BATTLE FOR THE AGESHow Stenson vs Mickelson unfolded

The battle between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson in the final round of The 145th Open is one of the greatest head-to-heads in major championship history.

Countless twists and turns kept the sporting world captivated on a Sunday of high drama at Royal Troon.

Ahead of The Open’s return to the same course, let’s take a look back at how that final day unfolded, hole by hole…

The final day began with the Swede a shot ahead but the lead changed hands instantly as the opening hole set the tone for a rollercoaster day. Stenson paid for a wayward approach and three-putted for a bogey.

Mickelson, by contrast, nailed his approach to within a couple of feet and tapped in for birdie to take a one-shot lead of his own.

Stenson, perhaps refocused by his early hiccup, responded in style by draining a nerveless birdie putt on the second green.

Mickelson came within a whisker of a three of his own but a chip from off the green lipped out and he had to settle for par. The pair were all square.

Mickelson missed the fairway off the tee but a brilliant second shot set up a birdie opportunity.

Stenson sunk his own birdie putt to put the pressure on and Mickelson was unable to respond, missing the presentable chance to fall a shot back.

Both players took advantage at the first par-5 of the day. Stenson recorded a third consecutive birdie but left the green with only a share of the lead after a superb eagle from Mickelson left both players on 14-under-par.

That left the pair seven shots clear of anyone else on the course. This was already a two-horse race.

The pair took contrasting approaches to long-range birdie putts at the par-3 5th.

Mickelson judged the undulations perfectly but did not put enough weight on his effort, which stopped just short, while Stenson’s rolled past the cup having been hit with pace. Pars for both left it level.

By this stage, commentators were comparing the battle to heavyweight boxers trading blows and that theme continued on the par-5 6th.

Mickelson’s putter remained on fire and his birdie put the ball in Stenson’s court. But the backspin on the Swede’s third shot set up a routine chance of his own and he completed the job to stay in a share of the lead.

The first wayward drive of the day was Mickelson’s but the American got away with his sliced drive, which hit a spectator and landed just off the fairway.

Stenson opted for a safer iron off the tee and went straight down the middle, with both players going on to complete pars.

Stenson had gone par-par-bogey over his first three visits to the iconic ‘Postage Stamp’ but saved his birdie for when it really mattered.

A 20-foot putt found the middle of the hole and Mickelson went left from eight feet as the Swede moved into the outright lead once more.

Two pars saw Stenson and Mickelson each reach the turn in 32, leaving the former still a shot ahead.

Stenson drained a longer-range birdie putt to apply pressure but Mickelson held firm, sinking his own to stay within a stroke.

Mickelson remained on that score after holding firm for par as the intriguing shootout continued in the early stages of the back nine.

Mickelson went left off the tee and hit his second shot on to a grassy knoll. He escaped to leave himself a 25-foot uphill putt for par and, after Stenson missed his shot at birdie, judged it to perfection to leave it all square.

Of his effort, Mickelson later said: “It was perfect speed, but it didn’t break. It ended up not going in, and it totally shocked me. That was my chance to go one up.”

He tapped in for par and then turned to watch Stenson judge his putt to perfection to move to -17 and retake a one-shot lead.

Mickelson looked to follow suit from around half that range and gave it every chance but the ball went right of the cup to give the Swede a two-shot lead.

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Mickelson found the green in two but saw his eagle putt come up agonisingly short. Stenson, by contrast, needed a superb third shot out of the greenside rough to take him to within five feet and he rolled in for his third successive birdie.

He later described the 4-iron, which came to rest around six feet away, as “one of the best shots of my life, in the circumstances”. He may have missed the birdie putt but Mickelson, whose tee shot missed the green, could not take advantage and the gap remained at two heading down the last.

An approach to the heart of the green allayed any remaining nerves as Mickelson, who attacked the flag with an approach which came up around 25 feet short, needed two putts and completed his par.

Stenson had three shots to play with from 20 feet and needed just one, sealing the Championship in style with his 10th birdie of a staggering final round to finish 20-under-par for the week.

Stenson became the first Swede to win The Open in the process and his words on the green carried more than a hint of understatement.

“Wow,” he began. “This will take a little while to sink in. I want to thank Phil for a fantastic battle. We played some great golf.”