Stephen Gallacher

I’ve been fortunate to watch some fantastic golf in my lifetime but what I saw on Sunday at Troon will take some beating.

Phil Mickelson was magnificent, carding a bogey-free 65 on the final day of the Open to give him a 17-under-par total which would have been good enough to win 140 of the previous 144 Open championships held.

But it was not good enough to beat the super Swede Henrik Stenson. Phil’s performance was superb but it reinforces just how awesome a display it was from Henrik, who won by three thanks to a closing 63 for a 20-under total of 264.

They were like two gladiators going toe to toe and the golf they played was as good under pressure as I’ve seen.

Henrik was in the zone before a ball had been hit and I remember him saying the tournament had effectively come down to a two-horse race by close of play of Saturday’s third round.

He was not dismissing the

“Good enough to win 140 of the previous 144”

rest of the field, merely steeling himself for the challenge which was to come against a great multiple major champion in Phil.

He produced the golf worthy of winning the greatest tournament in our game with a phenomenal display and his shot at the 17th to within 8ft of the pin was astounding.

It got even better at the last, with a three wood down the middle and a nine iron to the green followed by a stunning birdie putt to round off the greatest week of his career.

What was all the more remarkable, though, was his demeanour. If he was feeling the pressure, Henrik didn’t show it. In fact, he looked like he was playing a Sunday medal with his pal for a fiver.

The game of golf has taken a bit of a kicking recently, especially with all the furore regarding the Olympic withdrawals, but Troon was a great advert