Q&A: Open champion Henrik Stenson tells us his ‘Best and Worst’
It’s time for another best and worst, this time with ‘The Iceman’ himself Henrik Stenson.
Henrik Stenson: A Bio
Henrik Stenson has had the highest ranking ever achieved by a Swede in the official World Golf Rankings, reaching second place in 2014. It all started back in the late 80s at Gullbringa Golf Club in Gothenburg.
Henrik moved to Southern Sweden 1991 and joined Barsebдck G&CC. Henrik turned up for lessons with Anders Jansson. By 1994 he was a member of the Swedish boys’ team before becoming a leading amateur and gaining selection for the Eisenhower Trophy. He turned professional in 1998 and in 2000 he won the Challenge Tour Order of Merit at the finals in Cuba. His first European Tour win was in 2001 at the Benson & Hedges.
Over the next decade he recorded a further six wins on tour, including the Accenture World Match Play and the Players Championship at Sawgrass. His winning round at Sawgrass was described by Johnny Miller as “the best round of Sunday golf I have ever watched.” He secured top-ten finishes in the US Open, the Open and the PGA Championship and has, by the end of 2010, recorded 40 more top-10 finishes, apart from his wins, in European Tour events.
Four Ryder Cup appearances in 2006, 2008, 2014 and 2016, sinking the winning put in 2006. His four World Cup appearances include a victory in 2008 with Robert Karlsson and a second in 2009. As well, he played in the 2009 Seve Trophy and on four winning Royal Trophy teams.
In 2012 Henrik wins the South African Open after a few years of struggling. That was the start of an unbelievable 2013 season with three individual wins, Deutsche Bank Championship and Tour Championship on the PGA Tour and DP World Championship on the European Tour. He also became the first golfer in history to win the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in the same season. He also made a career high climbing to number 2 in the world rankings.
In 2016 Henrik became the first Scandinavian male golfer to win a Major Championship when he won The Open at Troon and became The Champion Golfer of The Year! And what a way to do it, winning with a record low -20 over Phil Michelson. He also participated in the Olympics in Rio where he got a silver medal.
Henrik was talking to us at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow at a Callaway event a few days before the start of The Open Championship at Troon.
Check out Henrik’s website here
