‘Phil Mickelson played one of the best rounds I have ever seen played in The Open and Henrik Stenson just played better – he played one of the greatest rounds I have ever seen.
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Stenson, the champion golfer of the year, received the silver claret jug. He wound up with so much more Sunday. “Our final round was really good, but theirs was even better”. His 10th birdie of the round gave him an 8-under 63 to match Johnny Miller for the lowest closing round by a major champion.
“This will take a while to sink in”, said Stenson, at last a major victor at the age of 40, as he clutched the trophy.
His 20 under par total was the lowest Open Championship score in relation to par, eclipsing Tiger Woods’ 19-under-par record set at St Andrews in 2000.
And he about needed them all.
Throw in the personal anguish of losing millions of dollars in Allen Stanford’s financial scheme – Stanford is serving 110 years in prison for fraud – and is his recovery has been even more uplifting.
“I think everyone on Tour you’ll speak to will be delighted that Henrik’s finally won a major”. Mickelson made double bogey from the bunker on the 17th at Shinnecock Hills.
Well said from the best ever.
After the first hole, Stenson’s lead had been relinquished as he bogeyed and Mickelson found the bottom of the cup for a birdie.
The comparisons between the 1977 Open Championship and the 2016 Open Championship are nearly too easy.
Mickelson shot a bogey-free, 6-under 65, and still finished three shots behind.
Spaniard Sergio Garcia picked up his 22nd top-10 finish in major tournaments, and moves back into the world’s top 10 for the first time in over a year.
Mickelson added, “I don’t remember being in a match like that where we’ve separated ourselves from the field by so many strokes”. “I’m sorry that it came at my expense”.
J.B. Holmes won the B-Flight.
Both shot 65 in the third round and shared the lead.
Mickelson had scored a 63 himself in the opening round on Thursday last week. Stenson finished the third round at 12-under and Mickelson was chomping at his heels at 11-under.
The Swede won his first major in his 42nd attempt, becoming only the ninth player to capture his first major after turning 40. Beyond the score, the measure of his performance was that he putted for a birdie on every hole Sunday in a mild wind off the Irish Sea. They walked off the 18th green at Royal Troon with their arms around each other’s shoulders, and given the intensity of the battle, they might have been keeping each other from collapsing.
Jack Nicklaus has claimed Henrik Stenson’s thrilling Open battle with Phil Mickelson was better than his “Duel in the Sun”. One can find other mistakes, but with the exception of Royal Troon, even the victor doesn’t hit all the right shots.
So now the PGA is the only major left. It starts in 11 days at Baltusrol in New Jersey.
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That is due to the August Olympics in Rio.
