Mickelson Wins The Open
{fshare id=4099}
Phil Mickelson entered the final round of the 2013 Open Championship trailing Lee Westwood by five shots, but a 5-under 66 (equaling the round of the week/Zach Johnson/R1) led to a three-stroke win over Henrik Stenson. It is his fifth Major Championship (2004, 2006 & 2010 Masters, 2005 PGA Championship and 2013 Open Championship).
Mickelson becomes the first player to win the European Tour’s Scottish Open and then the Open Championship the following week.
Mickelson’s win comes in his 20th Open start, tied with Darren Clarke (2011) for most starts before winning. With wins in each of the last 10 seasons on the PGA TOUR, he owns the longest active streak. Mickelson has won at least one tournament in 20 different TOUR seasons, trailing only Sam Snead (24) and Jack Nicklaus (21) who have won in more seasons.
The U.S. Open now remains the elusive tournament to Mickelson earning a Career Grand Slam. The list of players who have won all four Majors: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Lee Westwood carried a two-stroke lead over Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan into
the final round of the Open Championship, but his 4-over 75 led to a T3 finish.
FedExCup leader Tiger Woods, a three-time winner of the Open Championship (2000, 2005-06), carded a final- round 3-over 74 to finish T6. Woods has never come-from-behind to win a major. He is 14 of 15 in majors when holding at least a share of the lead going into the final round, with Y.E. Yang’s come-from-behind win at the 2009 PGA Championship his only blemish.
Making his 14th Open Championship start, Masters champion Adam Scott held the lead on the back nine of the Open Championship for the second straight year, but four consecutive bogeys on Nos. 13-16 led to a T3 finish.
Making his 106th PGA TOUR start, Henrik Stenson notched his second runner-up finish, with his first coming earlier this year at the Shell Houston Open. He has now finished inside the top 3 in three of the last six years at the Open Championship (T3/2008, T3/2010, 2nd/2013).
John Deere Classic champion Jordan Spieth finished T44 in his first Open Championship. His only other Major Championship starts came at the U.S. Open, finishing T21 in 2012 and missing the cut in 2013.
