Troon duel revisited: Stenson, Mickelson reminisce on epic 2016 Open
TROON, Scotland – A month before their weekend duel at Royal Troon would mesmerize the golf world, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson were paired for the first two rounds of the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
At the time, Mickelson’s legacy was sealed with five majors on his resume, but Stenson was 0-for-40 in majors and had just turned 40 years old. The clock was ticking for the Swede, but Mickelson offered some encouraging words.
“Henrik, you’re one of the best long iron players in the history of the game. The best I’ve ever seen,” Mickelson told him. “You’re going to win your major.”
RELATED: Tee times, playing partners for LIV Golf players at The Open
It didn’t happen for either player that week, as Mickelson missed the cut and Stenson withdrew before the resumption of his second round that Saturday morning. But then they found themselves again paired in Scotland, this time for the final two rounds at The Open.
Unfortunately for Mickelson, he proved to be a prophet. “Little did I know it would be the next one,” he said recently, “and it would be at my expense.”
In what goes down as one of golf’s most thrilling and competitive mano-a-mano battles, Stenson became the first male Scandinavian golfer to win a major, shooting a record 20 under to beat Mickelson by three shots.
Eight years later, both players return to Royal Troon for the 152nd playing of The Open this week. The two veterans spent time together on multiple media occasions recently, reminiscing about their epic showdown.
For Stenson, talking about the biggest highlight of his major career never gets old. “Great memories,” he said. “A fantastic week of golf for both of us. Luckily for me, I was the one to draw the longer straw and come out with a win.”
As for Mickelson? “It’s not fun talking about losing,” he said while sitting next to Stenson, “but I’m genuinely happy about your performance and your win. It’s taken eight years to be able to say that.”
The consolation factor for Mickelson, if there is one, is that he couldn’t have demanded much more from his game that week. “Only time I can remember in my career where I played my absolute best golf and it wasn’t enough to win,” he said.
He opened with an 8-under 63, the lowest score in his 450 competitive rounds in 124 major starts. He led the first two days and only trailed Stenson by one after the third round. At that point, they were five clear of the rest of the field, setting up Sunday as essentially a match-play competition for the Claret Jug.
Mickelson produced a final-round bogey-free 65, but Stenson countered with his lowest career round in a major, a 63 that included 10 birdies, for the victory.
“We played some incredible golf,” Stenson said, “and it turns out to be one for the ages.”
Mickelson recalled seeing a computer analysis that ranked every performance in the history of major golf. No. 1 was Tiger Woods’ 2000 U.S. Open win by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach. No. 2 was Stenson’s win at Royal Troon. No. 3 was Mickelson’s runner-up finish behind Stenson.
“What an honor to have played the third-best performance in majors in history and lose,” Mickelson said, a little tongue-in-cheek. “The mathematical odds on that are astronomical.”
As the two LIV Golf captains – Mickelson with HyFlyers GC; Stenson as a Majesticks GC co-captain – reviewed highlights of the final round for a recent YouTube video, a few things stand out:
EARLY LEAD CHANGE. Mickelson took the lead after the first hole with a birdie while Stenson suffered a bogey. The Swede figured even before teeing off that he would need to be aggressive against Mickelson, but if there was ever any consideration of playing defensively, it disappeared when he fell behind. “I knew I was in for a real challenge,” Stenson said. “He was never going to back down.”
TWO DIFFERENT COURSES. With windy conditions at Royal Troon, many of the holes played differently for the right-handed Stenson versus the left-handed Mickelson. They had different scores on nine of the 18 holes. “Holes I could attack were often different than holes you could attack,” Stenson said to Mickelson. “That’s what made this an interesting duel. That’s why we had so much back and forth.” And yet through 13 holes, they were tied for the lead.
THE GOLF GODS. Perhaps it was Stenson’s 51-foot birdie putt from off the green on the par-5 16th. “Crushing,” said Mickelson. Or maybe it was Mickelson’s ensuing eagle putt that tracked toward the cup before veering left at the last second. “I don’t see how it stayed out,” he said. Or maybe it was Stenson’s high-flighted but penetrating 4-iron approach shot into the wind at 17. “You would strike it so solidly that the wind wouldn’t affect it,” Mickelson told Stenson. “You’re the only person I’ve seen do that.” Or maybe it was on the last hole, when Stenson thought his 3-wood tee shot had rolled down the slope into the bunker. When he saw the highlight, he said it was as if someone had pulled a hand brake and kept his ball just short of danger.
Whatever the case, Stenson was grateful that fate seemed to be on his side that day.
“We can talk about the golf gods and all this, right?” he said. “When you win a big tournament and it’s your week, it’s always going to be those small moments. When things are going your way, you don’t think about it. But you’ve always got to have that 10-15% luck as well.”
Back at Royal Troon this week, the two players wouldn’t mind repeating their duel. Mickelson, now 54 years old, would love a chance at redemption. But the sting of that loss in 2016 is fading, replaced by an appreciation for being involved in one of golf’s classic moments.
“To go head-to-head with somebody I have so much respect for,” Mickelson said, “even though I still came up short, I have this great life experience and this great memory and this great competition to look back on.
“I loved the week. I loved playing like that. I want to play like that again. That's why I'm working hard. I love competing and having a chance to win like that. Even though I came up short, I thought it was a lot of fun to be a part of that.”