Henrik Stenson was crowned Open victor and the Champion Golfer of the Year yesterday after he produced one of the finest rounds ever seen at a Major championship to hold off Phil Mickelson and lift the Claret Jug at Royal Troon.
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If he does triumph, Stenson will become the first Scandinavian man ever to win a major and the first player from continental Europe to lift the Claret Jug since the late, great Seve Ballesteros of Spain in 1988.
Stenson played the round of his life and needed it, shooting 63 to tie the major championship scoring record, twice birdied three holes in a row, and when he rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt at the 18th, he broke Woods’ all-time Open Championship strokes-below-par record of 19-under.
He made four birdies over the last five holes for a 63, the same score Johnny Miller shot in the final round when he won the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
The 40-year-old Stenson’s round equalled the lowest in any Major championship and his winning total also represented a British Open record.
He played bogey-free for a 6-under round and posted a score (267) that would have won all but two Opens over more than a century.
The titanic tussle brought back memories of the Duel in the Sun between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in the 1977 Open at Turnberry – generally regarded as one of golf’s most enthralling battles.
A two-shot swing on the first hole – Mickelson birdie, Stenson bogey – gave Mickelson a stroke advantage. That’s where Stenson finally gained the upper hand, rolling in a 50-foot birdie putt from off the green. Stenson bounced back with three consecutive birdies and Mickelson’s eagle on the fourth, when he knocked a 4-iron from 237 yards to 8 feet, only got him a share of the lead.
The pair stomped the rest of the field, with J.B. Holmes finishing third at 278, a whopping 14 shots behind Stenson.
He had previously endured seven top-four finishes in majors and was the runner-up to Mickelson in the British Open at Muirfield in 2013.
“It would be great to hand one back to him tomorrow, absolutely. I knew he would ultimately come through and win”.
“We’ve obviously seen different rounds with different guys where there’s been a bit more drama”.
“If you’re making those putts, it probably is your day and when he holed it I did think: “Now we’ve really got a great chance”.
“He’s one of the best to play the game in the last 15, 20 years for sure, and it’s going to be a tough match”, said Stenson after his third round. “I’m happy for him”.
The Swede won his first major in his 42nd attempt, becoming only the ninth player to capture his first major after turning 40. “I’m disappointed that it was at my expense”. “Played close to flawless golf and got beat”.
“That was the extra self-belief that made me go all the way this week”. “You never know once you open the floodgates what might happen”, Stenson said later as he spoke to the media alongside the famous Claret Jug.
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Bidding to become the oldest Open victor since Old Tom Morris in 1867, Mickelson was gallant with a flawless 65 featuring four birdies and an eagle – but still unable to land a fairytale sixth career major at 46.
