# 2018 Open Championship
The 2018 Open Championship was the 147th playing of [The Open Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-open-championship), the oldest of golf's four major championships, held from 19 to 22 July 2018 at [Carnoustie Golf Links](https://www.edgepedia.org/carnoustie-golf-links) in Angus, Scotland. Francesco Molinari of Italy won the Claret Jug with a total of 276 strokes, eight under par, becoming the first Italian to win a major championship.[1](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/british-open-2018-how-much-prize-money-every-player-earned-at-the-2018-open-championship)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Winner | Francesco Molinari, 70-72-65-69 for 276 (−8), a two-shot margin[2](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2018/pgatour/theopenchampionship/roundInfo/Summary_--_Round_4.pdf) • [3](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/open-championship/open-history-and-records/european-winners-open-championship-160951) |
| Significance | First Italian winner of a major championship[1](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/british-open-2018-how-much-prize-money-every-player-earned-at-the-2018-open-championship) |
| Prize money | $10.5 million purse; $1.89 million to the winner[4](https://www.golfchannel.com/news/article-golf-central-blog-105m-prize-purse-open-189m-winner) |
| Attendance | A record 172,000 spectators over the week[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgD_XtQpGR0) |
| Playoff format | Four-hole aggregate playoff over holes 15–18, unused as Molinari won in regulation[6](https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/2018-british-open-playoff-format-rules-for-the-championship-at-carnousite/) |
## Final round
Molinari started the final round three shots behind a trio of American co-leaders, [Jordan Spieth](https://www.edgepedia.org/jordan-spieth), Kevin Kisner, and [Xander Schauffele](https://www.edgepedia.org/xander-schauffele), and was paired with [Tiger Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiger-woods).[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgD_XtQpGR0) • [7](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2018/07/22/francesco-molinari-calm-wins-the-open-championship) He played a bogey-free closing 69, making 16 pars and two birdies, for a weekend without a dropped shot on the gusty Angus links.[7](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2018/07/22/francesco-molinari-calm-wins-the-open-championship) • [5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgD_XtQpGR0)
**Woods in contention.** Woods, at 42 and chasing a 15th major title, shot 66 on Saturday and made two birdies on the front nine on Sunday to share the lead, taking the lead on the final day of a major for the first time in nine years. He lost it with one bad swing and finished out of the title.[8](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2018/07/22/francesco-molinari-survives-wild-day-to-win-the-open-championship) • [9](https://time.com/5345419/how-tiger-woods-keeps-knocking-on-the-door/)
**Spieth's collapse.** Spieth, the defending champion who had won at Royal Birkdale in 2017, failed to make a single birdie in the final round and shot 76, his worst-ever final round, the highest score of any player in the last eight Sunday groups, dropping him to tied ninth.[8](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2018/07/22/francesco-molinari-survives-wild-day-to-win-the-open-championship) • [10](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2018/07/spieths-worst-ever-final-round-notable-notes-from-round-4-at-carnoustie) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jul/22/the-open-2018-report-francesco-molinari)
Molinari finished two shots clear of [Justin Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-rose) and [Rory McIlroy](https://www.edgepedia.org/rory-mcilroy).[3](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/open-championship/open-history-and-records/european-winners-open-championship-160951) Before his win, the previous five major champions had all been Americans; Molinari was the first non-American to win a major since Sergio García of Spain at the 2017 Masters.[10](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2018/07/spieths-worst-ever-final-round-notable-notes-from-round-4-at-carnoustie) • [2](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2018/pgatour/theopenchampionship/roundInfo/Summary_--_Round_4.pdf)
## Prize money
The R&A set the purse at $10.5 million, with $1.89 million to the Champion Golfer of the Year, matching the figures offered at the 2018 [PGA Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/pga-championship) and a slight increase on the 2017 Open, where Jordan Spieth earned $1.845 million from a $10.25 million purse at Royal Birkdale.[4](https://www.golfchannel.com/news/article-golf-central-blog-105m-prize-purse-open-189m-winner)
## Venue and attendance
A record 172,000 spectators attended during the week.[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgD_XtQpGR0) A study commissioned by The R&A, VisitScotland, and Angus Council concluded that the Angus area alone received a £21 million injection of new money from the championship, and more than 20,000 spectators under the age of 25 attended.[12](https://www.gov.scot/news/economic-benefits-of-hosting-the-open-revealed/)
## Molinari's season
The Open was the ninth tournament win of Molinari's career, a record that already included the BMW PGA Championship and the WGC-HSBC Champions event, and it capped what contemporaries described as a stellar 2018 season in which he had won three of his previous six starts on the [PGA Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/pga-tour).[13](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/eventMediaGuide/Media_Guide.pdf) • [9](https://time.com/5345419/how-tiger-woods-keeps-knocking-on-the-door/) The R&A's media guide placed his steady, error-free performance closer to the winning models of [Gary Player](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-player) in 1968 and [Ben Hogan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-hogan) in 1953 at Carnoustie than to the collapses that have marked other recent Opens there.[13](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/eventMediaGuide/Media_Guide.pdf)
## References
1. [British Open 2018: How much prize money every player earned, Golf Digest](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/british-open-2018-how-much-prize-money-every-player-earned-at-the-2018-open-championship)
2. [Final-Round Notes, The Open Championship, PGA Tour media (22 July 2018)](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2018/pgatour/theopenchampionship/roundInfo/Summary_--_Round_4.pdf)
3. [European Winners Of The Open Championship, Golf Monthly](https://www.golfmonthly.com/tour/open-championship/open-history-and-records/european-winners-open-championship-160951)
4. [$10.5M prize purse at The Open, $1.89M to winner, Golf Channel](https://www.golfchannel.com/news/article-golf-central-blog-105m-prize-purse-open-189m-winner)
5. [Molinari v Tiger – Final Round in full, The R&A (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgD_XtQpGR0)
6. [2018 British Open: Playoff format and rules, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/2018-british-open-playoff-format-rules-for-the-championship-at-carnousite/)
7. [Francesco Molinari, the calmest guy in the room, wins The Open, PGA Tour](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2018/07/22/francesco-molinari-calm-wins-the-open-championship)
8. [Molinari survives wild day to win The Open Championship, PGA Tour](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2018/07/22/francesco-molinari-survives-wild-day-to-win-the-open-championship)
9. [How Tiger Woods Keeps Knocking on the Door, TIME](https://time.com/5345419/how-tiger-woods-keeps-knocking-on-the-door/)
10. [Spieth's worst-ever final round: Notable notes from Round 4 at Carnoustie, TheOpen.com](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2018/07/spieths-worst-ever-final-round-notable-notes-from-round-4-at-carnoustie)
11. [Francesco Molinari works magic to win the Open on thrilling final day, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jul/22/the-open-2018-report-francesco-molinari)
12. [Economic benefits of hosting The Open revealed, gov.scot](https://www.gov.scot/news/economic-benefits-of-hosting-the-open-revealed/)
13. [Molinari is first Italian Major winner, PGA Tour Media Guide](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/eventMediaGuide/Media_Guide.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Golf › Golf tournaments, majors, and tours › Major championships and team golf › Open Championship (golf)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license