Imperious Stenson wins duel in the watery sun
Last week the Sunday Times ran a feature on Henrik Stenson, lauding his ball striking yet questioning why someone who hit the ball so imperiously had still to cross the line and claim a first major title. He had after all found himself in contention on the final day of a major championship on a number of occasions, only to fall away, somewhat meekly. I was pondering this puzzle as he walked out to the first tee of his final round in the 145th Open played over the historic links of Royal Troon. He and playing partner Phil Mickelson were so far ahead of the chasing pack that their game was destined to take on the form of a match play encounter. But as both hit their opening drives little did we know of the drama that was about to unfold for as final day major rounds go this one may possibly be never equalled.
For Stenson things began slowly with a dropped shot at the opening hole. Meanwhile Mickelson birdied the hole to assume the lead. From that point on it was nip and tuck all the way round until the 16th hole where Stenson assumed a two shot lead. By this point the Swede was an incredible seven under par his playing partner at six under par. It was if they were playing a Sunday afternoon friendly rather than the final round of a major championship. And with two holes to play the outcome was still far from certain. At the long par three 17th Stenson had the honour hitting a towering five iron to within eight feet of the pin. Mickelson, perhaps for the first time feeling the pressure came up short and left leaving himself a tricky up and down from 30 yards. His chip was uncharacteristically weak leaving him a putt of some twenty feet to save par. If Mickelson missed and Stenson holed that would essentially be it. But Phil is nothing if not resolute, his putt never looking like going anywhere but in. When Stenson missed, he still required a par at the 18th to ensure victory. Who said winning a major was easy.
With the adrenaline now pumping he launched his metal three wood a good 299 yards. At one point it looked for all the world that it was going to find Norman’s bunker (Greg Norman famously came a cropper in the 1989 play off when his drive at 18 went 300 yards into a fairway bunker handing victory to Mark Calcavecchia) but mercifully it came up a couple of feet short. Meanwhile Mickelson split the fairway, but his approach came up some thirty yards from the pin. The spotlight now fell on Stenson. 170 odd yards to the green the famous words of Henry Longhurst came to mind “All he needs to do ……” .
But with one hand on a first major triumph it is always a little harder than “All he needs to do”. As soon as he struck the ball however, Stenson knew that it had found the green coming to rest some twenty feet from the flag. Mickelson’s putt curled its way up to the hole finishing agonisingly close. Stenson now had three to win. He took one and with that putt recorded a final round 63. Mickelson had shot 65 and lost. We will never see its like again.
©Mark Brennand