This one’s a no-brainer.
Job One here today is to look back on the best final round of 2016, the best single final day, the best of the best in golf this past year.
It was fitting and proper that it came at a major championship — the 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Henrik Stenson, an unproven player in major championship golf, held a one-shot lead over Phil Mickelson, five times a major champion and the Open winner in 2013.
Stenson entered the final round with a one-shot lead over Mickelson. The best player ever from Sweden was 12-under par after 54 holes after sparkling rounds of 68-65-68 at the par 71 Royal Troon links.
Mickelson was 11-under. He rolled the field on day one with a 63 then added rounds of 69-70 on Friday and Saturday.
For those wondering if Mickelson had any gas left in the tank, he was answering. After all, he had just turned 46 and was attempting to do what Jack Nicklaus did at the 1986 Masters — win a major at age 46.
It was a perfect start for Mickelson, he birdied the first hole and Stenson made bogey, two-shot swing, Phil takes the early lead.
But Stenson got up off the mat and fought back with birdies at two, three and four to get to 14-under. Mickelson responded with an eagle at four and you got the feeling, albeit early, that something special was unveiling.
Both players turned in 32 then both birdied the 10th.
At that point, it was serious “Game-On.”
It turned into a two-man war, two players at the top of their games, playing incredible golf and setting up the most memorable day of this past year in golf.
Stenson would bogey the 11th and it was all tied. Both players were 16-under with seven holes to play. For those old enough, it was bringing back images of the 1977 “Duel In The Sun” at Turnberry between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
Both players stayed at 16-under through 13 holes. It was a total nail-biter.
Stenson then found the five-hole burst of a lifetime. The 40-year-old came up with birdies at 14, 15, 16 and 18 to blow past Mickleson, whose only birdie down the stretch came at the 16th.
When the smoke cleared at the 72nd hole, Stenson had shot a magnificent 63, arguably the finest final round in championship golf ever. John Miller’s 63 at Oakmont came with him going out early, away from the action and that was a seven-under round.
Stenson’s came on the final day, in the final pairing with Mickelson applying huge pressure over the first 13 holes. The knock on Stenson for most of his career was weakness in the short game and with the putter at crucial moments.
Not on that day. Stenson used just 27 putts and was Mr. Clutch on his way to a record 20-under par effort, three better than Mickelson’s impressive 17-under. J.B. Holmes was a distant third at six-under.
The amazing part of Stenson’s performance is that he shot 63 with TWO BOGEYS. Without those, it would have been 61 in a major and who knows how long a record like that might stand.
Mickelson took it all in stride. Tough loss. Didn’t see that coming.
It left everyone to wonder if that was Mickelson’s last and best chance to win a major.
For Stenson, it was the cherry on top of a season that saw him named the European Tour’s 2016 Golfer Of The Year, with the promise of more good things to come.
