AT OPEN, OLDIES ARE GOODIES
Experience is great equalizer at golf ’s oldest major
Two old men by the sea did battle for the Claret Jug in last year’s British Open, throwing haymaker after haymaker at each other until one stood tallest at the end.
By the Firth of Clyde, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson unleashed an uncommon display of brilliance at ancient Royal Troon, separating themselves from the field with spectacular play that left their peers in awe. Stenson prevailed by three with a record performance in which he finished with the lowest total score shot in a major championship (264) and joined Johnny Miller as the only players to shoot 63 in the final round of a major.
His total in relation to par — 20 under — also set an Open record.
What wasn’t unusual about the instant classic, however, was the age of the combatants. Stenson was 40. At 46, Mickelson was trying to become the oldest winner of the Open since Old Tom Morris in the 19th century.
While golf is experiencing a youth