Stenson lines up Europe v USA battle as
Henrik Stenson believes today’s battle for Open glory will come down to a Ryder Cup- style matchplay showdown with Phil Mickelson.
So he urged the Troon crowd to treat it that way by cheering for him instead of the American as this fascinating do- or- die clash for the Claret Jug looks set to go down to the wire.
It was compulsive enough viewing yesterday as their thirdround pairing turned into a relentless slug-fest where both traded blows like boxers as the lead changed hand repeatedly.
By the end it was Stenson who delivered the most telling strike, seizing a slender advantage with a brilliant birdie on the testing par three 17th while a rare wayward Mickelson tee shot leaked right.
That puts Stenson in pole position to close out a longawaited first Major triumph that he was denied by Mickelson back in 2013 when he snatched the Claret Jug from under his nose with a stunning late burst at Muirfield. This time Stenson is intent on sweet revenge – and he admitted he’ll treat it like a Ryder Cup matchplay showdown as he prepares to match Mickelson birdie for birdie as it all comes down to these last thrilling 18 holes.
Stenson said: “It feels a little bit like a Ryder Cup-style.
“Even though Phi l ’s very popular in this part of the world, maybe I could have a few more Europeans giving me a push tomorrow. We want to get the atmosphere of the Ryder Cup going. It was certainly kind of a matchplay scenario out there. I was happy enough to throw two good punches in there on the par threes and pick up two shots on either one of them to come back out on top at the end of the third round.
“Because when Phil made the birdie on 13, he was in the driver’s seat and then he made another birdie on 16 where I had to make a good par save.
“So, yeah, it was nice to get those two blows in there and even it out or even go one ahead. I’m looking forward to going into tomorrow with the edge and I’m sure we’ll have plenty more of this come September.
“I’ve played a lot with Phil, especially this year. I don’t know why we ended up every second week together.
“We played at Augusta, we played at US Open, we ended up playing together last week in the third round of the Scottish Open and there’s been another couple at The Players.
“So I feel like he’s my playing partner. I enjoy his company. He’s always fun to watch. He hits some spectacular shots and he’s a great competitor. So it’s