All eyes turn to Royal Birkdale for the 146th Open Championship as the best golfer’s in the world mount their charge at professional golf’s oldest competition...
REWIND
Henrik Stenson won his first Major Championship in style as he overcame Phil Mickelson in record-breaking fashion in a thrilling final round of The 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The Swede came into the final round with a one-shot advantage over his American rival but the duo were tied at the top of the leaderboard with five holes to play as they went blow-for-blow in an enthralling contest.
A birdie on the par three 14th moved Stenson ahead and when he drained a remarkable 50-foot effort on the next, the pair were separated by two shots for the first time all day. A brilliant up-and-down followed to maintain the gap and Stenson birdied the last to finish at 20 under with a 63 and beat Mickelson by three shots.
Stenson had finished second behind Mickelson at Muirfield in 2013 but the circumstances were very different here as the pair played together in the final group on Saturday and Sunday to produce a duel of the highest quality and drama.
Mickelson finished with a 65 to sit 11 shots ahead of countryman JB Holmes, who was a distant third at six under after a 69. Another American, Steve Stricker, also fired a 69 to sit at five under, a shot clear of Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton.
THE FIELD
The big names have arrived at Royal Birkdale with the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings set to tee it up on the outskirts of Southport this week. World Number Four Rory McIlroy -the 2014 Champion will be looking to chasing his fifth Major, while US Open Championship Stenson and World Number One Dustin Johnson will both be looking to win their second.
Ireland’s Padraig Harrington successfully defended his Open Championship title at this venue in 2008 with a four-shot victory over Ian Poulter, and with impressive form on the links last week at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, he will no doubt come into the week full of confidence on a course he knows well. Another player with fond memories of Royal Birkdale is Justin Rose, who burst onto the scene when he finished tied fourth as a 17 year old amateur in 1998.
With 66 European Tour members in the field, Tommy Fleetwood is the local favourite hoping to make good on a season that has delivered so much already for the 26 year old from Southport. Currently leading the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex after his stunning win at the HNA Open de France, his hot form at some of the biggest tournaments of the year could prove just the catalyst for taking the next step to Major glory, while same goes for the other three Rolex Series winners Alex Noren, Jon Rahm and Rafa Cabrera Bello.
And let’s not forget another Spaniard who has tasted victory twice this season on the European Tour, with Sergio Garcia looking to add to his Major collection after his Masters Tournament victory in April.
BITE SIZED HISTORY
The oldest of the four Major Championships, The Open was first played in 1860 at Prestwick’s Old Course. Since its inception, the tournament has become the most famous golf competition in the world, being played at Britain’s finest links courses. Winners of the event were originally awarded the Challenge Belt, a red leather belt with a silver buckle, but in 1872 three clubs due to host The Open each paid £10 towards a new trophy – the Claret Jug.
Seven-time Major champion Sam Snead was the first post-war winner of the event in 1946, while Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods are just some of golf’s greatest names who have lifted the Claret Jug on multiple occasions.
As well as becoming Sweden's first male Major Champion, Stenson broke a host of records with the lowest total to par in Open history and the lowest ever final round by a winner when he went on to lift the claret Jug in 2016. His final round 63 - a total matched by Mickelson on Thursday - equalled the lowest round in Major history and his 264 aggregate score is the lowest ever in a Major Championship.
THE COURSE
Situated in the North West coast of England, Royal Birkdale is one of the world’s most magnificent links. Set to stage its tenth Open Championship and first since 2008, the fairways weave through the imposing sand dunes that tower over the course, providing wonderful vantage points for spectators throughout the week.
Designed by George Lowe in 1889, it has since been re-designed by Fred Hawtree and J H Taylor in 1922, and most recently modified by Martin Hawtree in 1993. It features tight fairways, with few consecutive holes playing in the same direction. The finishing hole of the par 7,156 par 70 plays toward Royal Birkdale’s distinctive white Art Deco clubhouse overlooking the 18th green.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Royal Birkdale will be staging its tenth Open Championship (1954, 61, 65, 71, 76, 83, 91, 98, 08) and first since 2008.
• At Birkdale’s first Open, Peter Thomson won the first of three Majors in succession (1954, 55, 56); winning also in 1958, he returned to the same course in 1965 to add his fifth and final title.
• The last seven Major Champions have been first time winners: Brooks Koepka (2017 U.S. Open Championship Championship), Sergio Garcia (2017 Masters Tournament), Jimmy Walker (2016 US PGA Championship), Henrik Stenson (2016 Open Championship), Dustin Johnson (2016 U.S. Open Championship), Danny Willett (2016 Masters Tournament), and Jason Day (2015 US PGA Championship).
• Defending champion Stenson’s winning total of 264 beat the previous lowest winning total in The Open Championship by three shots, when bettering Greg Norman's 267 to win in 1993.
• Stenson’s 72 hole total of 264 created Major Championship history by becoming the lowest winning total, beating the total of 265 by David Toms in winning the 2001 US PGA Championship.
• Stenson became the first male Swede to win a Major, his winning total in relation to par of 20 under is the lowest in the history of The Open Championship, beating the previous best by Tiger Woods of 19 under in 2000. It also equals the lowest in Major Championship history, set by Day at the 2015 US PGA Championship.
• Stenson's final round 63 was the lowest final round to win The Open Championship. The previous best was 64 by Norman in 1993. He joins Johnny Miller (1973 U.S. Open Championship) as the only two players to shoot 63 in the final round of a Major and win.
• He became the 27th different player to shoot 63 in a Major Championship and it was the 29th time overall that a 63 has been recorded in a Major.
• France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera, who turned professional in 2005, will make his Major debut at The Open Championship after qualifying with his third place finish at the HNA Open de France.
• World Number 12 Justin Rose finished tied fourth in The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998. He shot a 69 in the final round that year to finish two shots out of a play-off between Mark O'Meara and Brian Watts. Woods finished third. It remains Rose's best finish at an Open and was his only top ten until he finished tied sixth in 2015.
• Padraig Harrington successfully defended his Open Championship title in 2008 with a four-shot victory over Ian Poulter at Royal Birkdale.
• The 1985 Open Champion Sandy Lyle will be making his 41st consecutive Open Championship appearance in 2017 and 42nd overall. He has played 39 times as a professional and two as an amateur. He first played in 1974 as a 16 year old. His second appearance as an amateur was in 1977. He first played in the paid ranks in 1978. The Scot has played in every Open Championship since 1977.
