The Open Championship is golf’s oldest major, but the latest edition Sunday was truly one for the ages.

Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson put on a show the likes have never been seen in the final round of a major championship.

The two turned the 145th Open Championship into match play over the final 18 holes as they ran away from the rest of the field so they could decide who would hoist the Claret Jug at the end of the day.

It was thrilling to watch as Stenson and Mickelson traded great shot for great shot.

The tossed the lead back and forth throughout the round before Stenson’s amazing 51-foot putt sealed the deal.

I was pulling for both men because there was going to be no loser on Sunday afternoon.

I say there was no loser because Mickelson shot five-under and turned in a bogey-free round of 65, the best he had ever shot in the last round of a major.

His score of minus-17 would have won 141 of the 145 Open Championships.

Only problem was that Stenson, who had never won a major, played even better with 10 birdies in his final round.

I was going to be happy either way because I have always been a big fan of Mickelson’s since I first watched him play at the Point O’Woods near Benton Harbor in the Western Amateur.

I was happy for Stenson in that he shed the tag of never winning a major and the label that he could not finish on golf’s biggest stages.

This is what golf is supposed to be about. Players dueling for a championship.

This was supposed to be what we were going to see for more than a decade from Phil and Tiger Woods.

But that never really happened.

I have said this before, the future of golf is in great hands. There are a lot of really good players on the tour right now and I can envision more days like Sunday as we move forward.

I cannot wait to see what the next major provides us. I wonder if it can produce the same type of drama?

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.