TROON, Scotland -- Game 41 of The Open began promptly at 2:35 p.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. Under Armour Sale Australia . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Under Armour Shoes Clearance . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. http://www.cheapunderarmouraustralia.com/ . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Under Armour Shoes Australia . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Under Armour Shoes Cheap . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. PHILADELPHIA -- Jim Schwartz was triumphantly carried off the field the first time he returned to Detroit after being fired.Hell walk or jog this time.Schwartz meets his former team when the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) visit the Lions (1-3) on Sunday. The defensive coordinator holds no grudges.I think you guys would probably be surprised how much I root for the Lions, Schwartz said Thursday. As long as its not in direct conflict with the Eagles, I want those guys to win every week. Ive got too much blood and sweat in that building, and theres a lot of guys there that mean an awful lot to me.Schwartz took over the Lions in 2009, a year after they finished 0-16. His first draft class included quarterback Matthew Stafford, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and linebacker DeAndre Levy.I want those guys to succeed, Schwartz said. Im going to do my very best to try to beat them, but I think everybody would be surprised how much you have relationships that just dont go away when you leave or a player leaves. Those guys have had my back when I coached there, and Ive had their back, and Im sure thatll continue. Not this Sunday, though.Schwartz led the Lions to 10 wins and their first playoff berth in 12 years in 2011. But he was fired after going 7-9 in 2013. He was Buffalos defensive coordinator in 2014 when the Bills beat Detroit 17-14 at Ford Field. That was an emotional return for Scchwartz, who got to ride off on the shoulders of two players.ddddddddddddts all business this time.Ive been there, done that, Schwartz said. I think that (game) was probably a little bit different in that I probably had about 10 coaches that worked for me that were still on the staff. I mean, most of the team had played for me. Sure, thats going to be emotional. Youre not a human being if its not.The surprising Eagles are aiming to stay undefeated and Schwartzs defense is a big reason for the teams success. Schwartz has engineered a dramatic turnaround. A unit that ranked in the bottom five each of the past three seasons is third in total yards allowed and has given up just three touchdowns and two field goals in three games.Schwartz was given full control of the defense after coach Doug Pederson hired him in January. The Eagles brought in a few of his former players and made other moves to add talent.I dont think this was the worst defense in the NFL last year, but situation that came up, their numbers werent very good, Schwartz said. I think having an infusion of some new guys helped move them past that a little bit.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi ' ' '