Stenson Becomes Honorary Member of the PGA Sweden National

 

On the back of the finest season of his career, World Number Three Henrik Stenson has received Honorary Lifetime Membership of the PGA Sweden National.

After finishing runner-up behind Spaniard Sergio Garcia in the Thailand Golf Championship on the Asian Tour, Stenson flew home to his native Sweden to receive the award from Mats Paulsson and Henrik Treschow, respectively the co-owner and chairman of PGA Sweden National, in Malmo.

The Lake Course will host the €1.5 million Nordea Masters for the first time from May 29-June 1, 2014, when Finland’s Mikko Ilonen will defend his title.  

Stenson, who will begin the defence of his Race to Dubai crown in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, said: “It’s a big honour – and now I don’t have to pay any green fees!

“Now that I’m a member of the club, the Nordea Masters will be even more fun, and it goes without saying that I’m aiming for victory.

“I’m obviously in a good position in the World Rankings after last season, but I’m always looking to improve and I’m already looking ahead to next year.”

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Royal Trophy: Europe produce stunning fightback to beat Asia at Dragon Lake GC

Jose Maria Olazabal mastermined another epic comeback as Europe beat Asia 8.5-7.5 to win the Royal Trophy.

 

Asia, the holders, needed to claim just three-and-a-half points from Sunday's eight singles matches to win the trophy again and extended their lead from 5-3 to 7-3 by winning the top two matches.

 

Kiradech Aphibarnrat beat Paul Lawrie 3&2 in the top match before fellow Thai Thongchai Jaidee defeated Stephen Gallacher 4-2.

 

But requiring just another point and a half from the final six matches at Dragon Lake Golf Club in Guangzhou, Asia were blown away as Olazabal's team produced a charge reminiscent of Europe's amazing comeback in the Ryder Cup at Medinah last year.

 

Marc Warren, David Howell, Thorbjorn Olesen, Bernd Wiesberger and Nicolas Colsaerts all scored victories while Alvaro Quiros added a half as Europe closed out a stunning 8.5-7.5 victory.

 

Warren fought back to beat Japan's Ryo Ishikawa with a par at the last, Olesen beat Wu Ashun 3&2, Howell edged Kim Hyung-sung one up and Wiesberger overcame Hiroyuki Fujita 3&2.

 

Kim had been three up on Howell heading to the 15th tee but lost four straight holes, the last with a three-putt.

 

Spain's Quiros also three-putted 18 to cost himself victory against South Korea's Kim Kyung-tae and that half meant the scores were tied at 7.5-7.5 with just one match still out on the course.

 

Colsaerts had a narrow one-up lead on Liang Wenchong after 16 and protected it by holing a tricky putt on 17.

 

Liang also made a tough putt to send the match down the last but it was Belgian Colsaerts who sealed victory with a brave up and down as his opponent three-putted.

 

"I want to thank these fantastic eight guys who did something extraordinary today," said a delighted Olazabal after recording his first success in the team matchplay event.

 

"To be honest, I had a few doubts, especially early in the round but what you did was extraordinary. Thank you very much for your contribution, for making things easy for me," the Spaniard told his team as he was presented with the trophy on the 18th green.

 

"I hope you all learned a little bit this week, especially the rookies.

"I really appreciate it, it means a lot to me. Thanks for your efforts."

 

Asia captain YE Yang said: "I congratulate Europe for an outstanding comeback. It was a great tournament but unfortunately a shocking loss for us.

 

"I never expected this because we were so far in front. The loss is a huge blow and a big surprise. Hopefully we'll learn from the mistakes we made and return stronger next year."

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Royal Trophy: Asia stay two points clear after Saturday fourballs are shared 2-2

Asia lead Europe 5-3 in the Royal Trophy after Saturday's fourballs in China were shared 2-2.

 

It means the holders, who won Friday's foursomes 3-1, need three-and-a-half points from Sunday's eight singles matches at the Dragon Lake Golf Club in Guangzhou, China to retain the trophy.

