Henrik Stenson Shoots a 63 to win the Claret Jug

The “Duel at Troon” was one for the ages this last weekend at the 145^th British Open, as golf’s oldest championship returned to Royal Troon Golf Club located in the Scottish shoreline town of Ayrshire.  Phil Mickelson, looking for the 6^th Major title of his Hall-of-Fame career (and 2^nd British Open win for the American) battled over the final 2 days of the tournament against #6 world-ranked Henrik Stenson, who was seeking to become the first Swedish male golfer to win a Major golf championship.

After firing a 63 & 69 in the first 2 rounds to have the sole lead heading into the weekend, Mickelson was overcome by Stenson on Saturday as trailed by a single stroke leading into Sunday’s finale.  What followed was an epic back-and-forth between the two, as both players combined for 9 birdies and an eagle over the first 8 holes, easily distancing themselves from the rest of the field and setting up a finish for the ages.  Henrik finally broke through the back-and-forth with Phil, as some phenomenal shot making and putting helped him birdie 4 of the final 5 holes to win his first major and hoist the Claret Jug.  Stenson’s final-round 63 and score of -20 to par tied Major championship records, and while Mickelson ended up finishing 3 strokes back in second place, his 11 shots clear of 3^rd place finisher J.B. Holmes was also a new major golf record.

The jam-packed summer of 2016 continues with the PGA Championship when it returns to storied Baltusrol G.C. in northern New Jersey.  With the first 3 majors of the year producing first-time Major champions, we can’t wait to see what lies ahead during the season’s final Major!