Stenson tops Mickelson
The final round of the British Open Championship featured one of the great duals in golf history, but it was Henrik Stenson that proved to be too much for Phil Mickelson.
Stenson entered Sunday with a 1-shot lead on Mickelson and the two put on a show in Sunday’s final pairing. Mickelson immediately erased the one-shot deficit on the first hole and the two hit big putt after big putt on the front nine to remain even. It was Stenson, though, that found his stride on the back, draining a 51-foot putt to start a run of four birdies over the last five holes. Stenson tied the all-time major record by finishing -20 for the tournament after shooting a 63 on Sunday. He had 10 birdies for the final round. Mickelson finished -17 for the tournament after shooting a 65 on Sunday.
Stenson came into Sunday with 20/29 odds to win the British Open, according to oddsmakers at BetDSI. Mickelson was listed with 13/10 odds. After Friday’s second round, Stenson was listed with +275 odds while Mickelson was sitting at +200. This is Henrik Stenson’s first major championship.
Mickelson was looking to win his second Open Championship and sixth major overall. J.B. Holmes finished in third for the tournament at -6 overall while Steve Stricker was fourth at -5. Rory McIlroy was the only of the “Big Four” to finish in the top 5, as he finished at -4 overall, as did Sergio Garcia.