 

Asia were given the ideal start by Thai duo Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thongchai Jaidee, who defeated Scots Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher 2&1 to extend the lead to three.

 

Jose Maria Olazabal's Europe were on course to reduce the gap when England's David Howell and Scotland's Marc Warren headed to the 17th tee two-up on Chinese pair Liang Wen-chong and Wu Ashun.

 

But the Asian pair pulled out two closing birdies to snatch an unlikely half point to keep YE Yang's men in control of the contest.

 

Europe's only win of the day came via Austria's Bernd Wiesberger and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen.

 

They scored a 2&1 victory over Japanese pair Ryo Ishikawa and Hiroyuki Fujita to reduce the gap to two points again.

Ishikawa and Fujita had beaten Wiesberger and Spain's Alvaro Quiros 3&2 in Friday's foursomes but looked out of sorts this time.

 

The bottom match appeared to be going Asia's way with South Korean duo Kim Hyung-sung and Kim Kyung-tae sitting two-up with two to play against Quiros and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts.

Vital half point

But, after winning 17, Quiros hit a fantastic shot from the trees on 18 to around five feet and, after consulting captain Olazabal about the line, rolled home the birdie putt. "I knew how crucial that was," he said.

 

Olazabal famously inspired Europe's Ryder Cup comeback at Medinah last year and hopes for a repeat performance. On that occasion, his team were four behind going into Sunday.

 

He said: "Getting a half in that last match has kept our hopes alive. If we have a solid start in the singles and put pressure on the Asian team then we can still turn it around."

 

Yang, meanwhile, is confident that his team can hang on and win the trophy back-to-back for the first time.

 

He said: "I'm a little disappointed with losing that final half a point and I was pretty nervous watching the last two matches. I hope we still have the momentum and that we can finish off the job in the singles."

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Asia move into 3-1 lead after opening day of foursomes competition at Royal Trophy

 

Asia moved into a 3-1 lead over Europe after the opening day of foursomes competition at the seventh edition of the Royal Trophy.

 

The two highest-ranked players on the Asian team, Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, set the tone for the hosts at the Dragon Lake Golf Club's Asian Games Course in China as they cruised to a 5&3 victory over Scottish duo Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher.

The Thai pairing were always in control of the contest having moved four up through the opening six holes and wrapped up victory when Aphibarnrat rolled home a 35-foot putt for eagle at the 14th hole.

 

Ryo Ishikawa and Hiroyuki Fujita extended the home team's advantage with a 3&2 defeat of Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.

 

As in the top match, the Japanese duo made a fast start and were three up through four holes and then proceeded to hold their big-hitting opponents at bay.

 

Behind them, Koreans KT Kim and Kim Hyung-Sung combined in impressive fashion to secure a 4&2 victory over Spaniard Alvaro Quiros and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen.

Holed out

The highlight came early in the contest as Kim Hyung-Sung holed out from 150 yards at the fourth for an eagle and the home pairing did not let their opponents back into the match.

 

The only bright spot for Europe came in the bottom match as England's David Howell and Scotland's Marc Warren combined to claim a valuable point with a 2&1 success against Chinese duo Liang Wenchong and Wu Ashun.

 

All square through seven holes, momentum swung after Warren holed a remarkable bunker shot from a plugged lie at the par-five eighth and, after winning the next two holes, Europe ultimately eased to a much-needed triumph.

 

European captain Jose Maria Olazabal admitted it had been a disappointing start, stating: "It was a bad day for us. We didn't expect that start.

 

"Now we have to be spot-on for the last two days - and that's our goal. We have to play aggressively and go for it. We do not have much room to manoeuvre."

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YE Yang explains decision to drop himself from Asian team for Royal Trophy

 

Asia captain YE Yang has defended his decision to leave himself out of his team for this week's Royal Trophy against Europe.

