The Open final round key moments: How Stenson beat Mickelson in epic duel at Troon

A moment of fear arrived for Stenson as his tee shot finished just an inch short of a bunker, but the Swede made the most of his fortune with a shot to the green and a 20ft birdie putt that never looked anywhere other than going in.

Mickelson's 65, on another day, would have been one of the greatest rounds ever to win an Open. Instead, Stenson shot the joint-lowest-ever major championship score of 63 to claim victory. Incredible.

A picture-perfect tee shot from Henrik Stenson on 17 gave him just five feet for a birdie. With Mickelson having holed a 15-footer for par after missing the green, Stenson needed the putt to drop to give himself a three-shot lead. Instead, he missed, keeping the tournament alive for a few more minutes.

After two spectacular shots to the green of the par-5 16th, Phil Mickelson's wonderful eagle putt looked in all the way... but somehow curled away from the cup in the final millimetres. Stenson looked in trouble after hooking his second shot, but a fine pitch from ankle-high rough actually gave the Swede a chance from just three feet to retain his two-shot cushion. Once again he made no mistake with his putter, rolling the ball in to remain two shots clear with just two holes left to go.

The Swede produced his most absurd putt of the day so far on the 15th, taking on a 50ft effort from the fringe that most players would simply have been trying to lag up close. The ball dropped into the cup with its dying breath, and as Mickelson missed with his own 25ft attempt the gap expanded to two shots for the first time in the final round. Can Mickelson respond from here?

After regular pars on 13, both players hit solid tee shots to the 14th green. Mickelson's putt from 30ft never looked close - but Stenson's putt, after a tee shot straight over the pin that finished 18ft away, dropped in with the final roll of the ball.

The Swede punched the air and grimaced in look of pure, steely determination. The message was clear: pure determination that he will not let this chance escape him.

Both players looked set to make safe two-putt pars on 11 - until Stenson missed a simple two-footer, ending up three-putting for a bogey to make it level at the top once more.

On the 12th, however, it seemed certain that the pair would be split once more as Mickelson snap-hooked his second shot to the green. What followed might go down in Open folklore: the American somehow managed to hack his ball onto the putting surface, then rolled in a 20ft par putt.

Henrik Stenson's monumental run of putts continued as he drained a putt from almost 30ft for birdie after an indifferent second shot into the 10th hole. Mickelson ought to have been rattled - Stenson poured in a long one on the 8th, only for Mickelson to miss - but this time he matches the Swede to keep pace. Stenson leads at -17, Mickelson one back at -16.

After a fine drive into the fairway Mickelson earned a birdie chance from 10ft, but the ball slipped by - both he and Stenson parred to be out in 32, four under par for the day.

As expected, the two-horse race has allowed nobody else to get a look-in. What we didn't dare expect was that it would turn into an all-time classic duel with both players trading birdies in amazing fashion!

Up ahead on 18, Rory McIlroy made a two-putt par for a 67 that is the best round of the day so far. It'll be a solid top 10 finish despite a week in which the Northern Irishman caught the worst of the weather. His wry smile at the end says it all: what might have been....

Phil Mickelson hit first into the par-3 8th hole - the famous 'Postage Stamp' - and fired to just five feet. Stenson's shot went even closer, but span back to 15ft - only for the Swede to drain his putt, and Mickelson to miss from barely a third of the distance. Advantage Stenson once again.

The nearest challenger right now is JB Holmes, some EIGHT shots back from Mickelson and nine from Stenson - he's on ihs own in third at -7, with Beef Johnston one behind at -6 having bogeyed the 8th after hitting his tee shot into the bunker.

Phil Mickelson carved a driver miles left and towards thick gorse bushes - but had the 'luck' to hit a spectator, leaving the ball on a muddy walkway. He managed to find the green and two-putt safely - while Stenson, who played the hole perfectly, saw his 12ft birdie putt burn the edge of the cup.

Neither Stenson nor Mickelson makes it on to the green of the par-5 6th hole in two - but both hit fine pitch shots, Mickleson bumping his up to 8ft before Stenson played 10 yards past the pin and span it back to inside 4ft.

Mickelson putted first, and drained his beautifully - a putt with just a hint of left-to-right break - leaving the stage clear for Stenson to take on what was a somewhat tricky downhill putt. He didn't flinch, rolling the ball in beautifully.

Rory McIlroy went out in 32, and after a couple of dropped shots on the brutal 11th and 12th holes made a birdie on 18 to get back to -3 for the day and the tournament.

Sergio Garcia is also -3 for his day, -5 for the tournament, after three birdies in the first eight holes. Neither is close enough to challenge for the title, but both are well set for top 10 finishes - a useful confidence boost, with the US PGA Championship just a couple of weeks away.

Mickelson played a truly exquisite second shot from 237 yards on the par-5 4th hole to just 6ft, setting up an eagle chance which he duly drained to move to-14.

Stenson made a birdie of his own, however, rolling up a 60ft putt from off the front of the green to three feet, from where he converted to get to -14 as well.

That left both players ahead of Andrew 'Beef' Johnston, the English journeyman who has been the talk of the tournament, and who got into third place on his own at -7 via a birdie on the 4th - his third birdie in the opening four holes.

Stenson started the day a shot ahead of Mickelson but the roles were immediately reversed, Mickelson birdieing the opening hole while Stenson birdied.

The Swede then birdied the next to draw level, and holed a 20ft birdie putt on the third to move to -13.

Mickelson, with a much shorter birdie putt from just 6ft on the same hole, missed.