And he did so in historic fashion.
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Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson have teed off on the final day of the Open at Royal Troon with the duo battling at the top of the leaderboard.
Stenson becomes the first Scandinavian man ever to win a major and the first player from continental Europe to lift the Claret Jug since the late, great Seve Ballesteros of Spain in 1988.
The resulting birdie took Mickelson to the top of the leaderboard and he nearly chipped in for another on the second, but it was Stenson who found the bottom of the cup from 15 feet to draw level.
“I knew he wasn’t going to back down at any point”, said Stenson, whose 20-under 264 beat the scoring mark of 265 that David Toms set at the 2001 PGA Championship and was three shots better than anyone had ever shot in the Open.
Mickelson is looking to win his sixth Major to go with his three Masters, the US PGA Championship in 2005 and that Open at Muirfield.
The closest competitor was a huge 11 strokes back, as JB Holmes came in third place at 6-under.
On the short Postage Stamp eighth, Mickelson put his tee shot to six feet but missed the birdie putt as Stenson made his from longer range. Sunday, Stenson made birdies on 14, 15, 16 and 18 and had two bogeys in the round.
Mickelson, 46, was attempting to become the fourth-oldest major victor, and he gave it a good shot.He chased a 3-wood onto the green at the par-5 16th, and his eagle putt from 30 feet missed by less than an inch. No one blinked. Stenson frankly knocked Mickelson out with three birdies in a row from the 14th.
The pair were tied for the lead again when Stenson three-putted the 11th, but f or the third time this week Stenson birdied the par-three 14th and then struck the crucial blow on the next, holing from 50 feet from across the green to move two clear.
Stenson’s final score of twenty under was the best ever in Open history – three shots better than Mickelson who would have won the title nearly any other year.
Mickelson kept the pressure on until the end. Mickelson’s opening round score of 63 was the lowest in British Open history and tied with the lowest in major champions history.
“I’m very excited with the work that I’ve put in with (swing coach) Andrew Getson”, Mickelson said. Usually, that’s good enough to do it, and I got beat.
His biggest challenge was 46-year-old Mickelson, who has won five majors.
The 46-year-old, a five-time major victor, said: “I’ve always thought that he is one of the best ball-strikers in the game and that major championships are perfectly suited for him”. – He would win his first major championship in his 42nd Major appearance.
Stenson played such a flawless round that he putted for birdie on every hole, three-putting from 80 feet just off the first green and three-putting from 40 feet on No. 11.
“I felt and I believed like it was my time to do this”, Stenson said after the win.
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He added the gloss in front of the packed grandstands with a 10th birdie to cap one of the most remarkable days of major championship golf. – At 46 years, 31 days, he would become the second oldest victor of The Open Championship. “We played some great golf and I’m delighted to come out on top”. Stenson made a matching birdie, pulling off a nifty up-and-down from the thick grass left of the green. – He would become the 25th different European Tour member to win a major since 1979.
