Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson sit down with Rachel Drummond for the first time ever since their famous duel in 2016 at Troon. They look back on their final round specifically where both players really charged away from the rest of the field, truly making it a two way battle. This week they return to the scene for the 2024 Open Championship.
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morning Henrik how are you man good to see you all right you’ve been looking forward to this for eight years and yeah finally we’re here yeah I can’t wait for the rest of the 45 minutes let’s get started here come on filmmakers and Henrik Stenson Ru true 2016 what a battle you had talk to us about your experience of that final day I’ve been asked quite a lot do do you and Phil ever talk about and I’m like he doesn’t want want to talk about it obviously we played some incredible Golf and it turns turns out to be one for the ages really well first of all I’m very excited to be here and talk about me losing it’s great what actually sticks out about this Win For You loss for me was that I don’t know if anybody knows this but we played together the major prior to this was at Oakmont and we were paired together the first two rounds and I said Henrik you’re one of the best long iron players in the history of the game the best I’ve ever seen one of one of the best you’re going to win your major do you remember me saying that yeah yeah now little did I know it would be the next one and it would be at my expense fast forward five 6 weeks here we are walking off 18 and we kind of put our arms around each other and I said do you remember I didn’t even look up I think I said do you remember the conversation he went like mhm I thought I said off was that not accurate was that not that was later that later yeah cuz I’ve said that multiple times since that I don’t remember I hope you can tell like in my in uh my voice and things we’re saying how much respect I have for you and as much as uh you know it’s not fun talking about losing and so forth but it’s I am genuinely happy for uh your performance and your and your win and and it’s taken eight years to be able to say that and two minutes and 29 seconds but here here we are no I I appreciate that I mean yeah off off the Tiger Woods you’re the you’re the best player that’s been been out there for the last 20 plus years so it’s like guys we want a bit of abuse for each other not no no we we’re going to start it’s going to be a hugfest here in a minute why don’t we look at all the shots that uh that that were heartwrenching for me that would be [Music] great Majestic stroke from Stenson he’s responding to [Applause] [Music] Michelson Advantage melson what a dingdong battle from these two players just been extraordinary we talk about match play how how much was this at Ro TR did it feel like match play blow for blow I can’t remember exactly but I think we were a couple of shots ahead of the rest of the field it was head to-head I didn’t worry about anybody else on the leaderboard there cuz nobody else was was within Striking Distance or were they even making a move so it was just I was only worried about you but um it was a it was a tough match I mean he played some incredible golf yes going to be a shame D that somebody’s got to lose today there was a computer analysis like with AI that talked about every performance in the history of the game and the number one best performance in the history the game was Tiger in 2000 US Open I think that’s pretty obvious it’s number two was you at trun in 2016 and number three was actually mine atun and what an honor to lose to have the third best performance in majors in history and to lose um the the mathematical odds on that are are astronomical so I mean I had 2/3 and a second so when I’m putting myself in position at true and there’s only really one thing I’m after it’s like not another Podium finish it’s not going to matter I I don’t care if I finished second or fourth I was 40 at the time had a long and good career but not managed to kind of put that Crown Jewel on on on my career so I was there ready to to give him my best to to try and make it happen obviously now you had a one shot lead going into the final round and it two shot swing quite quickly do you remember that film yeah no I liked that part of that part you I’m starting positive for you Phil I just remember there was a right a strong right to left wi and and I uh got an ad iron to work back into the wind a little bit and then just fall out of the sky left ended up to attack well you almost hold it it was like dancing around the the cup and I came up short and 60 ft left the first one I don’t know 8 ft short and missed it yeah it was bogey not not the start that I wanted but I always say a lot of great rounds start with a five and that also probably put you into a more attacking frame of mind potentially yeah cuz you made 10 birdies from there and going up against Phil one of the absolute greatest players in the game with arguably the best short game in the game when I when I stepped onto that final round I knew he one he’s not going to back away but he’s not going to back down and even if he doesn’t have his best game he’s got a short game to back up anything so I knew I was I think mindset wise it made it easier for me cuz I knew I was going to have to go out and just play freely and play attacking cuz I I knew what I was up against so the second let’s take a look at that Phil you had a nasty chip off a bare lie for such a short shot on on link