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.”
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.