cameron Smith (Aus)
0850 Paul Dunne, Tyrrell Hatton
0900 Brooks Koepka (USA), Cameron Davis (Aus)
0910 Kevin Na (USA), Brett Rumford (Aus)
0920 Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson (Swe)
0930 Ryan Fox (Nzl), Gavin Green (Mal)
0945 Gary Woodland (USA), Shubhankar Sharma (Ind)
0955 Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn), Sam Locke (a)
1005 Rhys Enoch, Matthew Southgate
1015 Jason Day (Aus), Marcus Kinhult (Swe)
1025 Yuta Ikeda (Jpn), Adam Hadwin (Can)
1035 Brandon Stone (Rsa), Sung Kang (Kor)
1045 Stewart Cink (USA), Thomas Pieters (Bel)
1055 Julian Suri (USA), Lee Westwood
1105 Marc Leishman (Aus), Tom Lewis
1115 Jason Dufner (USA), Ross Fisher
1130 Patrick Reed (USA), Rickie Fowler (USA)
1140 Eddie Pepperell, Phil Mickelson (USA)
1150 Bernhard Langer (Ger), Pat Perez (USA)
1200 Patrick Cantlay (USA), Michael Kim (USA)
1210 Lucas Herbert (Aus), Shaun Norris (Rsa)
1220 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Sean Crocker (USA)
1230 Satoshi Kodaira (Jpn), Thorbjorn Olesen (Den)
1240 Danny Willett, Ryan Moore (USA)
1250 Kyle Stanley (USA), Haotong Li (Chn)
1300 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Chris Wood
1315 Yusaku Miyazato (Jpn), Erik Van Rooyen (Rsa)
1325 Tony Finau (USA), Zander Lombard (Rsa)
1335 Charley Hoffman (USA), Adam Scott (Aus)
1345 Austin Cook (USA), Justin Rose
1355 Zach Johnson (USA), Tommy Fleetwood
1405 Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar (USA)
1415 Alex Noren (Swe), Webb Simpson (USA)
1425 Tiger Woods (USA), Francesco Molinari (Ita)
1435 Kevin Chappell (USA), Kevin Kisner (USA)
1445 Xander Schauffele (USA), Jordan Spieth (USA)
Help! O help! The fever! The fever! Somebody, please, raise the alarm, and put in an emergency call to Dr Golf!
