A year later, Brooks Koepka’s mood much brighter during Honda week

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Francesco Molinari played a steady hand amid another crazy ending at Carnoustie and won The Open Championship to become Italy’s first major champion. Tiger Woods took the lead on Sunday at a major for the first time in nine years and lost it with one bad swing. Jordan Spieth cost himself another chance in a major by failing to make a single birdie. Seven players had a share of the lead at some point. Six were still tied on the back nine. Through all that suspense, Molinari never flinched. He closed with a 2-under 69, playing the final 37 holes on the toughest links in golf without a bogey. The clincher was a bold drive on the 18th hole that flirted with edge of a pot bunker, a wedge to 5 feet and a birdie putt that made him a major champion. Molinari, who finished at 8-under 276, raised his fist and shook it lightly before slamming it for emphasis. The first to congratulate him was Woods. They were together three weeks ago when Molinari closed with a 62 to win the Quicken Loans National, with Woods presenting him the trophy. The 35-year-old then had to wait to see if anyone could catch him. Xander Schauffele, the last one to keep alive the American streak of five straight majors, was one shot behind until he sent a long iron well to the right of the 17th hole and failed to convert a 15-foot par putt to fall two shots behind. Schauffele had to hole out a wedge on the final hole and checked up well short of the hole. “It’s been a tough fight,” Molinari said modestly in congratulating the four guys who finished second. “But there can only be one winner. This time, it’s me.” Schauffele had to settle for second place with Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Kevin Kisner, all of whom had plenty of reason to hope on a warm, windy afternoon that put plenty of bite back into Carnoustie. All of them made mistakes, big and small. The biggest blunder belonged to Woods, his red shirt blazing against the yellow grass of dry Scottish summer. The roars for his two birdies could be heard from all corners of Carnoustie. He looked like the Woods of old, and it felt like old times when everyone he was chasing began to collapse. Kisner, in a three-way tie for the lead with Spieth and Schauffele, took double bogey on No. 2. Spieth hit into a gorse bush and made double bogey on the par-5 sixth. Schauffele made double bogey on the next hole, leaving one in the wispy grass, another over the green. Woods was at 7 under, in control of his game and hitting shots that only he can. From a pot bunker on No. 10, he took a bold and vicious swing to get it over the lip, over the burn and to the front edge of the green. And then it all went wrong. He pulled his shot from the rough on No. 11 into the gallery, fluffed a wedge short of the green, ran it by 8 feet and missed the putt for double bogey. Another poor swing followed and led to another bogey, and just like that, Woods was two shots behind and reeling. “A little ticked off at myself, for sure,” Woods said. “I had a chance starting that back nine to do something, and I didn’t do it.” Molinari twice saved par with 8-foot putts on the 12th and 13th, and he took the lead for the first time with a short birdie on the par-5 14th. With another tough save from off the green at the 16th, he didn’t miss a shot the rest of the way. It capped off the best stretch of golf in his career. Over the last two months, Molinari has won three times and runner-up twice, and his first major moves him to a career-best No. 6 in the world.

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It all comes down to Sunday with four players battling it out for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play title. Here’s how to follow the final day in Austin. Day 5 matches/tee times Day 5 scoring HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Wednesday-Friday, 2-8 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (GC), 2-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (GC), 3-7 p.m. (NBC). RADIO: Wednesday-Friday, 2-8 p.m. ET. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). NOTABLE MATCHES Matt Kuchar vs. Lucas Bjerregaard: 10:20 a.m. ET Francesco Molinari vs. Kevin Kisner: 10:05 a.m. ET MUST READS Match recaps from Day 4 Semifinals preview: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Get to know the Tiger Tamer Garcia slip-up proves very costly McIlroy feels the Tiger effect Why every match matters What the pros are playing with at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Texas ties: How Kite and Crenshaw met CALL OF THE DAY

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Here are nine tidbits from the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. PAIN OR GAIN These were the top five picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: No. 1 on this list has withdrawn and No. 5 has missed the cut so the Fowler (T1)-Noren (T37)-Rahm (T8) supporters will be hoping that they can make up ground in the game with big finishes on the weekend. I’m interested to see if Noren gets a hot start early tomorrow and puts pressure on the leaders. Playing for the first time at Torrey Pines last week didn’t seem to bother him! Mea Culpa I couldn’t believe how many of you left Matsuyama out of the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. I owe you all an apology for fading the two-time defending champ! Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good and gamers who either forgot or fell asleep tasted that feeling this week. As for the rest of you who lined him up, it’s time to sub him out and make up some ground on the weekend. More proof that NOTHING is guaranteed or a sure-thing in fantasy golf! According to reports his wrist is the issue but it was also noted that his shoulder was being worked on this morning as well. Stay tuned. In-and-Out Berger With two top 10s in his last three visits, Floridian Daniel Berger isn’t going “animal-style” just yet but he’s off to an excellent start (68-65). I wouldn’t expect him to slow down as he’s pounding it tee-to-green and has made the second-most birdies after two rounds. His bogey-free 65 (-6) moved him into the top five. Say Chez! Former Arizona State Sun Devil Chez Reavie posted 65 (-6) in one of the final groups of the day and enters the weekend T3. It’s his best round on the new design and the first time in four tries he’ll play the weekend. His best finish is T41 and he’s missed six weekends in nine events at TPC Scottsdale over the years. Sometimes down really is up! Stalling Out? Scott Stallings also threw up 65 this afternoon and moved up over 20 spots into the top 10. His round on Friday tied his lowest since July when he posted 65 at the Barbasol Championship. He finished T3 that week but hasn’t enjoyed a check bigger than T39 in his last 11 events. Please note he hit all 18 greens today after hitting just 10 yesterday. Forks Up There’s nothing better when watching a big tournament than having Phil Mickelson in the action. Well, maybe except having him live on your fantasy roster! He checked in No. 8 on the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO so there are plenty of faithful followers out there. He rewarded them by firing 65 and moving 38 spots into the top 10 after opening with 70 yesterday. The former Arizona State Sun Devil will no doubt be the crowd favorite on the weekend but is looking for his first win on TOUR since the 2013 Open Championship. He’s carded 65 on SATURDAY the last two years and followed both of those rounds with 71 on Sunday. … Desert Fox Canadian Adam Hadwin has finished in the top six the last three years in at the CareerBuilder Challenge. The last two years he’s cashed T17 and T12 at TPC Scottsdale with never breaking par in the first round. This year he opened with 70 and followed it up with 65, his best round from 10 tries. Like Mickelson, he jumped up into the top 10 and his primed for the weekend. Subs Necessary Jordan Spieth missed the cut for the first time since May at the AT&T Byron Nelson. It is time for gamers to narrow down their starts on him to courses he LOVES, not likes, especially in limited use games. … Webb Simpson and Ryan Palmer also carried heavy action this week and rightfully so, but both are heading home early. … Brandon Harkins MC and breaks up a streak of eight in a row. … Just as I was laying the groundwork for the Harris English revival, he heads home early. … The streak is now three for Tony Finau in the MC department at this event. Sometimes you have to trust the numbers! Study Hall Alex Cejka withdrew with an illness prior to Round 2. … Lee Westwood made 11 birdies while posting 62 at the Maybank Malaysian Open. He’s not leading though. … Robert Garrigus almost pulled an “Andrew Magee” in Round 2 on the drivable par-4 No. 17 hole. His tee shot dinged the flag and stopped an inch from an albatross. Andrew Magee, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, is the only player in the history of the TOUR to make a 1 on a par-4 hole. #TheMoreYouKnow.

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