Henrik Stenson holds off Phil Mickelson at British Open to win first career major
Henrik Stenson's major championship drought is finally over.
The 40-year-old from Sweden held off Phil Mickelson to win the British Open on Sunday, capturing the first major title of his career and for a man from his home country.
Stenson, who had a one-stroke lead entering the day, shot an eight-under-par 63 during Sunday's thrilling final round at Royal Troon in Scotland. He finished the tournament at 20-under, three shots ahead of second-place Mickelson, who shot a six-under 65 and finished at 17-under.
Stenson and Mickelson both played exceptional golf, making for an exciting final round that produced an eagle, 14 birdies and two bogeys between the final pairing.
While 46-year-old Mickelson put up a remarkable fight for the claret jug, Stenson put himself in the driver's seat when he rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt from off the green at the 15th, giving him a two-stoke lead — the largest margin of the day to that point.
He's holed it. Two shot lead for Stenson with three to play. #TheOpenhttps://t.co/xCrK3OtiXK
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2016
"Thank you very much for a great fight," Stenson told Mickelson as he held the claret jug during the closing ceremony.
"You know he's not going to back down and he's going to try to make birdies on every hole," Stenson said. "So I just tried to do the same, and just delighted to come out on top and managed to win this trophy."
Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson's battle over the front nine. #TheOpenhttps://t.co/tJRfX0GFVw
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2016
Stenson's total score of 20-under on 264 shots is not only an Open scoring record, but it's the lowest 72-hole total score ever shot in major championship history. The previous Open scoring record of 267 was set by Greg Norman at Royal St. George's in 1993 and the major championship mark of 265 by David Toms at the 2001 PGA Championship.
Mickelson's second-place finish is the 11th for him in major tournament play, which is not far off from Jack Nicklaus' record of 19.
"It's going to be disappointing for quite some time, but dealing with losing is a big part of the game," Mickelson said of his finish on the NBC broadcast. "I'm happy about how I played and how my game is coming around… I'm disappointed ultimately with the outcome, but I'm really happy for Henrik, he played flawless golf."
"He's really a great champion," Mickelson said of Stenson. "We've been friends for quite some time and I'm really happy to see him finally breaking through and winning his first major, I just wish it wasn't at my expense."
The rest of the field finished far behind the leaders, as third-place J.B. Holmes ended the tournament at 6-under, 14 shots behind Stenson. Steve Stricker finished fourth at 5-under, while Rory McIlroy shot 4-under, tying Terrell Hatton for fifth place.
The putt that won it. Well done Henrik. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/ChYMyMswyP
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2016
