ins from their first four games.Gold Coast treaded water for rest of the season, squeezing into the top eight despite a lloss to

TROON, Scotland -- Grasping the enormity of it all remained elusive, just as trying to keep pace with Henrik Stenson proved to be for Phil Mickelson on an action-packed day of golf where neither player deserved to walk away without the storied hardware.That reality became clear for Mickelson at Royal Troon during the prize-giving ceremony Sunday on the 18th green, where Stenson hoisted the Claret Jug as Lefty received consolation honors, left to rue having played the round of a lifetime, only to be beaten by a better one at the 145th Open Championship.Instead of celebrating with family and friends as he did three years ago at Muirfield, Mickelson made the trek across the putting green toward the media center, still in a bit of a daze, but recognizing a couple of golf writers for whom he provided a quick quip: That little s--- made 10 birdies!It was said in fun at a time when Mickelson was undoubtedly hurting inside. He offered up sincere accolades and respect for Stenson, who at age 40 won his first major championship in epic fashion, shooting a final-round 63 to put his name alongside Johnny Miller -- who did it 43 years ago at the U.S. Open --- as the only players to shoot that score in the final round of a major and win.Mickelson shot a bogey-free 65 -- a score he would undoubtedly have taken on the first tee and headed to the clubhouse -- and lost. By three! It wasnt until the end that the margin increased to that deficit, a back-and-forth battle conjuring images of the famed Duel in the Sun between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus just 20 miles down the coast at Turnberry in 1977.It certainly crossed my mind a little bit out there today, Mickelson said. I was certainly thinking about that. I know that I wanted to be more of a Tom in that case than Jack, but unfortunately -- I understand how it feels. Its bittersweet I guess.Watson shot 65-65 on the weekend that year to claim the Claret Jug from the Golden Bear, who shot 65-66. The closest player was Hubert Green, who finished 10 strokes back of Nicklaus and famously said: I won the golf tournament. I dont know what game those other two guys were playing.Named the Duel in the Sun because of unusual warm, sunny conditions, it remains one of golfs all-time classics. Will Sundays drama join it in such regard? Quite possibly. The golf was scintillating, the shot-making amazing. The few mistakes made were by fractions, not egregious errors. Mickelson twice got up and down seemingly from the Firth of Clyde to make remarkable pars, only to be outdone by Stenson, who made an Ayrshire Coasts worth of putts.Duel Without The Sun might work, but almost on cue, as the two combatants made clear this tournament was only about them, the sun peaked through the clouds to shine some light on what will undoubtedly go down as one of the games great encounters.It makes it even more special to beat a competitor like Phil, said Stenson, who at sixth in the world was the highest-ranked player without a major, having five times finished in the top-3. Hes been one of the best to play the game, certainly in the last 20 years. So to come out on top after such a fight with him over these four days, it makes it even more special.Stenson shot four rounds in the 60s, finished at 264 -- the lowest aggregate total for any major championship -- and at 20 under par, which matches the record in relation to par set by Jason Day at last years PGA Championship.With the big four of Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy unable to get into contention -- McIlroy was the closest in a tie for fifth, but 16 shots back -- it was left to a couple of aging stars, including Hall of Famer Mickelson, who would have been the fourth-oldest major winner in history at age 46.It was an honor to be out there; it was cool, said Jim Bones Mackay, Mickelsons long-time caddie who has been on the bag for all but one of his 42 PGA Tour victories, including all five majors. But I feel bad for Phil. He had an amazing tournament, and to play the way he did and somehow finish second ... I feel bad for him.Henrik was just magical. He was making those putts. Three or four times he made putts from outside of Phil. For a guy who is known as a world-class ball-striker, he was the best putter in the game, at least today. Im happy for him, but feel bad for Phil.How could you not? For all of his success, Mickelson has now finished second 11 times in major championships. That passed Arnold Palmer for the second-most all time to Nicklaus, who had an amazing 19 runner-ups to go with his 18 victories.Despite his little joke to a couple of media guys, Mickelson was clearly hurting, acknowledging that his great play was small solace.He narrowly missed a major championship record 62 Thursday when his birdie putt on the last hole lipped out; he made just four bogeys in 72 holes, almost unheard of for Phil, including none in the first and last rounds; and he went shot for shot with Stenson for most of the day, making four birdies and an eagle.And it wasnt enough?Mickelson has had some heartbreaking defeats -- U.S. Open losses at Merion, Winged Foot and Pinehurst come immediately to mind, as does a similar loss to David Toms at the 2001 PGA Championship, where Mickelsons 72-hole total would have won every other PGA to that point.This tournament dates to 1860 and Mickelson would have won all but three of the previous 144 with the kind of numbers he put up here.Im not sure how Im going to feel about that, he said. Im proud of the way I played. I dont look back on anything and say I should have done this differently or that. I played what I feel was well enough to win this championship by a number of strokes and yet I got beat by three strokes.Its not like I have decades left of opportunities to win majors, so each one means a lot to me. And I put in my best performance today. Played close to flawless golf and was beat.So it kind of goes both ways. Im happy with the way I played, but even more disappointed that it wasnt enough because you look back and say, what do I need to do?Nicklaus wondered the same thing at Turnberry 39 years ago when Watson clipped him by a stroke. Years later, Jack would say: Thats the best tournament I played and lost.On Sunday, Phil said: Its probably the best Ive played and not won.Like Nicklaus, Mickelson will have to settle for being part of a historic battle. Only one man was able to celebrate the joys of a momentous victory. And its a shame another had to lose. Johnny Unitas Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Cheap Colts Jerseys . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. http://www.cheapcoltsjerseysauthentic.com/ . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Marvin Harrison Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Marshall Faulk Jersey . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Gold Coast halfback Ash Taylor has survived a furious late bid from Penrith teenager Nathan Cleary to take out the rookie of the year award at the Dally M awards night.Taylor also beat out a history-making campaign from Melbourne newcomer Suliasi Vunivalu to be claim the gong on Wednesday at The Star in Sydney.The 21-year-old was unexpectedly thrust into the limelight at the Titans after a season-ending knee injury to first-choice playmaker Kane Elgey in the pre-season.But the Brisbane junior immediately took it to his experienced rivals inside the opening month, leading the Titans into the top four with three wins from their first four games.Gold Coast treaded water for rest of the season, squeezing into the top eight despite a lloss to North Queensland in a mad final round of the regular season.ddddddddddddTaylor has been credited for a large chunk of the Titans success and is considered a key pillar as they strive towards more success in the future.He finished the year with a team-high 12 try assists and 10 line-break assists from 22 games.Cleary, 18, burst into contention after a stellar back half of the year when he too was thrown to the wolves in a surprise debut in round 13 and didnt miss a game thereafter.Vunivalu was also considered after breaking Israel Folaus record of 21 tries for the season in his rookie campaign. 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