Wednesday 20 July 2016 20:03, UK
Ewen Murray reflects on a ground-breaking 145th Open at Royal Troon, where the memorable final-day duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson was top of a long list of significant storylines throughout the week.
I'm sitting at home having a quiet hour and I'm thinking, did all of that really happen at Royal Troon? The 145th edition of The Open will live long in the memory. An Open with so many stories, records falling, sumptuous golf, wind, rain and ultimately, the sunshine that joined in on a never-to-be-forgotten Sunday. An Open that left us with so many images of what was an amazing week on the beautiful Ayrshire coastline.
With this grand old championship on Sky Sports for the first time, whatever happens in future years, we will all remember where we were when Sweden celebrated their first men's major winner, and the quality of golf played in Scotland will stay with us for decades.
Take the five-time major champion, Phil Mickelson. One shot behind with 18 holes to go, he shoots 65, to lose by three! Take Kentuckian, JB Holmes. Over the four days he scored, 70, 70, 69, 69 to secure third place, a full 14 shots behind the new champion - yes, 14 shots adrift of the immaculate Henrik Stenson.
Stenson rewrote the record books by achieving the lowest 72-hole total in Open history, and his final round of 63 is a candidate for round of the year with five months of 2016 yet to come. I admire Henrik as a person, and during his dark spells on several occasions in his career, he never lost his engaging sense of humour and - testament to his character - he never wavered in his vision and self belief.
He, as much as any player, has had to deal with turbulent periods in his 20-year term as a tournament professional and he has dealt with them impressively. Close on many occasions in major championships, this was his time, and when the opportunity presented itself he seized the moment in spectacular fashion.
Passing through many airports during the course of the season, I spend time with his caddie, Gareth Lord. A fine player himself, he has had much influence on the success of his boss. His coach, Peter Cowan, took on the enormous job of getting Henrik back on track and I thought of both travelling home from Troon.
They should be pleased at the part they played in Stenson's victory, but more than anything, they should be proud of being there for him throughout the long, winding and at times troublesome road. Sunday was the culmination of hard work, dedication and courage for the champion and those closest to him.
I thought of Phil Mickleson, too. A player who quite rightly enjoys enormous popularity, a man who has helped many, both on and off the course. Having grasped the nuances of links golf at Muirfield only three years ago, how could one not feel for him? He played an enormous part in this epic tale and my wish would be that next year he finally, after six times the runner-up, wins his national Open and joins that exclusive club of grand slam winners.
Of course, there was so much more. In young Tyrrell Hatton, England has a future star. Hampered by his temperament in his early years, Tyrrell and his management team have addressed that and over the last fortnight his maturity has proved to be all but complete.
His second place finish in Inverness, followed by fifth in The Open, have catapulted him up the various ranking lists and don't be surprised if his first win arrives in the next month, just in time to claim a Ryder Cup berth. He's tough and talented.
And then there was "Beef"! I thought it most unprofessional on my part calling Andrew Johnston "Beef". But when you heard the shouts from the fringes of the fairways, I thought, to hell with that, Beef it is! Spanish Open winner earlier this year at Valderrama, Andrew is here to stay. A huge fans' favourite - to use his own word, 'man' - he's some player. All pizza and fish and chips, he was caviar to the galleries.
For my channel, Troon was a landmark week, just as Oak Hill and the 1995 Ryder Cup was. Ground-breaking coverage, the innovations that have become Sky's trademark, action from dawn to dusk and of course the hugely popular Open Zone. The Championship enjoyed the facelift and next year will be even better.
Troon was a landmark week for Sky's groundbreaking coverage. The Open enjoyed the facelift and next year will be even better.
My colleagues amaze me at times. Rich Beem's final-group on-course commentary on Saturday was a masterclass and Butch Harmon, 73 years going on 25, is an extraordinary analyst. Knowledge, humour and humility are just some of his strengths. And Paul McGinley is turning into a first-class commentator - it's little wonder he excelled in his role as Ryder Cup captain at Gleneagles.
The production team were as always outstanding and their efforts on what was a 20-hour day were humbling. Their energy and inventiveness is infectious. Golf is a difficult sport to cover, very few can do it successfully.
So, now the greatest championship in our sport will rest for a year and the final major of the season gets underway just 10 days after Henrik's putt dropped in front of Royal Troon's old stone clubhouse. All eyes now on Baltusrol, and the PGA Championship.
We have had three rookie victories in the majors this year. Danny at Augusta National, Dustin at famed Oakmont and Henrik taking the Claret Jug. Will that continue? Maybe it's time for Lee Westwood, or Sergio Garcia. I imagine many of you would like to see either one of them hold the Wanamaker Trophy a week on Sunday. As always on Sky Sports, extensive coverage will be coming your way from New Jersey.
Before we close the book on Troon, there have been many sound bites from around the world on the excellence of play over the Open's last 18 holes. Jack Nicklaus went on record saying the duel between Phil and Henrik was superior to his 'Duel in the Sun' with Tom Watson at Turnberry in 1977. High praise indeed.
I'm not sure what last Sunday will eventually be called, maybe 'Dual of the Sons', but it doesn't really need a title, because we will remember it as the day Mickleson and Stenson came as close as you can to achieving golfing perfection.