screens to get that kind of check and and yeah it lipped out lucky for me and then I made my bird put to get that shot back that I lost brilliant brilliant and what were the thoughts at the turn yeah I felt like going out the right to left win was more difficult for me and it was going to be a little bit easier for you and if I could stay within Striking Distance then I get to turn back and have a hooked win a left to right win for me and I thought that uh I would have a more of an advantage on the back nine the way the win was that day uh it obviously turned out not to be that CA the case that’s the amazing thing about lyns golf you two actually had two very different golf courses cuz left-handed right-handed you had different wins I mean how and certain holes are going to play more in more in favor depending on if you’re righty or Lefty the the holes that I can attack were often different than the holes that you could attack and that was kind of what made this uh an interesting duel is that I’m I’m able to get aggressive on some holes and then the holes I got to play conservative the ones that you’re getting aggressive on it was that’s why I think we had so much back and forth and and shot [Music] swings now 15 go on go on go on go on no Oh What A pun Henrik Stenson and I think before that correct me if I’m wrong one down four to go you probably feel like it’s not where you want to be but it’s not disastrous but when I made that one that was like uh-oh uh I left my putt quite a bit short but that putt on 15 that you made that was crushing I mean the one on 14 you expect you know we had been making putts all day it was uh wasn’t breaking much 15 20 ft and and you made it that’s somewhat expected the one on 15 was not expected and then when we go to 16 now I’ve got to make up some ground this putt that I had for Eagle I I I thought I mean it looks like it was it was going to go in uh and I mean it’s tracking tracking it’s diving in and then somehow miss it went across the hole short like it was right of the hole and ends up left of the hole short it looked like it was not possible and um yeah yeah I’m going like how did that Miss so if I make that and you and you miss that four five footer we’re even with to go instead we it was a reverse and you had a two- shot lead I I just don’t see how that ball I still it still looks I mean it’s we can talk about golfing gods and all this stuff right and when you win big tournaments and and when is your week it’s always going to be those small moments when when things are going your way you don’t think about it but it’s you always got to have that 10% 15% luck as well and and I have I have those Powers now what I don’t understand and and in watching you play in that thick heavy wind cuz I’m hitting these like low shots kind of running it knocking down you would strike it and it the ball would just soar right up into the air and the wind wouldn’t touch it and I remember a shot you hit on 17 I’m like oh that’s 40 yards short like it launched way up in the air and it just never loses its flight the wind’s blowing 20 that thick heavy link there and it comes down 4 ft from the hole like with the forearm I’m like what the what what is that like I had I hadn’t seen a ball penetrate the sky like that and I’m trying to hit like these little low knockdown shots you would strike it so solidly that the the wind wouldn’t affect it you’re the only person I’ve ever seen do that and if you wouldn’t have been so cheeky yet all these years I would have told you how to do it so we’re going to 18 um your t- shot up just short of the bunker what what did you hit off the tea we both hit three-wood didn’t we yeah you hit that three-wood pretty long i i i that bunker was not not in play for me but your ball just trundled and it looked like I think you you cut yours up into the window a little bit right your three wood and then I just hit a rocket down the right side cuz I want to avoid those left hand bunkers and now the ball there’s a roll there’s a the a grass rolls down and you couldn’t see your ball from the te no I thought it was in the I thought it was in it so now I’m thinking all right not going to be able get to the green if I can make birdie like I’ve got a legitimate chance here to to tie it and somehow it stayed short uh of that bunker yeah it looks like it has handbrake when you’re following it it kind of trundles towards the bunker and it’s on the down slope and it’s like someone goes I don’t think it was until Phil I mean you can see how close his birdie part was but when that stayed short then in my mind okay I I managed to pull this off and and uh The clar Jug is [Applause] mine I don’t look back on this tournament and and feel like ah I should have done this or I wish I had done that I feel like you know I played I played really great Golf and as about as well as I could have and and I got beat and it was the uh first time I can remember that happening in my career and uh I saw some incredible Golf and I was able to play some incredible Golf and I think it was um really a great week uh because I’ve always said that what’s fun is being in it and what’s fun is like playing Great Golf and being in it with a chance to win and that’s what I had that week I mean I care about the result like you want to win but what I love is not the holding the trophy it’s it’s go it’s being in that process like that’s what it’s all about when you’re thinking back at great great dels and and great matches this one’s going to be be up there forever well congratulations again thank you
