Open Championship: Henrik Stenson Wins First Career Major - Are There More to Come?

Cross one more name off the list of greatest players never to have won a Major. With a stunning performance in The Open, Henrik Stenson claimed the Claret Jug for his own at Royal Troon today and then declared, “This one’s for Sweden.” Job well done! Anybody who witnessed Stenson’s battle royale with Phil Mickelson – who threw everything he had at the 40-year-old Swede – will ever forget what unfolded on the famous Ayrshire links. Put simply, it defied belief. Stenson played 36 holes with Mickelson over the weekend and likened it to a prize fight. They traded shot for shot, blow for blow, and pulled away from the rest of the field as if they weren’t there. The winning margin was three strokes, which is something in itself, but the gap between Stenson and JB Holmes, in third, was an incredible 14. If Mickelson, who started the day one stroke behind, had been offered the 65 he scored before setting off in the final round, he would almost certainly have taken it. No one could have predicted that Stenson would better it by two and claim victory by three, setting a record-breaking score for the Championship of 264. Parnevik, who led by two heading into the final round at Troon in 1997, but lost out to Justin Leonard, was watching from afar and rooting for his countryman. “Good luck this weekend Henrik Stenson,” he tweeted. “Finish off what I never did. Sweden has waited long enough.” He need not have worried. “I felt like this was going to be my turn,” said Stenson, who had previously had three second place finishes and six thirds in Major Championships.Are there more Major victories in Stenson's future? Share your predictions with the Pro Golf Tour.