Amid two such spectacular rounds, Mickelson’s wayward tee shot at the seventh was out of place, but he saved par to keep pace. It came, finally, at the British Open on Sunday, where he shot an 8-under 63 in the final round to finish at 20 under par, to claim the Claret Jug.
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The pair will go out together again at 2.35pm, although this time with roles reversed as Mickelson will be the one looking to overturn a one-shot deficit.
Stenson was locked in a titanic tussle with playing partner Phil Mickelson for much of Sunday, but found four birdies in the last five holes to prevail by three shots with a record-breaking score of 20 under.
Stenson versus Mickelson in round four of the 2016 British Open will go down as one of the greatest battles in golf history – every bit as breathtaking as the storied “Duel in the Sun” between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry in 1977.
There was yet more drama when Mickelson had an angry exchange with a photographer after finding sand with his approach at the final hole. “I don’t have a point where I can look back and say, “I should have done that” or ‘Had I only done this.’ I played a bogey-free round of 65 on the final round of a major”. I had to get the head re-glued. “It was a challenging day”. Likewise, that gives Stenson the Open record for score relative to par, besting Tiger Woods’s 2000 tournament at St. Andrews (19 under).
Other than that, he was just okay. That took him to five over and, like compatriot Spieth, one shot worse off than his starting score.
“I want to thank my wife, my family, my team, all the hard work has helped to make this possible and my caddie Gareth Lord”. I know he never backs down and he’s one of the best players to play the game.
Four Swedish golfers have won female major titles, led by Annika Sorenstam with 10 championships.
Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson are set to battle it out with one another for victory on the final day of the British Open at Royal Troon on Sunday. “It seemed like it was going to be a two-horse race, and it was all the way to the end”. “Most important thing is to find a way to get the ball in the hole, and that’s what I did and that’s all that I really care about”.
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.
The big moment was a 50-foot bomb from the fringe off the 15th green, with his opponent half the distance away.
He duly capitalised by getting another par and then rolled in a 25-footer on the 13th to stretch his lead to two.
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, left, is congratulated by runner-up Phil Mickelson on the 18th green after Stenson shot a 63 to win his first major championship.
It is the 40-year-old Stenson’s first major title, but the way in which he wrapped up glory made him look as if he were a veteran of several successful major championship Sundays.
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson celebrates winning the Open Championship 2016 at Royal Troon Golf Club, South Ayrshire.
He’d been asked so many times over the years, as was Jesper Parnevik before him, when a Swede would ever win a major.
At 46, he’s put himself in prime position to become one of the oldest-ever major winners.
“I feel very privileged to be the one to hold this trophy”. Jesper in particular twice.
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“First of all, I really enjoy the challenge that this weather and these elements provide”, Mickelson said.
