Rory McIlroy has spoken up, and at The Open, his game is doing the talking, too

Bravo! Bravissimo! Just weeks ago, Italian Francesco Molinari broke a 70-year drought by winning on the PGA TOUR at the Quicken Loans National and now he has upstaged himself with his Claret Jug claiming efforts. Welcome to the Monday Finish where Molinari became the first Italian to win a major championship, continuing a serious purple patch of form with his efforts at Carnoustie. A healthy congratulations also to Troy Merritt, who needed an actual Monday finish to win the Barbasol Championship. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. The search for the perfect golf swing has been going on since before Thomas Kincaid tried to master it, and write it down, in 1687. Through the times of Old and Young Tom Morris. Past the likes of Harry Vardon, Walter Hagan, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan. Into the era of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. And, of course, it continued through Tiger Woods and the plethora of young talent we see before us now. The reality is – there is no perfect swing. But if you find one that works – and you can replicate it often – you just might make something of yourself at this game. Francesco Molinari’s ball-striking of late has been downright incredible. Many of us would wish for that sort of consistency in our game for just one round. The way in which his swing held up on Sunday as Carnoustie showed some of its infamous teeth was incredible. The only player in the field to go bogey-free on Sunday (he also was blemish-free on Saturday!), his 2-under 69 deserved the reward. The first Italian to win a major. Incredible stuff. It came not long after he destroyed the field at the Quicken Loans National. That week Molinari had a birdie putt from inside 20 feet on 40 of his 72 holes. (55.6 percent). Insanity. While distance has clearly changed the game and been advantageous to big athletes, it is great to see measured accuracy can still flourish. Now Molinari missed plenty of fairways at Carnoustie … but it was generally by mere fractions and not into dangerous bunkers or deep rough. His last six starts worldwide now include three wins and two seconds. If he keeps replicating that swing of his there is no telling when this run might end. 2. While his mechanics are one thing, you also have to pay special tribute to Molinari’s mental toughness. Sunday produced one of the all-time great final rounds in terms of entertainment. Tougher winds and pin placements meant the difficulty of Carnoustie came out. And with a history of players coming from behind at the venue fresh in everyone’s minds there were multiple challengers. There were stumbles from the guys out front, including the defending champion Jordan Spieth. There were charges – from the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, no less. At one point a six-man playoff for the Claret Jug looked extremely plausible. But amongst all this hysteria and roars, Molinari stayed calm. Playing with Woods he could have easily been pulled into the madness. For a good stretch it appeared Woods was about to produce history. Woods pulled ahead of the Italian early in the round. Others might have tried to chase him. Molinari stayed steady. And Woods, like the others, dropped a few shots. The game plan never wavered. The pressure mounted but – at least on the outside – Molinari showed no signs of feeling it. That’s a special type of human. 3. If you haven’t been converted to the side that says Woods can win again – you’re too tough. Two early birdies on Sunday and the golf world was heading for meltdown. Woods joined the lead, then held it alone. Most likely vintage Woods – the guy who notched up 79 PGA TOUR wins – puts the hammer down from there. But this version still has some kinks. Woods used to be able to recover from his bad shots. But a double bogey on the 11th hole was a killer blow and when followed by a bogey the dream became a long shot. But hey, perspective still needs to be maintained. A year ago you would have received better odds on Woods never playing an Open again as opposed to leading on Sunday in one. His return from back surgery continues to take strides upward. And his T6 finish was enough to have him sneak into the field at the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. He has won there eight times. Maybe this was all part of the script … a farewell to Akron with a famous victory anyone? 