Although Stenson won by three strokes, Mickelson was in the form of his life, as he shot a final-round 65 without a single bogey to finish on 17-under at Troon.
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That he lost by three shots, while finishing 11 shots ahead of third place, underlined just how commanding Stenson was, especially as he made four birdies in the last five holes. Nicklaus weighed in via Facebook on what we all witnessed. He became only the second player in history to shoot a final-round 63 in a major after Johnny Miller, who did so in the final round of the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont to also win his maiden major title.
“Phil certainly has nothing to be ashamed of because he played wonderfully”, Nicklaus wrote. In the end it came down to a battle between Stenson and Phil Mickelson but there were eye-catching displays from JB Holmes, Steve Stricker and new crowd favourite Andrew Johnston, among others.
“It’s probably the best I’ve played and not won”, Mickelson said. “I played a bogey- free round of 65 on the final round of a major, usually that’s good to do it, and I got beat”.
Their better-ball score – remember, they were in the final group – would have been 59. It must surely rank as the best I have seen in my short career and most people around me, many of whom had seen decades of Majors. So it begs the question, was this the greatest ever maiden major triumph?
Sweden’s first Major victor, who spent the morning after the night before travelling to a charity event hosted by close friend and Ryder Cup team-mate Sergio Garcia, carded a closing 63 to beat Mickelson’s 65.
Jack Nicklaus has claimed Henrik Stenson’s thrilling Open battle with Phil Mickelson was better than his “Duel in the Sun”. AP wirephoto TROON, Scotland – Henrik Stenson is the champion golfer of the year, thanks to a final round for the ages.
With Stenson holding a one-stroke lead heading in to the round, he would go on to finish his round at 8-under for the day and 20-under for the entire tournament.
Down by one shot at the outset, Mickelson immediately reversed the score when he striped his approach to 1 foot at No. 1 and Stenson three-putted. “I’m proud of the way I played”. In 2013, the Swede won the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup and the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, becoming the first player to win both.
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Tony Jacklin of England (L) poses with compatriot Nick Faldo (2nd L), John Daly of the USA (2nd R) and his compatriot Tom Lehman as they stand on the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th hole during the Champion Golfers’ Challenge tournament ahead of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, July 15, 2015.
