Henrik Stenson Outduels Phil Mickelson to win British Open 2016  12:00, 18/07/2016

Henrik Stenson (Source: Internet)

The final round was a stunning display of mano a mano golf, as Stenson and Mickelson, going off in the last twosome of the day, completely distanced themselves from the rest of the field and matched each other almost shot for shot in what amounted to golf theater as its most exhilarating.

Stenson & Mickelson (Source: Internet)

Commentators, including the gents at NBC, who were handling their first broadcast of golf's oldest and grandest championship, were tempted to call it Duel in the Sun II. At that epic '77 Open, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson went at it, almost alone, for two days. But that would be a stretch. For one thing, although Mickelson is almost at Watson's level among the all-time greats, Stenson, amiable and talented though he is, is no Nicklaus. Troon does not have the stunning beauty of Turnberry, which is just down the road. Also, there was no sun for most of the day until it peaked out here and there near the end of the round, when Stenson went berserk with his putter -- with his everything -- playing the final five holes in four under par. Still, Mickelson, an expert (with vast experience) at being a graceful runner-up, could see the connection to DITS, when Watson prevailed by a shot over Nicklaus. "It certainly crossed my mind a little bit out there today, when Jack and Tom and went head-to-head in '77," said Mickelson, who finished second in a major for the 11th time. "I know I wanted to be more of Tom in that case than Jack."

(Source: Internet)

Stenson won with a final-round, record-tying 63. He made 10 birdies, and it marked the 29th time that 63 had been shot in a major championship. (Johnny Miller, at the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont, is the only other champion to do it in a final round.) All Mickelson did was post a bogey-free, six-under 65. For 14 holes, the two were never more than a shot apart, one player repeatedly matching the other with a stiff approach shot or a birdie hole-out.

(Source: Golf.com)

The game is a reminder of why we watch and love sports. There were no rules issues. (The pace in the final group was slow, but R&A rules officials let it slide. The final group on the final day, playing for the oldest championship in golf, is never anything like a horse race. There are a lot of moving parts.) This was simply a fantastic display of driving, iron play, putting and thinking that showed the best of the best today are nearly as good as Tiger Woods. Between the two of them, hitting tee shots nearly the same length, smiling at each other by way of wordless compliment, there was barely a single errant shot.

(Source: Internet)

"I felt that this was going to be my turn," said Stenson, who speaks in a monotone that almost brings to mind Bernhard Langer and masks his quickness and intelligence. "We managed to pull away from the rest of the field, and we both played some great golf. It makes it even more special to beat a competitor like Phil. He's been one of the best to play the game."

How good was their golf? The third-place finisher, J.B. Holmes, was at six under.

(Source: Internet)

The PGA Championship is next, in 11 days, followed by the Olympics and then the Ryder Cup. You'll be seeing a lot of Henrik Stenson. No matter what he does in those three events, he's the champion golfer of the year.