Nov 16, 2016: Henrik Stenson today became the latest player to join the exclusive group of Honorary Life Members of the European Tour.
Stenson is the 51st player – and the first from Sweden – to receive the accolade, in recognition of his maiden Major Championship win at the The 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The current Race to Dubai leader was presented with the award by Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, ahead of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, where he is in pole position to end the season as the European Tour’s Number One.
The first Honorary Life Member of the European Tour was its Founding Father, John Jacobs OBE, the Tour’s first Executive Director. He was later joined by golf luminaries such as Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
Danny Willett became the 50th member of the club earlier this year in recognition of his triumph at the Masters Tournament and Stenson now follows him after becoming the second European Tour member to win a Major Championship in 2016.
Stenson, who broke a plethora of long-standing records during his three-shot win in Troon, went toe-to-toe with five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson in a thrilling final day duel. The Swede carded a 63 to equal the lowest round in Major history, while his 264 aggregate score was also the lowest in a Major Championship.
Stenson has enjoyed a stellar year, winning the BMW International Open in June and following up his triumph at The Open with a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. A tied second-place finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai last month was enough to propel him to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings heading into the final week.
“It is a great honour to join the exclusive club of people who have been awarded Honorary Life Membership of The European Tour,” he said. “That’s definitely a special thing and something I will dearly cherish.”
Keith Pelley said: “It is a true privilege to present Henrik with his Honorary Life Membership of The European Tour. Obviously the epic battle and his legendary win in The Open Championship at Troon versus Phil Mickelson is the catalyst for this.
“But Henrik is a special member of our Tour both on and off the golf course. What he gives to our Tour is incredible, his contribution to the Tournament Committee, and how he interacts with all the players. I call him often to get advice, but today it’s about celebrating his greatness on the golf course, and there was no greater afternoon than watching that Sunday at Troon.”
European Tour Release
