Phil Mickelson shares story he’s never told before about Henrik Stenson ahead of this year’s Open Championship

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Phil Mickelson has revealed the remarkable prediction he made at the 2016 US Open just before the incredible duel he would have with Henrik Stenson at The Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Of course, many will remember that famous Sunday at Royal Troon eight years ago when Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson almost seemed to be the only two players in the field as they battled it out over the Claret Jug.

JB Holmes finished 11 shots behind Mickelson in third place, while Stenson was 14 clear of the American as the Swede clinched his first major title.

It was one of those incredible days where the event also became a matchplay contest on Sunday, with Stenson shooting a 63 on the final day. Mickelson was two shots worse off.

What Phil Mickelson told Henrik Stenson before 2016 Open Championship

Few could have imagined what would happen on that final day, but perhaps Mickelson was one of those who had an inkling. The 54-year-old told LIV Golf ahead of this year’s Open Championship what he had said to Stenson when they played together at the US Open the previous month.

“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 the best, you’ll win your major’. Now, little did I know that it would be the next one and it would be at my expense,” he said.

Duel that few would have seen coming

Stenson had long had a game which was competitive in the majors, having finished in the top five on nine occasions during his career. He has also had two purple patches in his career, having shone between 2008 and 2010 before returning to the top of the game three years later.

But it is still incredible that Mickelson’s comment came just one month before what happened at The Open, with Stenson actually having to withdraw before completing his second round at the US Open. Like Mickelson, he was very much on course to miss the cut at Oakmont.

It would be a surprise if either player was in serious contention in the coming days, but golf fans would be over the moon if any two players can engage in the kind of battle Mickelson and Stenson had in 2016.