 

The South Korean was Asia's hero last year, partnering compatriot KT Kim to victory in a tense play-off after the teams had finished level at 8-8.

 

The former PGA champion was set to be a playing captain this year, but he believes his form over the past 12 months has not been good enough to justify a place ahead of plenty of in-form Asian players.

 

"When I was first offered the Royal Trophy captaincy the idea was that I would also play in the competition as well," said Yang, who remains the only Asian golfer to lift a major title.

 

"I wanted to play. But I quickly realised that there so many players who were playing better than me that I had to give up my spot on the team. I could not be greedy about it.

 

"It was not an easy decision to take, but I suppose the positive side of it is that it underlines that Asian golf is getting stronger and stronger all the time. And the Royal Trophy deserves a huge amount of credit for that.

 

"The Royal Trophy's influence can be seen in the way Asian players perform with greater confidence on the world stage, something that is definitely reflected in their results.

 

"It has given us an added focus as well as exposing out players to white-hot competition against some of the best golfers in the game. That is why the competition should be revered and respected by everyone.

 

"I would even go so far as to say the Asian victory last year was in some ways just as important as me becoming the first Asian golfer to win a Major title at the 2009 PGA Championship.

 

"I think both wins were very significant for Asian golf, and in their different ways they were equally important.

 

"One proved that Asian golfers could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best golfers in the world and win major championships. For me to go head to head with Tiger Woods in the final round and come out on top sent a very positive to every golfer on our continent.

 

"And last year's Royal Trophy victory showed that as a team, we in Asia could prevail under the most intense pressure. We emerged triumphant when the situation was incredibly tense, and incredibly tight."

 

Yang is now intent on relaying his experience of match play to the younger members of his team as he bids to deny European captain Jose Maria Olazabal his first victory in the event.

Yang added: "I have a lot of experience of match play, and I felt it would be best to concentrate on trying to use that experience to guide them and to try to help the players repeat the success of last year.

 

"I thought it would be a good experience for me to move up the ladder and just do the captaincy. I want to bestow some of my knowledge on the younger players in the team.

 

"There is also a big difference between stroke and a team match play event. In stoke play you need to play the course and the elements, and you need to be very strategic in how you control your game throughout the whole 18 holes."

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Jose Maria Olazabal backs Europe to overpower Asia at Royal Trophy

 

Jose Maria Olazabal is determined to complete a captaincy treble this week as Europe take on Asia in the Royal Trophy.

 

The Spaniard was at the helm for the Ryder Cup "Miracle at Medinah" last year, and he was also the winning captain in the Seve Trophy in October.

 

But his two stints as Royal Trophy skipper have both ended in defeat, and he has warned Asian counterpart YE Yang to expect a backlash at Dragon Lake in China.

 

Olazabal said: "I regard not winning the Royal Trophy so far as a blot on my record as a captain, and I serve notice to the Asian captain, YE Yang, and his players that I do not intend to allow this state of affairs to continue.

 

"I take the captaincy very seriously whatever the event, and the Royal Trophy is very special to me because my dear friend Seve Ballesteros asked me to take over from him as the team leader in 2009 when he became too ill to travel to Asia.

 

"He was a winning captain in the first two editions of the Royal Trophy of course, and if you can follow in Seve's footsteps at anything it can only be a good thing.

 

"To lose in a play-off last year was tough to take, but in those situations someone is always going to be overjoyed, while the opposition will have to handle bitter disappointment.

 

"But back home we have a saying which goes: 'third time lucky'. And in a tight corner sometimes you need that little bit of luck to go your way. So if it goes down to the wire again, maybe it will be our turn to celebrate."

 

Olazabal believes his big hitters will have a huge advantage at Dragon Lake, and backed the likes of Nicolas Colsaerts, Alvaro Quiros, Bernd Wiesberger and Stephen Gallacher to prosper.

 

But he has also solidified his team with plenty of experience, and he insisted Europe have the right balance to overcome Asia this year.

