TROON, Scotland -- Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson went toe-to-toe for four hours Saturday at The Open, trading pivotal par saves and four lead changes in the cold wind and occasional rain at Royal Troon.And now they get to do it again, this time with the Claret Jug at stake.Stenson had a pair of two-shot swings on the inward par-3s and got up-and-down on the 18th for a 3-under 68, the second straight day that no one had a better score. It gave the 40-year-old Swede his first 54-hole lead in a major, by one shot over Mickelson, who is going for his sixth major.Links golf can deliver some strange finishes, though this had all the trappings of a two-man race on Sunday.Stenson had his third straight round in the 60s -- no one has ever won at Royal Troon with all four rounds in the 60s -- and was at 12-under 201. He is trying to become only the eighth player dating to Old Tom Morris in 1861 to win his first major after turning 40.Mickelson, winless since he lifted golfs oldest trophy at Muirfield three years ago, had a 70.Lefty had made only three bogeys in his past 103 holes at Royal Troon dating to 1997, and a 25-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole gave him a two-shot lead. Stenson answered with a 5-iron to 6 feet for birdie, and Mickelson three-putted for bogey. They were tied.Mickelson regained the lead with a pitch to 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 16th, only for the Swede to answer again, this time with an all-out 3-iron into the wind on the 220-yard 17th hole to 20 feet. Mickelson fell behind when he missed the green to the left, and failed to hole a par putt from 18 feet.Everyone else felt like mere spectators.Bill Haas, a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour who is rarely heard from at majors, was solid with a 69 and alone in third. Its his highest position ever in a major, yet he was six shots out of the lead. Another shot back was Andrew Johnston, the Englishman with a big belly and beard to match who goes by Beef. He broke par for the third straight day with a 70.It was unlikely to matter.This was all about Stenson and Mickelson, two powerful players with different styles and different credentials.Unless someone goes out there and posts a silly number, Stenson said. But as of now, I would pretty much think its a battle of Phil and myself.I know he never backs down and hes one of the best players to play the game. Im just going to try my hardest to keep him behind.Mickelson finished three shots ahead of Stenson three years ago at Muirfield when Lefty closed with a 66 in one of the best final rounds of a major. He hasnt won another tournament since then, and at age 46, it appeared his time was running out.Troon is where he first figured out the secret to links golf, and he has managed to avoid big numbers all week. He has made only four bogeys in 54 holes as he goes after a sixth major that would put him alongside Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino.He also would be the third-oldest major champion behind Julius Boros (48) and Morris, with whom Mickelson shares a birthday (June 16) 109 years apart. The 1861 Open was held in September.Mickelson didnt swing as well as the first two days. His short game, as always, was magic. No save was more unlikely than the 12th, where he pushed his tee shot toward trouble and was fortunate the ball deflected off a piece of prickly gorse. He had just enough room to hammer it up the fairway, and then played a shot rarely seen in links golf -- instead of running it up along the ground, he used his quick hands to produce enough backspin to bring it back down a ridge to 6 feet from the hole.It was a battle, and Mickelson held his own.I was under par on a difficult day, he said. It could have easily got away from me. I found a way to hang in there.That wasnt the case for so many others.U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson was working his way up the leaderboard until a shot into the gorse on the 11th led to a triple-bogey. Johnson made two double-bogeys the day before. Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark reached 8 under par until a double-bogey from thick grass on the 10th, and three more bogeys over the next four holes.Rickie Fowler started well until an 8 on the 11th hole.Mickelson-Stenson was the main event from the time they teed off. And it was like that when they finished. It was reminiscent of the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot, when Davis Love III and Justin Leonard shared the 54-hole lead and were seven clear of everyone else.Custom San Antonio Spurs Jerseys . 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. Rudy Gay Jersey . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. https://www.spurslockerroom.com/Lonnie-Walker-City-Edition-Jersey/ . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. Luka Samanic Spurs Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Keldon Johnson Jersey . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup.MINNEAPOLIS -- The easy thing for the Saunders family to do would have been to walk away.Flip Saunders fingerprints are all over the Minnesota Timberwolves -- from the players on the roster to the new scoreboard that hangs in the arena. One year after his death, his presence is still a strong one at Target Center, and it would have been understandable if his family wanted to step back from the organization while grieving the loss of their patriarch.Ryan Saunders could have easily found another coaching job. He didnt. He is still here, coaching the roster that his father had such a critical role in assembling.Rachel Saunders could have found another job in the corporate world. She didnt. Shes still here, working as manager of team services for the front office that her father rebuilt from the ruins of the previous regime.Debbie Saunders could have retreated to her home in the Minneapolis suburbs, avoiding the place her husband devoted so much of his time to restoring. She didnt. She bought four seats just behind the Timberwolves bench so she could be there to watch the young men Flip drafted, traded for and signed continue to grow up in front of her eyes.I was nervous to go back in there this year because time has passed and life goes on, Debbie Saunders told The Associated Press. The minute I got back in there, it felt right again. Its obviously different, but some things are the same.They are a basketball family that has endured a crushing loss. Flip Saunders died on Oct. 25, 2015 from complications related to Hodgkins lymphoma. He was one of Minnesotas most beloved sports figures, a gregarious and outgoing coach and salesman who turned one of the NBAs woebegone franchises into a family reclamation project.His death rocked the organization and the league. It shook the foundation of a tight-knit family that includes daughters Kimberly and Mindy, who sit right next to their mother at the games to this day. A year later, they have endured many of the firsts that make moving on so difficult.This year has been a struggle, Debbie Saunders said. I dont know. I guess I thought I would be a lot further along than this with handling it. But it has been a struggle.But one thing is clear: the Saunders family isnt going anywhere.Still grappling with the loss of his father and best friend, Ryan Saunders politely declined to comment for this story. But he did say in July that leaving Minnesota never crossed his mind because I believe in this organization. I believe in the guys. My relationship with the players is great. Minnesotas home. Familys here. Fiancees here. Minnesotas home.He is working under Tom Thibodeau now, providing some continuity for the new head ccoach.dddddddddddd Thibodeau was one of the most sought-after coaches in the league this summer, and he jumped at the chance to come to Minnesota in large part to the promising young core that Flip and his staff assembled.He was such a great guy and we all miss him, Thibodeau said. I had spoken with him a few times, and I had a pretty good idea of what he was trying to do. It was a well thought-out plan. He did a great job selecting Karl (Towns) and Andrew (Wiggins) and Zach (LaVine) to build the future with. The vision for the organization was real good.The family has also established the Flip Saunders Legacy Fund, dedicated to giving back to the community. They have already helped disadvantaged kids with meals during the summer, held a basketball clinic in Flips hometown of Cleveland and will work to refurbish some basketball courts that have fallen into disrepair.While they are putting all of that into motion, Debbie will keep coming to Target Center to watch the pups Flip picked grow as Wolves.As a mom, as Flips wife, I kind of feel a sense of duty to them, too, to be there and support them, she said. Because I know thats what Flip wouldve wanted. And it feels right to do that.One might think it would be painful to return to a place with so many stark reminders. But the family has found comfort in familiarity. They noticed when Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale wore a FLIP pin in the preseason game last week and take heart in the hugs they get from ushers and security guards who have known them for years.And as difficult as this past year has been for them, there are still moments of light. Debbie smiled this week thinking about the World Series, pitting Flips Cleveland Indians against her hometown Chicago Cubs.Its kind of a house divided and I cant help but chuckle over that because I was so happy for Flip that the Indians got there, she said. But now Im like, `Oooh, as a Cubs fan, boy Cubs fans have been waiting for this for so long.Target Center is being renovated now, and Flip played a big role in the new design. When Debbie first walked into the arena last week, she looked up toward the rafters and saw a glowing moon that had been there for years had been replaced by a video screen.Flip just did not like that moon, Debbie said. And I said, `Why Flip? Why dont you like it? He said, `I just dont like it. I just dont like it at all.He never gave me an explanation. But now its gone and its a screen there. Theres some things that actually made me smile.One year later, and Flip Saunders is still getting things done. ' ' '
