The 147th Open Championship was by far the best major of the year in every way, shape and form. It will be a near-impossible act to follow for the PGA next month. This one had everything you could ask for — including a certain 14-time major champion atop the leaderboard with nine holes to play. Here’s a quick look back at the mad-scramble for the Claret Jug at Carnoustie:
Tiger Woods: Yes, it was a monumental day for Francesco Molinari, but let’s address the 1,800-pound elephant at Carnoustie. There were whispers all week from the lads at the Golf Channel that Woods was their favorite to win at Carnoustie — yeah, we’re talking about you Brandel Chamblee and Trevor Immelman. Things got totally crazy over the final 18 when Jordan Spieth was literally bitten by a gorse bush and every-other overnight leader was struggling mightily. And that opened the door for the man in black and red. After two birdies over his first five holes, Tiger Woods looked at the leaderboard after nine holes and guess what? TIGER WAS LEADING THE CHAMPIONSHIP! Would he finally come from behind to win a major championship? Crowds were going nuts, announcers were swooning, was this THE DAY?
Woods missed a birdie opportunity at the birdie-friendly 10th then it all came crashing down on him at the par four 11th. He missed the fairway with yet another iron off the tee then really nose-dived with his second that was heading to parts unknown when it bounced off a spectator. This gentler-kinder version of Woods presented his glove to the human backstop then promptly tried a high-risk third and it turned out to be too high risk. Another chip and two putts later he walked off with double-bogey then added to the misery with a bogey at the 11th. At that moment, all the wind was out of his sails. Which begs the question: With his last major 10 years in the rear-view mirror, was Woods out of his comfort zone? Did he totally feel the pressure? The simply answer would have to be — probably. But we’ll go back in time real quick when Woods blew the 54-hole lead at the 2009 PGA and let Y.E. Yang win a major. Up until that day, he was 14-for-14 in closing the deal in major championships. He’s never been the same. He’ll look back at the 11th and 12th holes and know that he let a great shot at number 15 slip away.
Francesco Molinari: He should get extra credit for this one. He drew the task of going head-to-head with Woods. In years past, guys melted away due to the Woods intimidation factor. That is long gone. Molinari was unaffected by Tiger’s early charge. Way back when, Tiger would have sucked all the hope from the field. That’s not happening anymore. The talent level over the past 10 years has increased enormously compared to when Woods was beating the crap out of everyone.
Molinari played one of the finest final rounds in the history of major championship golf. Thirteen straight pars, a birdie at 14, three straight clutch pars at the 15th, brutal 16th and unbearable 17th then a nifty birdie to crush everyone, including Woods, who was shaken enough to miss from six feet at the 72nd hole. Fact is there are so many players capable of winning a major now that Woods will have a tough time getting to No. 15. His intimidation factor died a long time ago and that red-and-black Sunday outfit isn’t scaring anyone anymore.
Jordan Spieth: Good news is that Spieth is 24 years old. Bad news is that Spieth is 24 years old and the scar tissue from Sunday mistakes in majors is growing. Spieth tried to convince everyone he’s playing well and yes, he is up to a certain point. That big miss right under pressure, the one he survived at Birkdale, he did not survive at Carnoustie. The right miss also showed up in his putting stroke as well. Will he win more majors? Probably. But not as many as he should.
Rory McIlroy: If this kid had a solid wedge game and a reliable putting stroke he might have won by four shots. Rory’s 55-footer for eagle at 14 gave him a brief moment of hope but all he has to do is go back and look at how many short wedge shots he had in over the 72 holes, then look at how many times he missed from inside eight feet and he’ll know the reality of his golf game.
Xander Schauffele: This kid is proving he’s got game. But he is slow, he’s probably responsible for him and Spieth getting put on the clock by the R&A officials. But Spieth can get slow as well with all his jittery, nervous stuff. Give the R&A credit — slow play is not tolerated. None of that five-hour, 30-minute bullshit that the USGA produces at the U.S. Opens.
Justin Rose: He’ll look back and know that his slow start (made the cut on the number) cost him this major. He shot nine-under over the weekend.
Carnoustie: And finally, the championship course. Carnoustie took on four different shapes over the 72 holes. There were two good scoring days when birdies fell from the sky then there was one semi-tough day then finally on Sunday, the old girl slapped those boys silly. Without the slower greens, it might have been a blood-bath. Great course, was everything it was supposed to be and more. No setup controversies, just a true championship test.
It was the best of golf in Scotland.
For sure.