4. As always, there can only be one winner and the list of those who got very close was long in Scotland. Along with Woods having his chance, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Kevin Kisner and Xander Schauffele tied second. Kevin Chappell could’ve stolen it. Jordan Spieth let it slip. We tend to overanalyze the guys who don’t win. Point out what they could’ve done. But all of the contenders added to the incredible story this week. Rose had to birdie the last on Friday to make the cut so his weekend was superb. McIlroy had early stumbles Sunday so we shifted focus elsewhere … then, as true champions do, he eagled the 14th and announced his intentions. Kisner had bunker troubles early but he never gave up, showing fighting spirit. It was similar for Schauffele, who could have given up when he dropped four shots in three holes. Instead, last season’s TOUR Championship winner fought back and showed the future is bright. Spieth’s Sunday 76 was the most deflating. But his form hasn’t been great this season so it wasn’t too shocking. Instead, let’s hope the former FedExCup champ takes the positives out of the week and surges forward. 5. While the fight for the Jug was going on in Scotland in near perfect weather, the Barbasol Championship faced multiple weather delays that stretched into Monday. The opposite field events are always critical for so many players looking to keep their FedExCup hopes alive and Troy Merritt was no exception. Since claiming a breakout win at the 2015 Quicken Loans National, Merritt had been unable to truly kick on like he would have preferred. He was 56th in the FedExCup that year but then barely snuck into the Playoffs the season after. Last year he slumped to 151st and had to fight his way back via the Web.com Finals. Entering this week he sat 131st just looking to surge his way into the top 125. Now he’s projected to 65th and has a two-year exemption. His poise under the gun down the stretch was impressive as multiple players tried to run him down. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. In the space of 21 days, Molinari moved from 123rd to 7th in the FedExCup. 2. Molinari averaged 307.37 yards off the tee and hit just 26 of 60 fairways. But he was able to hit 48 of 72 greens. He needed just 111 putts for his four rounds and three-putted just once. 3. It was Molinari’s third win in last six starts worldwide. (Won – The Open Championship; T2 – John Deere Classic; Won – Quicken Loans National; T25 – U.S. Open; 2nd – Italian Open; Won – BMW PGA Championship) 4. The last three Open Championship winners at Carnoustie have trailed going into the final round (Francesco Molinari – three back in 2018; Padraig Harrington – six back in 2007; Paul Lawrie – 10 back in 1999). 5. Rory McIlroy now owns top-five results, including victory in 2014, in his last four appearances at The Open. (T2 2018, T4 2017, T5 2016, Won 2014). Also posted a T3 in 2010, giving him top fives in half of his 10 starts.

Click here to read the full article…

Here are nine tidbits from the final round of the Travelers Championship that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. TPC River Highlands hosted since 1991 and measures 6,841 yards (Par-70). Wonderful Watson Bubba Watson overcame a six-shot deficit as he posted 17-under-par 263 to win the Travelers Championship for the third time in nine years. This was his second come-from-behind victory at the event when trailing by six shots. The left-hander’s final round of 63 put the pressure on the leaders and in the end his margin of victory was a comfortable three shots. He becomes the first player to win three times on TOUR this season and the first player to win this event three times since Billy Casper in 1968. The regret is palpable from gamers who passed on Watson this week based on his current form (raises hand). With nothing to lose on a course he already painted for 63 earlier in the week he let it fly heading out in 33. His inward 30 saw him match his low round of the week (63) and it dropped the hammer on the guys still on the course. The exclamation point was his wedge to less than three feet on the final hole for his eighth and final birdie of the day and the clubhouse lead on 17 under. There wasn’t any surprise to the formula he used as he didn’t hit many fairways (T70) but still found plenty of GIR (T7). He measured T22 or better in every strokes-gained category but the key was he was fifth-best in putts per GIR. After opening level par he played the final 54 holes in 17 under with only four bogeys (no others). The mystery of Watson shouldn’t exist anymore for gamers. When he’s in the mood, and boy has he been this season, there are a handful of tracks where he is no-brainer, green-light special. He’s won on two of them (Riviera and TPC River Highlands) this year and added a “new” title with World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Gamers aren’t out of luck yet as he’s gone close at Glen Abbey (if he plays) and Firestone South so there may be time to right the ship and get one more. Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 selected golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game presented by SERVPRO: It’s been tough sledding for gamers who leaned on Berger at the last two TPC stops where he’s had immense successes. I guess the “up” side is that he did outscore Casey in the final round but that’s hardly a consolation. Pain or Gain These were the top-10 selected golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: It was a brutal Sunday two ways for Casey’s investors. He had the largest 54-hole lead at TPC River Highlands in history and his share of second was chopped four ways. If fantasy golf was played in a vacuum it would have been, on paper, a great week. Instead it was probably a disappointment. N-Cink Stewart Cink matched the round of the week with 62 and picked up his first podium since 2009. The course historians were rewarded again as the two-time champ felt right at home Sunday circling a magnificent 10 birdies against two bogeys. To say the disappointment of his 72 in the final round in Memphis (T4) was squashed is probably underplaying it. He’s as hot as the Georgia summer and is 22 under in his last eight rounds. Next in Line I’ve been asked multiple times who I believed to be this year’s Xander Schauffele and the retort I’ve given is Beau Hossler. Although he hasn’t won yet he’s been a consistent force. This week he picked up his 10th-consecutive paycheck and his second runner-up finish of the season. At No. 36 in the FEC standings a trip to Atlanta isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. No Memphis Blues Similarly to Cink, J.B. Holmes was looking to build on his excellent week in Memphis but a missed six-footer for par on the last saw him share second instead of claiming it himself. He won’t be upset with back-to-back podium finishes on TOUR but I bet the putting green will get a work out starting next week. His last 13 rounds on TOUR are in the red and so are 15 of the last 16. He demands a detailed look next week at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms. Life of Brian The “other” left-hander on the weekend that was trying to make noise was 36-hole leader Brian Harman. He posted rounds of 69-68 but dropped all the way to T6 when the dust settled. After two years of deflated scoring, TPC River Highlands was back to its original giving self this year but Harman couldn’t get it over the finish line. He quietly goes about his business and his top-10 payday is his eighth of the season, tying Dustin Johnson for the most on TOUR. Sunday Silence There were only three scores on Sunday worse than Paul Casey’s 72 with only five players accumulating 73 or worse. His worst finish when making seven of his last eight cuts is T17 so I’m not going anywhere. … Russell Henley (T6) was in charge of putting the pressure on his playing partner in the final pairing but his 69 was also left in the dust by the peloton. He squared only two bogeys and nothing worse for the week so it’s obvious he likes it here. He’s 22 under in two trips with a 67.25 scoring average. … Anirban Lahiri is still trying to become the first Indian to win on TOUR and that can’t be easy with a couple of billion people weighing on his shoulders. His 69 dropped him from T6 to T9 but he cashes his first top 10 since November and is comfortably inside the top 100 in the FEC standings at No. 89. Study Hall Round 1 scored 69.776 (-0.224) while Round 2 crept just higher at 69.994 (-0.006). Saturday’s excellent scoring conditions were realized as the field averaged 69.108 (-0.892) but the field went even lower on Sunday. Even with the course tipped out past the scorecard total of 6,841 at 6,868 the final round produced the lowest aggregate of the week at 68.865 (-1.135). … Interestingly there were only two bogey-free rounds as Sam Ryder (64) and Adam Hadwin (66) will take their momentum forward. Neither cashed in the top 25. … Matthew Fitzpatrick accepted STM this week and will have unlimited exemptions for the rest of the TOUR season. He’s currently ranked No. 39 in the world. Remember, he’s only eligible for the FEC Playoffs if he wins a TOUR event before they begin. … Brooks Koepka was looking to join Ernie Els (1997) as the last player to win the U.S. Open and win the following week. Koepka, who is clearly not human, signed for 65 in the final round to move up 19 spots to T19. … Phil Mickelson is the last player to defend at TPC River Highlands as Jordan Spieth’s 63 on Thursday never kept any momentum. He cashed T42 in his defense.

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…