The Swede’s winning total of 20-under 264 was the lowest 72-hole score ever in the majors.
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Henrik Stenson v Phil Mickelson:: Where does it rank? The one day that it was off, it came back the next day and it was back on.
“This will take a while to sink in, I am still getting my bearings”, Stenson said. These two guy have lapped them. A traumatic 12 months for the Englishman was ending on a high.
The putts continued to go in at the sixth, Mickelson coaxing in his effort from 10 feet before Stenson matched him from four feet.
Southgate had a 1-under 283 total and will earn an exemption into next year’s British Open at Birkdale.
The thought Mickelson said he was left with: “What do I need to do?”
“I don’t have a point where I can look back and say, I should have done that or had I only done this”.
Henrik Stenson’s win at Royal Troon to etch his name on the claret jug also comes with many more mentions of his name in the history books. But on this Sunday, it was Stenson’s time.
Stenson’s approach to the 15th only just found the right-hand edge of the green, but from around 50 feet he holed the birdie putt to claim a two-shot lead for the first time. After trading a birdie and a bogey at Nos.
“I let one go right on the previous hole, a three iron, and I did the same thing there”.
Stenson took out his three-wood at 18 and almost hit his tee shot into a bunker, which would have added some drama to the final hole. From there, he made a two-putt par and a lengthy birdie at 18 to play his way into the record books.
Stenson made his. Mickelson didn’t.
Stenson dedicated his victory to his friend Mike Gerbich who died of cancer last Wednesday.
Steve Stricker, another American, was fourth at five under par.
The duel is on at the British Open.
“Yeah, I mean we had it before Padraig (Harrington) won at Carnoustie: ‘When are we going to have a European major winner?’ Then he managed to do that, and then there’s always another question”, Stenson said. On Sunday, J.B. Holmes finished third, 11 shots behind the runner-up.
It looks to be a two-man competition.
“How are you, Henrik?” However from there, by the time they got to the short par-3 8th, they would both be -4 on the day and lapping the field, making this a two-man fight for the Claret Jug.
Jordan Spieth has snapped an unwanted streak at the British Open. But that was about all Phil had left in the tank – turning in his best major performance ever on a Sunday in a defeat.
Here’s the full final leaderboard from Troon.
Stenson and Mickelson were never separated by more than two shots over 40 straight holes until the Swede’s final birdie. It was his best round in a major since a 66 in the opening round of this year’s Masters. The PGA Championship starts a week from Thursday. He dropped out of the Rio Olympics, citing health concerns. He finished third, 14 shots behind. Even that peeked out a bit over the final nine holes, when conditions softened a tad. There’s been many great players from my country tried in past years and decades and there’s been a couple of really close calls.
“I’m proud of the way I played”.
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His biggest challenge was 46-year-old Mickelson, who has won five majors.
