Nov 16, 2016: Henrik Stenson is hoping to produce a stylish finish to his sensational 2016 season, with the Swede’s sights set firmly on the Race to Dubai crown to go alongside his maiden Major Championship.
Stenson was the European Tour Number One in 2013 and he can reclaim that honour at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week as the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai brings the curtain down on another European Tour campaign.
The 40 year old, who was also awarded Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour on Wednesday, won the BMW International Open in June and added the Claret Jug the following month with victory in the 145thOpen Championship at Royal Troon. He replaced Danny Willett as leader of the Race to Dubai after finishing joint runner up in the WGC-HSBC Championship last month and then extended his cushion at the summit to a healthy 299,675 points by finishing eighth in last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge.
“I’m in great position. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. When I took off to China about three weeks ago, I was hoping to make up some ground. And I knew I needed to have some strong tournaments, and I knew I needed to play some good golf. I managed to have a great week in Shanghai and finished second there to overtake Danny on The Race to Dubai and managed to stay ahead, as well.
“That’s all I wanted to do. I wanted to be in a position where I had it in my own hands knowing that if I win here, that would seal the deal and I’m in an even better position given that I don’t necessarily need to win, even though that’s my mind-set coming in here.
“I need to play well, have a good, strong week, because you can never rely on what the other guys are going to do. When you are the Number One player, then they need to play better than you do this final week to overtake you. I’m keen to go out and play a good, solid tournament and hopefully put myself in contention, and if I do that, I hope we can be here as the winner of Race to Dubai on Sunday.”
Stenson’s Race to Dubai credentials are further strengthened by his impressive record over the Earth Course. The Ryder Cup star won the season-ending tournament in consecutive years in 2013 and 2014, and a third victory on Sunday would secure the Race to Dubai title, as would simply finishing ahead of his nearest rivals – Masters Champion Willett, in-form Alex Noren, and defending tournament and Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy, all three of whom retain the chance to dislodge him.
European Tour Release
