There have been several unforgettable finishes in major golf tournaments in the recent past, but it really will be tough to match what transpired last Sunday at Royal Troon.

Henrik Stenson won the 145th Open Championship, breaking all kinds of records. The fact that he equalled the all-time low score of 20-under to win a major, or that he broke the previous Open record 19-under par winning score of Tiger Woods, or that he shot a 63 to match Johnny Miller’s best-ever final-round score to win a major, will ensure his name is etched in the record books forever.

But I feel his win will also be remembered for the style in which it was achieved. Very few major champions can boast of that. That battle he had with Phil Mickelson was absolutely fascinating — from the word go to the last hole. It was as good as the ‘Duel in the Sun’ between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in 1977 at Turnberry, if not better.

The fact that Stenson shot an eight-under-par 63 and Mickelson 65, needs to be seen in the context that not only were they playing in the leadergroup, they also faced the pressure of a final round in a major championship. On top of that, Mickelson has been winless since the 2013 Open title in Muirfield, while Stenson was trying to win his first major. With all that background, I expected them to play well, but certainly not that well!

Like two unrelenting boxers, they were at each other from the opening bell. Fourteen birdies and an eagle in a two-ball is sensational. And it wasn’t as if Royal Troon was playing easy. Even if you think that the luck of the draw was with them in the first two rounds, to tally 20-under par and 17-under par takes some seriously good golf.

Stenson won it in trademark fashion — he led the greens in regulation, and that is the hallmark of his golf. His iron play is immensely strong and that not just keeps him out of trouble, but also sets up a lot of birdie opportunities. And if his putter is working decently, he will always have a chance in any tournament. As it happened, all aspects of his game were on song at Royal Troon.

You have to feel for Mickelson because, apart from being a very good golfer, he has an amazing connect with the fans. But Stenson not just matched him shot for shot, I think the former Dubai resident is equally loved by the fans.

We are blessed in golf to have some genuinely nice top-class athletes, but you will struggle to find a better person than Stenson. He is always warm and friendly — just don’t tell that to his golf clubs though! — and he has a wacky sense of humour. Most importantly, I have always found that he has an amazing knack of doing the right things.

Since turning pro, he has gone through many ups and downs — two extremely deep slumps in form and the famous swindling case with Alan Stanford in which he lost lots of his hard-earned money — but he is an example for others to follow because he has always managed to come out of all his problems with flying colours.

I greatly admire how hard he works on his game; how he has trusted his team throughout all his trying times, and how nicely he balances his professional and personal life. Really, for all the up and coming golfers, Stenson is a perfect role model to follow.

— Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour