Pirate Galaxy » guard lost control as he tried to sh

TROON, Scotland -- Henrik Stenson kept hitting the best shots of his life, one after another, because there was no other way to beat Phil Mickelson in an Open showdown that ranked among the best in golf.Stenson shot an 8-under 63 on Sunday to finish the tournament at 20-under and claim his first major championship. He won Sundays matchup with Mickelson by 2 strokes and the Claret Jug by 3 over the American.Stensons final stroke of this major masterpiece was a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Royal Troon that tumbled into the cup on the final turn. His 63 matched Johnny Miller for the lowest closing round by a major champion.I didnt know until they told me in the recorders hut, Stenson said when asked if he knew that last putt was for 63.Both Stenson and Mickelson played stellar golf, combining for an eagle, 14 birdies and two bogeys in the final pairing.Thank you very much for a great fight, Stenson told Mickelson as he accepted the Claret Jug.Stenson ended his winners speech on the 18th green by dedicating the victory to a close friend who died of cancer the day before The Open started.I feel like he has been with me all week. Mike, this one is for you, said an emotional Stenson as he raised the Claret Jug one more time and kissed it.Mike Gerbich was a pal of the Stenson and his wife Emma when they lived in Dubai. Gerbich and Henrik Stenson used to play golf together.I know hes hurting inside, Stensons caddie Gareth Lord said. Its a perfect way to say thanks.Stenson delivered a crushing blow to Mickelsons chances of capturing a sixth major championship by making a 50-foot birdie putt from off the green at No. 15 that gave him a 2-shot lead with three to play. It was the first time all day the final group had been separated by more than 1 stroke.The 40-year-old Stenson started walking when the putt was halfway there, stopping to pump his fist, rare emotion for the Swede with ice-blue eyes.Mickelson narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 16th hole, and Stenson kept his 2-shot lead with an up-and-down for birdie from the deep rough.I knew he wasnt going to back down at any point, and in a way that makes it easier for myself, Stenson said. I knew I had to keep on pushing, keep on giving myself birdie chances. He wasnt going to give it to me, so I had to pull away. Im just delighted I managed to do that with a couple of birdies at the right time.Mickelson led only once, a two-shot swing on the opening hole. They were tied with five holes to play until Stenson made an 18-foot birdie on the par-3 14th and then buried Lefty with a putt that defined his moment as a major champion.J.B. Holmes finished third. He was 14 shots behind.Those guys are playing a different golf course than everyone else, Holmes said.Stensons previous best finish in a major was a tie for second at the 2013 Open at Muirfield, which Mickelson won for his most recent major victory.He gave Sweden a long-awaited major in mens golf, 19 years after Jesper Parnevik lost a 54-hole lead at Royal Troon. Stenson said Parnevik sent him a message that said, Go out and finish what I didnt manage to finish.Im really proud to have done that, and its going to be massive for golf in Sweden with this win, Stenson said.Stensons total of 264 set a record for lowest score at a major. Stenson eclipsed the Open mark of 267 set by Greg Norman at Royal St. Georges in 1993 and the overall mark of 265 by David Toms at the 2001 PGA Championship. Stenson also tied Jason Days record for lowest score under par set last year at the PGA Championship.Its disappointing to come in second, but Im happy for Henrik, Mickelson said. Ive always thought that he is one of the best ball strikers in the game and that major championships are perfectly suited for him. I knew that he would ultimately come through and win. Im happy that he did. Im disappointed that it was at my expense.For Mickelson, its an 11th runner-up finish at a major in his career. Only Jack Nicklaus, with 19, has more second-place results.Its probably the best Ive played and not won, Mickelson said. Thats probably why its disappointing in that I dont have a point where I can look back and say, I should have done that or Had I only done this. I played a bogey-free round of 65 on the final round of a major. Usually thats good enough to do it. And I got beat. I got beat by 10 birdies.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Marquese Chriss Jersey . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Trevon Duval Rockets Jersey . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. https://www.rocketsrookiesshop.com/Vincent-Edwards-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Brandon Knight Rockets Jersey . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Gerald Green Rockets Jersey . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69.MADISON, Wis. -- Coming off a difficult early season stretch, playing in front of a tepid home crowd and with final exams looming, the conditions were almost in place for No. 17 Wisconsin to suffer a letdown Wednesday night.Only one thing was missing: a worthy opponent.Bronson Koenig scored 21 points, Ethan Happ had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and the Badgers rolled past Idaho State 78-44.Wisconsin (8-2) scored the first 10 points and opened up a 21-3 lead as the Bengals (1-8) could only muster a single 3-pointer in the opening 11 1/2 minutes.It kind of took a while there to get going, kind of a little dead, Wisconsin guard Zak Showalter said. Weve just got to create our own energy sometimes. Its games like this where you kind of get tested, and youve just got to be ready to go every game. I think we responded well.The Badgers were coming off a stretch of four games that included three against schools that played in last seasons Final Four. Wisconsin lost to North Carolina in Maui on Nov. 23, then beat Syracuse on Nov. 29 and Oklahoma on Saturday, both at home.The Badgers held Bengals leading scorer Ethan Telfair (19.8 ppg) to two points on 1-of-9 shooting, with his only basket coming with 5:57 left in the game.I think they know if you can stop him, theres a good chance were going to have a hard time scoring the ball, Bengals coach Bill Evans said. I think thats about as good a job as anybody has done on him in two years.Balint Mocsan had 10 points to lead Idaho State.BIG PICTUREIdaho State: The Bengals had their first winning record last season under Evans in his fourth year at the helm, but with only one victory so far in the non-conference season, that feat will be hard to duplicate. Idaho State never threatened to earn its first victory over a Power 5 conference oppponent in 30 years.ddddddddddddWisconsin: The Badgers held Idaho State to a season low in points, the eighth time in 10 games Wisconsin has done that to an opponent. The Badgers ranked 21st in the nation in scoring defense coming into the game.POLL IMPLICATIONSThis game likely wont register much with poll voters. The Badgers were expected to dominate an overmatched opponent, and they did. The game Saturday game against Marquette in Milwaukee might carry more weight.COLD AIRWisconsins Showalter and Vitto Brown each failed to draw rim on 3-point attempts, and Happ and Nigel Hayes both missed everything on a free throw. But Idaho States Geno Luzcando had the worst luck -- the junior guard lost control as he tried to shoot a 3 in front of the Wisconsin bench, and the ball went over his head out of bounds. On his next shot attempt, he launched an airball from almost the same spot.HE SAID ITIt was one of those days for Evans, the reigning Big Sky Conference coach of the year. He had one question when he entered the interview room and found a sports drink waiting for him at the table. First thing is, is this tequila, or is it something else? Because if its not tequila, Im not really interested, Evans said. I dont drink either, and Im about ready to try it.UP NEXTIdaho State: Hosts Bristol, a third-year California program that plays all its games on the road, to begin a stretch of four games in 11 days.Wisconsin: Will be tested by two in-state rivals, playing at Marquette on Saturday and hosting Wisconsin-Green Bay on Dec. 14, before a break for final exams.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '