Power Rankings: Rocket Mortgage Classic

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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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Hideki Matsuyama wanted his own slice of history. While the golfing world was riding Tiger Woods home towards a record tying 82nd win on the PGA TOUR at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Matsuyama was trying to play spoiler in his home country. The local star was the only player with a legitimate chance to take down Woods in the TOUR’s first official event in Japan when they returned to complete the final round on Monday. RELATED: Final leaderboard | WATCH: Matsuyama’s journey to the PGA TOUR Playing in the group ahead he started three back of Woods with just six holes to play, making it a tough ask. He mustered one birdie but the five-time PGA TOUR winner certainly had plenty more chances. Not converting them meant he would have to settle being second fiddle. “Six holes to play this morning, I was only able to have just one birdie… no chance with that,â€� Matsuyama would lament afterwards. “I needed at least three or four. But it was good week. If I can keep the golf like this, I will be back in good condition.â€� Woods had his lead cut to two quickly after the restart when he started with a bogey. A pivotal moment came shortly after on the par-5 14th. Matsuyama had given himself a three-foot look at birdie to bring the gap to just one shot but pushed his putt ever so slightly and it lipped out. Not long after when Woods was on the same green, he drained a much longer birdie try to once again set up a three-shot lead. Matsuyama bounced back with a birdie on the 16th hole to get within two again, a gap that was still there as they came to the final hole when his birdie effort on the 17th slid by the edge. “I wish I made that. The 17th birdie putt was hard to read, but I stroked it good with confidence. Just missed it by like one ball,â€� he said. The 27-year-old knew he probably needed an eagle on the par-5 to be a real threat but leaked his drive into a fairway bunker. He didn’t give up though and attempted a huge cut shot with a 3-wood from the sand. Despite making good contact the ball didn’t quite bend enough to the right and ended up in a greenside bunker. “It is rare that you have to hit 3-woods in that situation,â€� he said. Facing the likelihood of needing to hole out to provide some pressure Matsuyama caught too much ball and sent the ball flying over the pin, eventually settling for par and ultimately a runner up finish. “I could not help that because I was aiming at a tight spot,â€� he explained of his wild eagle try from the sand. “So I have to go over that kind of technique… I found something that I have to work on I guess.â€� Woods paid tribute to the fight put up by his nearest rival. “Hideki made it tight. It was a lot closer than what people probably thought,â€� Woods said after his win. “I saw Hideki stuff one in there (on 14) and if he makes … I delayed my second shot to make sure that I knew what he did. He ended up missing the putt, so then my layup became a little easier and I ended up making birdie after a nice little teach from Keegan’s putt. “At 15, I thought this was going to be the tournament. If I’m able to make this putt, I figure the tournament’s over. I didn’t. Hideki birdies 16 and next thing you know it’s a ballgame coming up the last.â€� Matsuyama, who was third at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES a week prior, moved to ninth in the FedExCup standings.

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