Too bad Tiger Woods couldn't nab one of these on the way to the clubhouse. Francesco Molinari giveth, and Francesco Molinari taketh away.
Ope. We have an unplanned detour at the top of an article that has more to do with two other major championships than the 2024 U.S. Open. It'll all make sense in the end I swear.
When Tiger had his long-awaited 15th major triumph at the 2019 Masters, it was Molinari who puked all over himself and splashed it in the water at the par-3 12th during the final round. However, that was a gift of sorts, since Molinari had won The 2018 Open Championship whilst being paired with Tiger on the last day. Tiger took the 63-hole lead to the final nine holes in that tournament, only to falter down the stretch and watch Molinari claim the Claret Jug.
A hole-in-one on Friday would've done Tiger a lot of good. Unfortunately, he was just a fraction off, finished at +7 for the championship, and missed the cut. The U.S. Open is maybe the most unforgiving tournament in all of golf. Tiger burned so many edges with his putter, and had a lot of quality shots at 99% of other venues veer off the greens. Given how little he's able to practice and actually play competitively these days, Tiger played his tail off.
Anyway, Molinari stepped onto the tee at the par-3 No. 9 — his 18th hole of Round 2 — at Pinehurst No. 2 with the exact same score as Tiger, +7.
...And the Italian Stallion proceeded to do this:
https://twitter.com/usopengolf/status/1801745770082599386
https://twitter.com/usopengolf/status/1801749616917991549
https://twitter.com/JustinRayGolf/status/1801745741268033700
Give it up for the guy. Not that Molinari could've realistically expected to make an ace, but to give himself a chance in that situation, knowing he needed a birdie atworst to make the cut, tells you a lot about his competitive mettle.
One of the best parts about this plot twist, if the cut does indeed hold at the projected number? The +5 finishers through 36 holes include world No. 1 and putter-throwing/self-effacing/PGA Tour Bad Boy Scottie Scheffler. Golf needs Scottie on the weekend. Is it possible he goes out in the morning wave on moving day, posts a mind-bogglingly low number, and somehow gets himself back in the hunt? It's not totally out of the question.
Been a tough go for Francesco of late. Once ranked fifth in the world, he's all the way down at No. 324. Getting to play the last two rounds at Pinehurst could prove to be a big lift. Molinari is the man — and he's no stranger to making aces in big-time events.
https://twitter.com/JustinRayGolf/status/1801746677394546916
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zdk8o4cup4
