The Open: Henrik Stenson beats Phil Mickelson to win in dramatic fashion at Royal Troon

Stenson carded a closing 63 at Royal Troon to become only the second player ever to finish a major on 20 under par, equalling the record set by Jason Day in last year's US PGA Championship

(Getty)

Sequels are not supposed to be as good as the originals. But there are always exceptions. This was golf’s Rocky II and every bit as good as 1977’s classic Turnberry ‘Duel in the Sun’ when Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus in what essentially was a matchplay battle for the Claret Jug.

Troon had Henrik Stenson versus Phil Mickelson. Thirty-nines years is a long time. Watson won £10,000. Stenson takes home £1.175 million. Stenson is called the Iceman. Records melted with his 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole to beat Mickelson by three shots and win the Open. His 20 under par total of 264 is the lowest 72-hole score in Open history and the lowest in any major.

It beats by three strokes Greg Norman’s total from Royal St George’s in 1993, and by one stroke Tiger Woods’ 19 under par winning score from St Andrews in 2000. Stenson’s eight-under par is only the second 63 in the final round to win a major. American Johnny Miller did it at the 1973 US Open. Stenson’s country will know that he is the first male golfer to win a major for Sweden. That’s quite a comeback for the Swede who had slumped to world number 230 in 2012 and who lost £10 million in the Alan Stanford financial scandal in 2009.

“I knew this was going to be my time,” Stenson said. “But it’s not something you wasn’t to run around and shout about.” Stenson even had the chance to record the first ever 62 in a major missing a five-footer for birdie at the 17th. Heck, he shot 63 with two bogeys and agreed it felt like a heavyweight boxing contest. “We managed to pull away from the rest of the field and we both played some great golf,” Stenson said.

“It makes it even more special to beat a competitor like Phil. He's been one of the best to play the game, and certainly in the last 20 years. So to come out on top after such a fight with him over these four days, it makes it even more special. I knew he wasn't going to back down. I knew I had to keep on pushing and he wasn't going to give it to me, so I had to pull away. I'm just delighted I managed to do that with a couple of birdies at the right time on the final stretch,” he said.

Henrik Stenson versus Phil Mickelson was just as thrilling as any duel before it (Getty)

Spare a though for Mickelson. He lipped out for a 62 in the first round, compiled a sensational six under 65 in the final round, with no bogeys, finished at 17 under par, 11 strokes clear of fellow countryman JB Holmes in third place – and he lost. His total of 267 would have won every other Open held at Troon by at least five strokes. His 17 under par would have won or forced a playoff in 141 of the 145 Opens.

A teary-eyed Mickelson was asked if it was any consolation that he had been a part of one of the greatest ever final round contests. “No,” he said. "I don't remember a match like that. The best I have ever played and not won," he said. “I threw as much at him as I could but he didn’t make any mistakes. Happy for Henrik. He’s a great champion. We’ve been friends for a long time.”

With Mickelson and Stenson separated from the chasing pack, this was billed as the Duel in the Wind. But Royal Troon gave us a Duel in the Sun after all. Following all the rotten weather since Friday, the sun finally burst though the Ayrshire cloud as Stenson and Mickelson stood on the first tee. Stenson had a kiss form his wife. Mickelson kissed the glass case on the first tee that contained the Claret Jug for all to see. It was Stenson that got to kiss it on the 18th green.

The final moments captivated the crowd at Troon and around the world (Getty)

This was epic stuff. They went at each other toe to toe. All the way to the end. At the sixth, they had exactly the same yardage to the green so they had to toss a coin to see who would hit first. The way they were playing it looked like that coin might be needed to decide who would go home with the Claret Jug. Every time one of them landed a punch, the other jabbed right back. They played the front nine between them with seven birdies, an eagle and one bogey. What an exhibition.

As they set off on the more difficult back nine, the contest for the Claret Jug came down to a game of who would blink first. No one blinked. Stenson frankly knocked Mickelson out with three birdies in a row from the 14th. The 50-foot out that found the cup at the 15th put daylight between them for the first time. A two-shot lead for Stenson. Mickelson refused to stay on the canvas but he never came back. That was it for Mickelson.

They, like Watson and Nicklaus in 1977, left the final green in each other’s arms. By contrast, this was a week Rory McIlroy will probably be pleased is over. He is not at present able to showcase his best when the weather is foul. But he still had enough to finish as the top British player tied fifth with Tyrrell Hatton from Marlow in Buckinghamshire and Sergio Garcia. “I've missed a few short putts this week,” McIlroy said. “But tee to green was good, and I can only be positive going into Baltusrol.”

The US PGA Championship is just two week’s away. “I'm driving the ball great. The PGAs are usually if you can drive the ball well, you'll do well, and I've had success in that tournament before, so I'm really happy with that.” It was a week to remember for London’s Andrew “Beef” Johnston. He shot a 73 in the final round to finish eighth but left Troon as a cult hero and the People’s Champion.

Imagine the scenes if he can qualify for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. Stenson and Mickelson put on a show for the ages. "Would have been a great tournament without them," said Zach Johnson, last year’s champion, who finished tied 12th at one under par. He was joking.