The tall and thin but strong Swede finally golfed his ball to victory for his first major championship win. Henrik Stenson, who previously had seven top-five finishes in majors, defeated American Phil Mickelson, five-time majors winner himself, by three strokes in the 145th British Open today at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. It was quite a thrilling duel until the last few holes.
Stenson and Mickelson started the day well ahead of the pack, with Henrik leading Phil by one stroke. Henrik three-putted the first hole from seventy feet to make them tied. Then they went head-to-head playing together in the last twosome. They remained tied multiple times while the lead sea-sawed back and forth. Then Stenson pulled ahead in the middle of the back nine and stayed that way to shoot a record-tying 63 while Mickelson could only muster a 65.
It was the first time a male Swede had won a major championship in golf. Swedish-born Anika Sorenstam won ten golf majors while dominating women’s professional golf, played mostly on the LPGA, for a decade at the turn of the century.
Stenson’s win was one of the most spectacular finishes in majors’ history, with him breaking the aggregate, record 72-hole score by one stroke at 20 under par. American J. B. Holmes finished third, a distant 11 strokes behind Phil.
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