Phil Mickelson gets First British Open Win
Just a week ago he dominated the Scottish Open at the Castle Stuart course, and seemed to have overcome many of his demons. This weekend, spectators packed onto the Muirfield course to see if he could do it again. Or if once again, Phil Mickelson would succumb to overthinking and second-guessing. When his final putt when in on the 18th and he became the clear winner of the British Open, those same fans celebrated with the roar that Mickelson had been waiting his entire career for.
Mickelson has had some great moments out on the course. One came just a week ago when he won the Scottish Open on the Castle Stuart course. But this was different. This was the British Open, a tournament known for its most challenging course and miserable conditions to boot. The impossible rough and the tight fairways were par for the course at Castle Stuart, but rare blue skies and mild temperatures was making for a rare weekend on this particular course. That seemed to be the only thing going for many of the greats including Tiger Woods, but Mickelson took it all in stride and in the end, was the one to truly prevail.
It looked as though he was going to get past all that had stopped him before when he chipped birdies at both the front-nine par five holes, one at the 5th and one at the 9th; and also put in birdies on the 13th, 14th, 17th, and the 18th. Even with a bogey thrown into the mix, he finished with four birdies and two pars on those last six holes.
With his final putt he knew he had beaten out Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who had shot 284, a five-under par. Mickelson’s three-under par at 281 was better. And when his final putt sealed that fact, he raised his arms knowing that he finally had conquered an Open.
“It’s a huge difference in emotions to be so down at the U.S. Open and to try to use it as motivation, and to turn it around in the space of a month,” he said while proudly holding the Claret Jug. “I was playing some of the best golf of my life, and I didn’t want it to stop me.”
Categorized in: PGA