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. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Luke-Willson-Draft-Jersey/ . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Levine-Toilolo-Draft-Jersey/ .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Nick-Bellore-Draft-Jersey/ . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Matt-Prater-Draft-Jersey/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Marvin-Jones-Jr-Draft-Jersey/ . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. WASHINGTON -- Once the Washington Capitals cracked Roberto Luongo, they cruised to their fifth consecutive victory.T.J. Oshie, Alex Ovechkin and Lars Eller scored on five shots in less than five minutes as the Capitals beat the Florida Panthers 4-2 Saturday night to keep their winning streak going. Oshie had two goals in the game and wasnt worried about the veteran team getting frustrated by Luongos heroics.Sometimes youve got to find different ways to score, said Oshie, who has six goals this season. We got a pretty positive bench. We got guys that say the right things on the team. You saw there it took a tip-in goal to kind of open the floodgates a little bit.Luongo was arguably the best player on the ice making 32 saves on 36 shots, and he was on the wrong end of some mistakes by an injury-riddled Panthers lineup. There wasnt much he could do on Oshies first goal that came on a 2-on-1, or on Ovechkins when the superstar made a textbook deflection of Brooks Orpiks shot.Oshies second goal and Ellers -- which came with the Danish ambassador witnessing his first hockey game -- were flashier. But the Capitals dont care how they score as long as they get the job done.We have to have traffic in front, said Ovechkin, who had an assist to go along with his seventh goal of the season. If youre going to put big body in front of the net, its one more chance to put it in on a deflection or hes not going to see it.Luongo stopped just about everything he could see. He robbed Ovechkin from his spot on the power play, got his right pad on Marcus Johanssons effort from the edge of the crease and made such an impressive glove save on a rebound attempt by Nicklas Backstrom that he held the puck in the air like an outfielder showing he snared a line drive.The 37-year-old earned plenty of kudos from Capitals players, and his coach didnt blame him at all when Floridas 2-1 lead became a 4-2 deficit in a 4:45 stretch.Second period he probably made five unbelievable saves to keep it cclose, Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said.dddddddddddd We made some dumb mistakes. We opened up the ice for them. Theyre a team thats going to capitalize on your mistakes.Jared McCann scored his first goal with Florida after an offseason trade from Vancouver, and Reilly Smith had a power-play goal as the Panthers led early in the third period. But without ageless right winger Jaromir Jagr, who left with a groin injury, and many other key players, they couldnt handle the Capitals onslaught.Things were looking good for our hockey team, and then we fell apart again, said Gallant, whose team has lost seven of 10. It was a matter of time before theyre coming back the way we were playing.After a strong second period gave way to blowing a three-goal lead Thursday against Winnipeg, the Capitals didnt let up after an 18-4 second-period shot advantage Saturday. They got better as the game went on, and the results followed.We play with confidence, Ovechkin said. We understand we cant let different teams play their way. We have to manage our speed, we have to manage our game and we have to dictate the scenario.Game notes Gallant said Jagr felt a cramp in his groin during the first period and was too sore to return. He said the injury didnt seem too serious and called the 44-year-old day to day. ... Washington starter Braden Holtby stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced. ... Capitals 1990 playoff hero John Druce dropped the puck for a ceremonial faceoff on Hockey Fights Cancer night. Druces daughter Courtney died from cancer over the summer after being diagnosed with the disease five times since 2014.UP NEXTPanthers: Return home from their one-game road trip to face their in-state-rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Monday night.Capitals: Host the defending Western Conference-champion San Jose Sharks on election night in the nations capital Tuesday. Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China NFL Gear Wholesale NFL T-shirts Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Hoodies Black China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store China Jerseys ' ' '