The Open: 5 Sunday match-ups we want to see at the 2018 British Open
By Kyle Walton
4. Phil Mickelson vs. Rickie Fowler
As the old adage goes, “Age is just a number”. Often times on the golf course numbers are everything. How much farther did you outdrive your competitor, how many strokes gained did you finish against the field or what number are you ranked? Luckily for some of the toughest veterans of the game, the number defining age is just that, a number.
With 49 professional wins already under his belt, Phil Mickelson is sure to go down as one of golf’s all-time greats. Five of those victories have been major championships including a 2013 Open Championship. That year Mickelson bested Sweden’s Henrik Stenson by three strokes to claim the Claret Jug at Muirfield Golf Links.
One year prior to Mickelson’s fifth major victory, young upstart Rickie Fowler was just earning his first PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo Championship. Since then Fowler has three other professional victories but has yet to capture an elusive major title. Many critics believe it’s simply a matter of when, not if, Fowler will cash in on a major.
The Oklahoma State alum has carded seven top-5 performances including three runner-up finishes at golf’s big four events. In 2014 Fowler finished tied for second at Royal Liverpool for The Open Championship while just this past year he came up just one stroke short at The Masters. With nearly 20 years between them and each, just as hungry as their competitor as Mickelson and Fowler combination could be just what Carnoustie needs comes Sunday.