This wasn’t another Winged Foot, where his silly decision to attack on the 72nd hole cost him the U.S. Open in 2006.
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Mickelson was not about to throw in the towel and hit a superb approach to the par-five 16th, but after his eagle putt agonisingly slipped across the front of the hole, Stenson holed from four feet for birdie – having missed the green with his second – to remain two ahead with two to play.
Stenson’s final round 63 also tied a record for the lowest score for a round in major history.
Stenson shot an 8-under 63 on Sunday to finish the tournament at 20-under and claim his first major championship. I knew it, and with a foot to go I thought I had done it. He also tied Jason Day’s record of 20 under par in a major, set a year ago at Whistling Straits.
Mickelson’s 17-under total would have won all but two Opens over the last century. He lost that lead on the next hole when Stenson had the first of three straight birdies. Stenson said Parnevik sent him a message that said, “Go out and finish what I didn’t manage to finish”. I made a 35-footer for par to stay in the game.
“I think I’ve been saying all week that you need to get off to a good start on this golf course, and you need to be under par early, and I wasn’t able to do that”, the 2014 champion admitted. “I know I will need to bring out my best”. Most of the guys that play professional golf have all the shots.
“It was an important one”, Mickelson said.
Maybe birdie every hole.
Stricker carded four birdies and two bogeys going out, and a birdie on the back nine to share the day’s best 68 with Stenson, while Holmes had four birdies on the front nine, and two bogeys on the back for a 69.
“Right now I’m running on adrenalin”, he said, “but there will be some point when I’ll struggle to make it up the stairs when I get back to the house, I’m sure“.
The 40-year-old from Sweden held off Phil Mickelson to win the British Open on Sunday, capturing the first major title of his career and for a man from his home country. Moreover, he showed a resolve that he’d never tapped into this deeply.
“There’s only one thing that matters tomorrow”, Stenson said. “I just haven’t gotten the win yet, but I feel like I’m getting some momentum and it’s getting better and better each week”.
He survived terrible tee shots at the extremely tough 11th and 12th holes to rescue a pair of par-fours, but bogeyed the same 14th and 17th holes where Stenson flourished.
“They can control their ball flight in it any way they want”.
The match is being compared to the 1977 Open Championship showdown of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson at Turnberry, dubbed “The Duel in the Sun”.
“I was off today”, he said.
Another birdie from similar distance on the next restored Stenson’s overnight advantage, only for Mickelson to hole from eight feet for an eagle on the fourth. Johnson made two double bogeys the day before.
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Tied with Mickelson on the back nine, Stenson pulled away with birdies at 14, 15 and 16 to give himself a two-shot lead at 17 tee.
