British Open showdown: Stenson leads Mickelson by a shot

Stenson, second to Mickelson in the 2013 Open, can finally celebrate a maiden major success at the age of 40, having become the fourth successive first-time victor in golf’s premier strokeplay events.

Mickelson, who shot 63 himself on Thursday, had led after the first hole and was level with Stenson for much of his round but he failed to keep pace in the closing holes and finished 17 under. His four-round total of 20-under par is the lowest British Open title in history, and ties Jason Day for best finish in a major.

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. Two-time Open victor Padraig Harrington slipped to two over for the tournament after a two-over 73, while the same score sent 2011 champion Darren Clarke back to three over, while Graeme McDowell dropped a shot to five over with a third-round 72.

Stenson took the lead for the last time with another two-shot swing on an inward par 3 at No. 17, and he kept it with a nifty up-and-down on the 18th for par and 3-under 68, the second straight day no one had a better score.

Stenson made 10 birdies, including a 50-foot putt across the 15th green that had him pumping his fist in a rare show of emotion Sunday.

Mickelson led after making birdie on the 16th hole to move to 12 under. The third-place finisher, J.B. Holmes, wound up 11 shots behind Mickelson and 14 behind Stenson.

Mickelson, trying to become the oldest Open champion since Old Tom Morris in 1867, shot the lowest final round of his career in a major and lost by three. Look what the guys have done – there was no chance of me getting to that score.

He doesn’t feel the pressure of leading going into the final round seeking his first major, he added. The Swede then birdied three and four for good measure to take the lead on the American, who started solidly with just the one birdie after almost driving the third green.

“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.

Golf’s top four players have withdrawn from the Olympics, but the Rio Games will have at least two of this year’s major champions – Stenson and Masters victor Danny Willett of England.

“I felt like this was going to be my turn”, said the 40-year-old Swede, abandoning his usual comic banter for a more serious tone.

However, having started the day one shot clear, it took just one hole for him to fall one behind.

Stenson had stuck stubbornly to his task, holing a critical 35 footer for par on the 10th just as Mickelson seemed to have the momentum. It’s just disappointing for me to finish second, but we’ve got a great champ. And I put in my best performance today.

“There’s always revenge”, he said, smiling. Indeed, from a scoring standpoint, he was the best ever in a major championship.

McIlroy said, “Obviously I’ve missed a few short putts this week but I’m not really putting that down to anything”. Stenson becomes the first Swedish man to win a major.

“I know it’s not far off because I was hitting it so good”.

“That was the extra self-belief that made me go all the way this week”.