Henrik Stenson of Sweden chips onto the 18th green during the third round of the British Open Golf Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland, Saturday, July 16, 2016.
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Eighty players will go home dreaming of what might have been on Sunday night, one will have a Claret Jug to fit into his luggage.
“Today could have been a day that got away from me”, Mickelson said, “but instead I shot under par and kept myself right in it heading into tomorrow’s final round, so I’m proud of that”. It was less a conclusion of their head-to-head pairing than an adjournment.
Four Swedish golfers have won female major titles, led by Annika Sorenstam with 10 championships. But to do so, he will need to outlast an all-time great who is putting on a vintage performance.
“He’s really a great champion”, Mickelson said of Stenson.
“Maybe not in Scotland, but in other parts of the world”. “There’s no question about it”, said the Swede, who was the runner-up at Muirfield in 2013 and finished tied third at The Open in 2008 and again in 2010.
– He would become the sixth player from Continental Europe to win a major. What he won’t have is the benefit of the lead. Then, Mickelson, the sorcerer, contrived to salvage the unlikeliest of pars on the Par-4 12th hole where, in rough off the tee and again for his approach, he ultimately sank a 30 footer that had him fist-pumping the Troon air and the pair were locked at 16-under standing on the 14th tee.
Spieth made a fast start on Saturday with four birdies in the first seven holes but the gusty 20mph winds began to affect him and he dropped five strokes in seven holes to the 15th.
“I’d really like to have a good front nine, like I did today, and play hopefully even par on the back side would be nice and at least get one birdie would be good”. He reclaimed the lead when Mickelson missed a 6-foot birdie try.
Three years ago Stenson was beaten to the title by Mickelson, who ended his own long wait to win the Claret Jug with a final-round 66.
That is not to say Mickelson’s day was without stress.
That leaves Stenson leading a major all by himself for the first time.
Mickelson led only once, a two-shot swing on the opening hole. It would become a recurring theme. He lost that lead on the next hole when Stenson had the first of three straight birdies.
Mickelson finished 11 shots ahead of Holmes and 12 ahead of Stricker.
“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 said last year his fine for launching his three iron into a lake at Doral during the WGC-Cadillac Championship was reduced from $25,000 to $5,000 for apologising on TV. There could be as many as eight “favorites” to raise the Wanamaker Trophy, and I can’t wait to find out.
It looks like there could be some low scores before the day is done. Stenson pulled ahead with an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th hole, and he seized control for the first time all day with a 50-foot putt across the 15th green.
Rory McIlroy experienced one of his meltdowns, on the 16th, when he hurled his three wood into the ground and it smashed into two.
Both negotiated the turn without further damage but Mickelson had a clear bit of luck on the 12th, when he carved his drive left and his ball went perilously close to the gorse, rebounding off a branch so he could get a club on it.
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There were 156 players in the field Thursday.
