After an epic duel at the British Open, Henrik Stenson claimed his first major title. He shot an 8-under 63 on Sunday to beat Phil Mickelson by three strokes, becoming the first man from Sweden to win one of golf’s biggest events.
Stenson gained the upper hand by rolling in a 50-foot birdie putt from off the green at No 15 to take a two-shot lead — the first time all day the final group had been separated by more than one stroke.
He eventually finished at 20-under 264 overall, breaking both the Open scoring record of 267 set by Greg Norman at Royal St. George’s in 1993 and the major championship mark of 265 by David Toms at the 2001 PGA Championship. Mickelson shot 65 for a 267 total.
Disappointing Finish for Anirban
India’s Anirban Lahiri finished one of his most disappointing weeks at a Major with an eight-over-par 79 to conclude his campaign at the British Open at Royal Troon. On the leaderboard, he was placed tied 68.
Lahiri, who was tied 22nd and was looking at a possible top 10 finish at the midway stage, had a rough weekend, as he shot 76-79 for the final two rounds. It saw the reigning Asian Tour number one finish at 12-over 296, his highest score in the world’s oldest Major.