Coming into the final round of The Open Championship at Royal Troon on Sunday, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson were both sitting atop the leaderboard, way ahead of the rest of the pack. The two veterans battled it out, but it was the Swede that pulled off his first ever major championship victory over the surefire Hall of Famer.
Stenson entered Sunday with a one stroke lead over Lefty and a commanding lead over the rest of the field. He tied Mickelson’s course record eight-under, which he shot in the opening round on Thursday, on Sunday to push his score to an Open record -20 to become the first Swedish player to win at Royal Troon.
Congratulations to Champion Golfer of the Year, Henrik Stenson. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/tmHPkwhSSg
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2016
Mickelson stayed on pace with Stenson for most of the round and it came down to one final putt on 18 to decide the championship.
The putt that won it. Well done Henrik. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/ChYMyMswyP
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2016
It certainly looks like Henrik Stenson has had a pretty good year on the golf course, but it was topped off by the biggest win of his career. Mickelson now hasn’t won a major trophy since his victory at the 2013 Open Championship.
