Phil Mickelson wins his first British Open and fifth major

The golden left-hander, the American Phil Mickelson, has won the British Open, the third major of the season, played on the hard and fast Scottish course of Muirfield. The player from San Diego lifted his first Claret Jug and won his fifth major a month after coming within a whisker of winning the US Open for the sixth time.

Phil Mickelson, winner of the previous week’s Scottish Open, was not the best placed, five shots off the lead, but for another day the greens at Muirfield served up a battle between big names. “Today was one of the best rounds I’ve ever played – I was so good with the putt! I didn’t know if I could ever win this tournament and I ended up playing one of the best rounds of my career,” an emotional Mickelson said after lifting the British Open golf trophy. The Englishman Lee Westwood, former world number one, who started the day with a two-stroke lead at the top of the British Open, succumbed to the pressure on Sunday and missed the chance to win his first Grand Slam title. Mickelson was the best, tamed and managed his putt with mastery to sign a card of five under par on the decisive day and a total of minus three, with four birdies in the last six holes.

If a month ago, at the US Open, Merion devoured all the golfers, including Phil Mickelson who arrived at Sunday with the lead under his arm, at Muirfield only Lefty finished under par. The American, who came from his first victory in the British Isles last Sunday precisely in the Scottish Open, took three strokes ahead of Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, second.

Meanwhile, in one over par finished a crestfallen Westwood, an incredible Ian Poulter and a winner of a major this year Adam Scott. For his part, the world number one, Tiger Woods, finished in sixth position and extended to 21 the number of majors that have passed without getting his teeth into any of them. An irregular last day left him once again without options to get closer to Jack Nicklaus’ 18 titles.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who was unable to maintain the brilliance of the first two rounds, which gave him the provisional leadership of the tournament, was the best Spanish player at Muirfield and finished 14th with 289 strokes, followed by his compatriot Eduardo de la Riva, with 290 and ranked 15th. Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Sergio Garcia shared, with 291 strokes, the 21st place, and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño finished 54th, with 294 strokes.