Phil Mickelson started his tournament at The Open Championship at Royal Troon with an incredible (-8) 63. On Sunday, Henrik Stenson dueled against Mickelson and was able to match the lefty’s stellar Thursday performance with a 63 himself on his way to a -20 overall in the Tournament and his first ever major win. Prior to this tournament, Stenson had nine top ten finishes in major tournaments including a runner-up end at the 2013 Open Championship. His fantastic performance finally earned him a championship on one of the world’s biggest stages.
Front Nine
Stenson’s round did not open up as he would have liked as he bogeyed the first hole while Mickelson birdied. However, he did not let the setback last very long. On holes two through four, Stenson tallied off three birdies to get to -14, however, an eagle by Mickelson got him to -14 as well after the fourth hole. Stenson would birdie two more holes on the front nine while Mickelson could only get one more and Stenson made the turn with a one-shot lead.
Back Nine
Mickelson and Stenson each birdied Hole 10, but Stenson would get another setback on 11 with another bogey and the matchup would remain tied until Stenson had a run on holes 14, 15, and 16 with three straight birdies to take a two-shot lead that he added to with a birdie on 18 to get to a -8 63 on the day and a -20 for the tournament. Phil Mickelson’s bogey-free -6 was not enough to beat Stenson on this Sunday afternoon in Scotland.
What’s Next
The Open Championship was Henrik Stenson’s first win this year. With the PGA Championship in two weeks at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ, Stenson will have a quick turnaround before he tries to defend his first ever major win with another one in the United States. Mickelson will also try again to win in Baltusrol.
Before the PGA Championship, the tour will head north of the border to the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Ontario. Jason Day was the previous winner and will return to the field, but Stenson and Mickelson after their duel at Royal Troon are not scheduled to be in Canada this week. They should be ready for the PGA Championship after their extra week of preparation. One thing is clear after this week, there is a new major champion.