He had started with a 63 to equal the lowest ever round in a major, but Stenson repeated that feat on Sunday with 10 birdies on his way to lifting the Claret Jug.
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The 40-year-old completed his round with a 20 foot birdie putt on the 18 green – a fitting end to what was a truly incredible weekend of golf by the world number six. I went to go get it. His 20-under par matched Jason Day’s record for lowest under par at last year’s PGA Championship. That had also been the major championship record until Day broke it in 2015. Stenson three-putted for bogey from just off the first green, and he three-putted on No. 11 to fall back into a tie for the lead.
Lefty played bogey-free for a 65 and posted a score (267) that would have won all but two Opens over more than a century. When he got into trouble he somehow managed to get out and finished his final round without a bogey.
“Thank you very much for a great fight”, Stenson told Mickelson as he accepted the Claret Jug.
“The clubhead came loose on it earlier in the week so I had to get it re-glued, so it is partly to do with that and partly the throw itself, ” said the 27-year-old, who told Press Association Sport last year his fine for launching his three iron into a lake at Doral during the WGC-Cadillac Championship was reduced from 25,000 U.S. dollars to 5,000 (£3,700) for apologising on TV.
“I knew he wasn’t going to back down at any point, and in a way that makes it easier for myself”, Stenson said. “I just had to stay focused on the moment, and I did not waver doing that”. The finish of the 145th Open Championship supplied all of the above, in a memorable finale that sparked images of Tom Watson & Jack Nicklaus’ famed Duel In The Sun at Turnberry in 1977.
They drew level on 14 under at the par-five fourth and exchanged blows to the 13th before Stenson birdied the 14th and 15th to build a two-shot lead.
Mickelson’s final round of 65 was quite possibly the finest round to ever lose a major championship.
Stenson restored his one-shot lead at the Postage Stamp eighth hole, rattling in an 18-footer to go 16-under before both players made birdies at the 10th.
Mickelson gave it his best shot in his bid at 46 to become the fourth-oldest major victor in history. His putt for eagle on the par-5 16th sat on the edge of the hole, but it didn’t fall.
Another birdie from similar distance on the next restored Stenson’s overnight advantage, only for Mickelson to hole from eight feet for an eagle on the fourth.
“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 knew that he would ultimately come through and win”.
Henrik Stenson v Phil Mickelson:: Where does it rank?
Including his final round, Stenson shot -6 (!) on the 14th-18th holes during the week at Royal Troon.
Stenson appeared to be showing signs of nerves when he bogeyed the first but he recovered from that to produce a scarcely credible 10 birdies over the afternoon, rendering his dropped shot at the par-four 11th meaningless.
From there he found the green, and holed a 20ft birdie to cap off a truly extraordinary day that will be long remembered in the annals of the sport.
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They walked off the 18th green together, arms wrapped around each other, forever linked by one of golf’s greatest duels.
