In fact, he hasn’t won any type of tournament since the British Open in 2013, the fifth major of his career, and he hadn’t played particularly well this year, missing the cut in the Masters and U.S. Open, as well as the Players Championship.
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TROON, Scotland – After witnessing a virtuoso performance that included him posting the lowest score on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at The Open – the last of those being only the second-ever final-round 63 in a major by the champion – it’s hard to imagine Henrik Stenson ever struggling to mash laser beam-like drives deep down the fairways or launch brilliant iron shots onto the greens or roll seemingly magnetized putts directly into the heart of the cups.
Henrik Stenson held off the challenge of Phil Mickelson to win his first major at the British Open on a breathtaking final afternoon at Royal Troon on Sunday.
Not when he shot a final-round 65 to finish 17-under par in a British Open at treacherous Troon.
Stenson’s final stroke of this major masterpiece was a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Royal Troon that tumbled into the cup on the final turn.
Leading Mickelson by one stroke entering the final round, the unflappable Swede birdied ten holes to shoot an Open record-tying 63.
Stenson just missed the green and left himself 51 feet from the hole.
But Stenson also equalled the record for low round in any major with a 63, and he did it on Sunday, when it mattered most. It was high drama and great theater, as always when golf’s most famous lefthander has a chance to win a major.
“Right now I’m running on adrenaline”. “This will take a while to sink in”, said Stenson, at last a major victor at the age of 40, as he clutched the trophy.
It took more than two full years for Stenson to round back into form, with the physical, mental, technical and physiological setbacks taking their toll. That’s 11 runner-up finishes at majors for Mickelson, second all-time behind Jack Nicklaus’ 19. I got beat by 10 birdies, and its not like other guys were out there doing the same thing.
“He made 10 birdies”, Mickelson repeated, as if he were waiting for that number to sink in.
“Anytime you post 68 in the final round of a major championship you take some positives away”. This birdie gave Stenson a two-shot lead over Mickelson with three holes to play.
For a long time on Sunday it appeared he might be Watson in that scenario, as Mickelson kept answering Stenson, making clutch putts as the lead went back and forth. Mickelson remains on five majors, despite having started his week with that remarkable 63 of his own. “I think that’s probably why it’s disappointing in that I don’t have a point where I can look back and say, I should have done that or had I only done this”.
“I played close to flawless golf and was beat”, said a wistful Mickelson. “But I feel like I’m getting some momentum and it’s getting better and better each week”.
The rest were nowhere with American JB Holmes (69) taking third spot on 278, 11 behind Mickelson as the leading pair evoked memories of the great Duel in the Sun Turnberry Open of 1977 when Tom Watson edged out Jack Nicklaus in another epic head-to-head.
Stenson and Mickelson were never separated by more than two shots over 40 straight holes until the Swede’s final birdie.
Maybe Hollywood needed the footage for whenever they decide to make Phil The Thrill, starring Chris Hemsworth and directed by Quentin Tarantino. In this famously fickle game of ours, if you don’t win one of the big four, you simply can not be thought of as one of the very best. I am delighted to come out on top. (I’m) happy for Henrik. “I’m sorry that it came at my expense”.
He had a 6-under 278 total and was 14 strokes behind Stenson. He won his first career European Tour title in May that year, but by midsummer, his game had suffered a sharp decline. Beyond the score, the measure of his performance was that he putted for a birdie on every hole Sunday in a mild wind off the Irish Sea.
What Henrik Stenson produced in the fourth round of the 145th Open Championship was something other-worldly.
Baddeley finished with a 5-under 66 to match Kim at 18-under 266.
Mickelson’s round featured four birdies, an eagle and not a single dropped shot.
“I felt and I believed like it was my time to do this”, Stenson said after the win.
“I want to win”, said McIlroy. Gerbich and Henrik Stenson used to play golf together.
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He tamed a course that had led more than one of his rivals to such levels of frustration that their clubs had been left broken in two on the windswept ground.
