Stenson, the comeback kid, deserved ‘High Troon’ epic win

Troon: “High Troon”, they christened it and nobody soared so merrily towards golfing heaven than Henrik Stenson.

In becoming Sweden’s first major champion, the 40-year-old had to overcome an inspired Phil Mickelson in a head-to-head which rivals the most legendary of Open shoot-outs.

Stenson had to produce his very best to deny Mickelson his second Claret Jug in four years and many will claim that he produced the Open’s very best.

Stenson’s incredible 63 gave him the lowest total ever in the Open — 264 — as well as the lowest score to relation to par in the Open — 20-under.

As an indication of their superiority, the next best score in the field on the final day was a 67 by Rory McIlroy.

All of Stenson’s peerless ball-striking talent finally came pouring out in this remarkable conclusion.

At 40 years of age he is an example that it is never too late.

Stenson, the popular prankster from Gothenburg, has endured many downs since marching on to the circuit in 2000.

After early success, he crashed down the rankings as his confidence disappeared.

“He couldn’t hit the fairway; he couldn’t hit the golf course; he couldn’t hit the planet,” said Torsten Hansson, his sports psychologist.

Hansson pieced together his brain, Pete Cowen, the great Yorkshire coach, went to work on the swing and three years later he was winning on the European Tour again and from there he became an established world player.

But his troubles were not over. He fell victim to Allen Stanford, the fraudster financier, and lost most of his savings.

Cowen believed that ruined his self-belief and he spiralled once more.

Again, Cowen was there to pick him up and with another Englishman, Gareth Lord, as his caddie he rescaled the heights, winning the Order of Merits on both Tours.

Yet despite racking up seven top-four finishes, the major was missing.

When Stenson broke his and his country’s void in the most spectacular manner imaginable, it was breath-taking fare from the off.

Consider that the rest of the field averaged over par on the front nine and that Stenson and Mickelson were both four-under.

On the first, Mickelson hit his approach to two feet and from there it was a red-figured assault on the feared Ayrshire links.

With Stenson three-putting that opening green, Mickelson effected a two-shot turnaround, going from one behind to one ahead.

He almost chipped in on the second, but Stenson birdied from 10 feet and did so again on third to regain the lead.

He birdied to fourth as well, yet still saw Mickelson catch him as the left-hander hit his approach to 10 feet.

As if to give the galleries’s larynxes a rest they ‘only’ pared the fifth but were back among them again with a pair of fours on the par-five fifth.

Birdies had suddenly become par for this magical duo. Except on the Postage Stamp, Mickelson cracked.

He spun it into five feet on the classic 125-yarder, but missed after Stenson had converted his 12-footer.

If any proof was needed that this was now a matchplay spectacle then here it was. And so they went on, both birdieing the 10th.

Surely Troon’s notorious back nine would sort them out? Would it hell. Stenson did bogey the 11th but moved ahead again with a 20-footer on the par-three 14th.

It was the 15th when the drama boiled over. Stenson holed from 50-feet, punched the air and Mickelson looked shell-shocked.

The American came so close to eagling the 16th, but like that putt on Thursday for a historic 62 it somehow stayed above ground.

Stenson picked up yet another birdie after a tremendous up and down.

His lead was two going down the 18th, but he birdied it anyway. It was the first 63 to win a major since Johnny Miller’s at Oakmont in 1973 and deserves the same hero-worship as well.

In truth, McIlroy would have required a career-best week just to live with Stenson. Sergio Garcia was another on four-under following a 69.

It was the Spaniard’s 12th top-five finish in the majors, but if he fears his day will never come he need look no further than the 2016 champion. King Henrik, the man who would not give up.