Rather than fold, the two rose to the occasion and played wonderful golf for 18 holes.
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In his mind, those were U.S. Open titles he frittered away.
ROYAL TROON, SCOTLAND-Sunday’s final round of The Open Championship at Royal Troon was on for the record books. 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.
I’ve always thought he is one of the best ball strikers in the game and that major championships are perfectly suited for him, and I knew that he would ultimately come through and win. What a great match’.
Stenson, the champion golfer of the year, received the silver claret jug.
Mickelson paid tribute to Stenson, whose triumph was his first in a major championship.
Forty “is the new 30”, he pointed out, and there was certainly something about the week for the older guard, with Mickelson, at 46, coming so close to being the oldest Open victor in almost 150 years.
“I feel very privileged to be the one to hold this trophy”, added Stenson.
Asked what he put that down to, Stenson replied: “I think the experience and the way links golf plays”.
“You know”, he reflected, “it’s not like I have decades left of opportunities to win majors, so each one means a lot to me”. This game has given me so much over the years – all the memories, seen the world, playing with some of the best players in the world, competing against them.
“I really thought that was going to go in”. Twice on each nine, Stenson canned three birdies in a four-hole stretch.
“Henrik showed tremendous resolve and self belief”.
“I felt he was out there with me. I’m disappointed that it was at my expense”. Mickelson made double bogey from the bunker on the 17th at Shinnecock Hills.
Stenson was competing in just his third major championship – and first in America – the last time Baltusrol staged the US PGA in 2005, when a certain Phil Mickelson birdied the 72nd hole to win.
“All power to Henrik and Phil. They deserve all the accolades they are going to get”.
Phil Mickelson said he had never played better without winning after finishing second in a British Open head-to-head with Henrik Stenson on Sunday that rivalled the epic “Duel in the Sun” between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in 1977.
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After the first hole, Stenson’s lead had been relinquished as he bogeyed and Mickelson found the bottom of the cup for a birdie. On Sunday, J. B. Holmes finished third, 11 strokes behind Mickelson at 6-under. Stenson three-putted for bogey from just off the first green, and he three-putted on No. 10 to fall back into a tie for the lead. Stenson was up by a shot after draining an 18-foot birdie on the 14th. “That stung”, Mickelson said.