 

"It may look like I am putting all my eggs in one basket by going for monster hitters, but that is most definitely not the case," he said.

 

"I have also sought to select players with recent experience of team match play, and Paul Lawrie, Marc Warren, Nicolas Colsaerts, Stephen Gallacher, and Thorbjorn Olesen all fall into that category.

 

"In addition, David Howell is a two-time Ryder Cup winner while Alvaro Quiros and Bernd Wiesberger are players I believe will play in the Ryder Cup before too long.

 

"But at the same time, it certainly does not do any harm to have so many big hitters. If you can add accuracy to raw power, it is a great combination.

 

"I am told most, if not all, the par fives at Dragon Lake Golf Club will be reachable in two shots for the majority of the field.

 

"If that is the case I believe several of my players will be able to hit their approaches with mid-irons rather than fairway woods, and you will always have a better chance of making birdie or eagle that way.

 

"I think we could see some spectacular scoring this week, and I am confident I have a team full of players who are very capable of shooting low scores.

 

"I genuinely hope that both teams serve up a real birdie bonanza this week - as long as we make one or two more than the Asians, and it does not go down to another play-off.

 

"After Medinah and what happened in last year's dramatic Royal Trophy, I don't think my heart could take much more of it!".

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Henrik Stenson has been named the European Tour Golfer of the Year

Swedish star Henrik Stenson has been named the European Tour Golfer of the Year for 2013 after capturing the major money titles on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

Stenson capped a memorable comeback year by winning the season-ending DP World Tour Championship to clinch the Race to Dubai title having already banked a $10m bonus in the United States with victory in the FedEx Cup.

 

Henrik Stenson

• Age: 37
• Professional wins: 16
• Current Ranking: 3rd
• Had been as low as 230 in rankings at start of 2012
• Finished 2nd at the Open & 3rd in USPGA
• Won Deutsche Bank Championship in September
• Won Tour Championship & FedEx Cup
• Won World Tour Ch'ship & Race To Dubai

Stenson's achievements were remarkable considering he was ranked only 230th in the world at the start of 2012.

 

The Swede made encouraging progress last year before igniting a surge up the world rankings with victory at the South African Open, breaking a five-year title drought on the European Tour.

 

The 37-year-old was a model of consistency over the first half of 2013, posting three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour while finishing 18th at the Masters and 21st in the US Open.

Hot summer

But he was the hottest player in the world from July onwards, starting a sparkling run of form with a third-place finish at the Scottish Open.

He was runner up to Phil Mickelson at the Open Championship and was also second at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational before finishing third in the PGA Championship.

Stenson then won twice during the FedEx Cup play-offs, including a dominant victory in the Tour Championship which secured the overall title.

Famous faces praise Henrik

Returning to the European Tour, he struggled with a wrist problem over the first two events of the inaugural Finals Series before cementing his place at the top of the Race to Dubai with a seventh place in Turkey.

 

He was in a class of his own during the season finale in Dubai, closing with his second 64 of the week to cruise to a six-shot victory and become the first player to win the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in the same season.

Honour

"It's a big honour to be voted the European Tour Golfer of the Year," Stenson said. "It just reflects the stellar year I have had.

"You can call it a dream season, year of my life, whatever you want. It has been an unbelievable year and I am delighted to win this award, especially as I am the first Swede to do so.

 

"You look at the past winners of this award and most of the greats of European golf are on there, which just adds to the prestige of winning it. To win the FedEx Cup and the American Tour Championship in some style and then follow that by taking The Race to Dubai was very special.

Butch looks at Stenson's swing

"Winning the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, where I had made my home for 10 years, in the style I won it, in front of so many family and friends, was something I will never forget.

 

"I'm not sure how I top it to be honest. I am not sure many people will get the chance to do what I did this year but I just need to keep working hard and pushing forward.

 

"The majors are the biggest goal for me now and if I can continue to play at the level I have been then I feel I can have a pretty good shot at them."

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