With a comment like that he sounds like he’s from the U.S.
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Stenson wins the 2016 Open after a memorable finish at Royal Troon.
From there he lashed an iron into the heart of green and holed the putt for a new Open record score of 20 under and record low total of 264 after a record-equalling score of eight-under 63 in the final round.
Links golf can deliver some odd finishes, though this had all the trappings of a two-man race on Sunday.
Colin Montgomerie, who played the first tee shot of the championship on Thursday and is competing in his home town, was handed the first tee time on Sunday at 7.40am. I played kind of stress-free golf again.
Stenson came into Sunday with 20/29 odds to win the British Open, according to oddsmakers at BetDSI. Although I didn’t have the best stance, it was a little tight.
The popular Johnston, inspired by the fans crying out his nickname “Beef, Beef” at nearly every hole, ended up on 208, one ahead of American JB Holmes (69).
“I didn’t know until they told me in the recorder’s hut”, Stenson said when asked if he knew that last putt was for 63. He lost that lead on the next hole when Stenson had the first of three straight birdies.
He added the gloss in front of the packed grandstands with a 10th birdie to cap one of the most remarkable days of major championship golf. Mickelson, 46, spoke earlier in the week about not having as much pressure knowing he already has won them. He is trying to become the eighth player dating to Old Tom Morris in 1861 to win his first major after turning 40. Moreover, he showed a resolve that he’d never tapped into this deeply.
“He wasn’t going to give it to me”, Stenson said, “so I had to pull away”. “I thought it was a good round to back up the low round yesterday”.
Behind them, Stenson and Mickelson were playing golf from another planet, making the most of the best conditions all week to increase their lead over any potential chasing pack.
J.B. Holmes won the B-Flight.
The constant to-ing and fro-ing evoked memories of that special day at the 1977 Turnberry Open when Tom Watson edged out Jack Nicklaus in the so-called “Duel in the Sun”. The 11-shot gap between second and third place was the largest in major history.
“I did the exact same thing there”, McIlroy said.
SHOT SEQUENCE OF THE DAY: Mickelson clipped a portion of thick gorse to wedge his ball from the base of a bush on No. 12 down the fairway, and he spun back a wedge to 6 feet to save par.
Like two prize fighters in a ring, the two men traded blow after stunning blow, reeling off birdie after birdie to turn the final day of golf’s oldest major into a two-way procession. But it was Stenson – seeking his first Grand Slam win – reeling off three birdies in a row on holes 14 to 16.
Mickelson had another chance to make up ground at 16, but his long eagle putt just missed. He had to settle for birdie, and Stenson matched him with a 5-foot birdie. I mean, really impressive golf.
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“It seems like it was not going to be anyone else but the two of us, I am delighted to come out on top”. I don’t know how that eagle putt missed. “That putt on 18 was an opportunity to do something historical”.
