Beauty » games all had their meanings, but Gam

TROON, Scotland -- Game 41 of The Open began promptly at 2:35 p. Nike Air Max 270 Dames Nederland .m. Sunday. Henrik Stenson of Sweden and?Phil Mickelson of the United States. The leader and the legend. The 40-year-old in search of his first major championship and the 46-year-old in search of his sixth.The other 40 games all had their meanings, but Game 41 had much more. It had history in its gallery. It had all eyes on it. Stenson and Mickelson were the power couple. Everyone else was elevator music.There has been a lot of talk about the golf gods this week at Royal Troon. Mickelson said he didnt believe in them until Thursday, when his birdie putt for a major-record 62 did everything but buy a timeshare on the bottom of the cup. And Stenson, who had been tormented by those same golf gods throughout his distinguished career, didnt dare anger them by saying out loud what he had said to himself as Sunday approached: He was going to win The Open.Hours later, as a gentle Scottish evening replaced the rain and winds of the previous days, Stenson did as promised. He won the 145th Open and did so with major championship pressure attached.He shot the lowest total score in a major (264). He posted a final-round 63 to win a major, only the second player in history to do so. And he defeated the great Mickelson, who must still be wondering how he shot rounds of 63, 69, 70 and a Sunday 65 -- and still lost by 3 shots.It was Duel In The Sun stuff, vintage Tom Watson vs. Jack Nicklaus in the final round of the 1977 Open. Watson and Nicklaus played that day at Turnberry, just 20 miles down the road from Royal Troon.Watson beat Nicklaus in what has long been considered the greatest final round in golf history. But Stenson vs. Mickelson is in the team photo. In fact, its in the front row.How good was it? Well, Watson was in London on Sunday listening to The Open in a car with his agent, Barry Hyde, as they drove to their hotel.Asked if he was having flashbacks to his Open duel with Nicklaus, Watson said, Very similar. And great theater.And Nicklaus had watched too, spellbound by it. Mickelson played one of the best rounds I have ever seen in The Open, he said in a statement.It was great everything. Great drama. Great pressure. Great performances.Stenson and Mickelson have played professional golf for a combined 42 years. And yet there was a moment this week when Mickelson made a point to walk over to the glass case that held the Claret Jug just off the first tee box. He kissed his fingers and placed them on the glass.It was Mickelsons way of paying homage, of saying hello again to the Claret Jug that belonged to him for a year after winning The Open at Muirfield in 2013. He wanted it back.Stenson had come tantalizingly close too. Hed had five top-three finishes in majors. But something told him this would be the one. But who knew it would take a 63 and 10 birdies to fulfill the promise.When it was done, you could see a certain degree of shock in both of their faces. Mickelson had played magnificent golf, good enough in almost any other Open to leave here with that little silver jug. But this wasnt any other Open.Mickelson walked from the 18th green and into the scorers trailer just off to the side of the Royal Troon clubhouse. It was time to sign his scorecard. No matter how many times he added up the numbers, his final-round 65 wasnt enough.Mickelsons longtime caddie, Jim Mackay, who had shed tears of joy when Mickelson won at Muirfield in 2013, waited outside. His face was blank, as if he couldnt quite believe what he had witnessed.A moment later,?Jordan Spieths caddie, Michael Greller, approached Mackay. Even though Spieth had?completed his round hours earlier, Greller had wanted to pay his respects.Hey, man, helluva week, said Greller, as he hugged Mackay. That was impressive.Greller knew. Everyone knew. The 35,637 spectators who had come to Royal Troon on Sunday. The millions who watched on television. Even Tom Watson, who listened to a car radio in London.It was Mickelson who once told Stenson that the Swede would one day win a major. That day almost happened in 2013, when Stenson finished second to Mickelson. Three years later, the places on the leaderboard were reversed.Stenson will forever cherish his memories of Game 41. Afterward, he carried the Claret Jug from interview to interview, from course to clubhouse.Mickelson will forever wonder how he didnt win on Sunday. He played near-flawless golf, and it wasnt good enough. But the truth is, there is no shame in this runner-up finish -- his 11th in majors.To those 35,637 who witnessed Sundays final round in person, wed like to offer one piece of advice:Save the ticket stubs. Nike Air Max 720 Nederland .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Nike Air Max Just Do It Kopen . No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. http://www.airmaxkopennederland.com/ . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. The AFL has banned the glove that Collingwood key forward Travis Cloke wore in his dramatic return to form.The Magpies have taken the glove to the league, which has ruled it is not allowed under their guidelines.The breach is not seen as serious and it is unclear whether Cloke will face any punishment.Cloke kicked four goals in the upset win over GWS last weekend and took 12 marks - five of them contested.It was his best performance this season and came after he struggled to hold his place in the senior team. Nike Air Max 97 Nederland. Cloke wore the glove to protect two swollen fingers on his right hand.He first wore it the week before in the win over Carlton.This is understood to be the first time for about a year that Cloke has worn a glove while playing. ' ' '