Henrik Stenson Secures Victory On LIV Golf Debut
After being stripped of the Ryder Cup captaincy last week, Henrik Stenson secured a debut win on the LIV Golf circuit
It's been a hectic few weeks for Henrik Stenson to say the least. After rumours of his LIV Golf move, the Swede was stripped of the Ryder Cup captaincy, with Stenson no longer captaining the European side for 2023.
Despite being stripped, the 46-year-old didn't seem to be affected, as he secured a two shot win on his LIV Golf debut and claimed the $4 million first prize, with 4 Aces team of Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez securing the team prize for the second consecutive tournament.
"I played like a captain", stated Stenson following his win. "It's been a good first week and it's been nice to be with the guys and getting a feel for it. I'm extremely proud that I managed to focus for it. I want to thank the team and I've had a lot of support over the past 10 days."
DEBUT WIN FOR @henrikstenson 🏆#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/1ymF3CQlhyJuly 31, 2022
After a two-under-par second round, Stenson began three shots clear of Dustin Johnson going into the final round. His day couldn't have started much better, as a birdie at the first extended his lead to five as Johnson made a bogey.
Throughout the day, Stenson held the lead comfortably, as his nearest rival soon became the Hy Flyers player, Matt Wolff. However, with nine to go it was still Stenson's to lose, as he held a four shot lead over Wolff and Johnson going into the back nine.
As he began his final nine with a comfortable advantage, it did shrink over the subsequent final holes, but only slightly, as the Swede never looked in trouble despite a bogey at the 15th.
Comfortable pars followed, with Stenson safely navigating the 54th hole as he tapped in for a par and a two shot win over Wolff, who picked up the biggest paycheck of his young career.
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Away from the individual event, the 4 Aces claimed a consecutive team event title, as Johnson, Reed, Gooch and Perez carded a 23-under total to beat the Majesticks team of Stenson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sam Horsfield.
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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