The 147th Open Championship and the eighth to be held at Carnoustie, Scotland, produced a thrilling four days of top class action and a first-time Major winner in Francesco Molinari.

Molinari was not rated among the favourites to win the tournament, and after opening rounds of 70 and 72, he seemed destined to finish in the chasing pack behind US stars Kevin Kisner and Zach Johnson, who set the early pace. In blistering hot dry conditions that enabled some of the bigger hitters to exceed 400 yards with their drives, Kisner opened up with rounds of 66 and 70 while Johnson hit a 67 and 69, leaving them tied for the lead at 6 under going into the weekend.

Rory McIlroy, rated as the fourth favourite to win the tournament according to the implied probabilities on the bigbetbookmakers.com site, was also in touch at that stage after two solid rounds of 69 as he aimed for his fifth Major title and his second Open Championship.

But in the third round, McIlroy’s charge stalled and a score of 70 saw him lose ground on the leaders. Johnson also struggled, making bogeys at the eleventh and twelfth holes that left him four shots behind. Kisner held on to the lead after a round of 68, but ominously for the rest of the field, the reigning champion and pre-tournament favourite Jordan Spieth had started to make his move, with a spectacular six under par 65, including a dramatic birdie at the tenth after finding the rough off the tee.

At the same time as Spieth was hitting form, Molinari had started to discover his touch. He matched the reigning champion with a 65 of his own, which included six birdies and no bogeys, but he still had plenty of ground to make up on the final day, trailing joint leaders Kisner, Spieth and Xander Schauffele by three shots. The third day was also notable for an impressive surge by Tiger Woods, who briefly tied for the lead, eventually finishing four shots back with a 66.

Woods wasn’t able to sustain that form on the final day, though he still recorded his best finish in a Major since 2013, while both Spieth and Kisner received reminders that links golf can be cruel. Spieth had a nightmare final round of 76 that dropped him right out of contention, while Kisner dropped four shots on the front nine, effectively ending his chances. Justin Rose fared better, following up a third round 64 with a solid 69, but Molinari was the undoubted hero of day four.

The Italian, who has been a stalwart of the European Tour for years, made a steady start with a string of pars, holding his nerve and his game together as others struggled. A birdie at the fourteenth took him to seven under, and he completed his victory in style, hitting his approach to the eighteenth close to the hole and finishing eight under for the tournament.

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