KING HENRIK
Stenson wins Hero Challenge for first victory in two years
Henrik Stenson rode a tap-in eagle on the 15th hole to an improbable victory on Saturday as he prevailed by one stroke at the Hero World Challenge in New Providence, Bahamas.
Stenson fired a 6-under 66 on his final trip around
Albany Golf Course to finish at 18-under 270 in the event hosted by Tiger Woods to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation. Stenson edged Spain’s Jon Rahm by one shot and Patrick Reed by two.
The victory is the first for the Swede since he won the Wyndham Championship in August of 2017.
The 43-year-old Stenson had five birdies and one bogey in addition to his timely eagle.
Stenson set up the eagle with a 259-yard blast from a 5-wood and the ball stopped inches from the hole. The ensuing tap-in took him from one shot behind to one shot ahead.
“The shot of the day,” Stenson understated.
Stenson finished with three pars to wrap it up and end his victory drought.
“Confidence can still be a little higher at times,” Stenson said. “But I’m really happy with the way I hung in there on the back nine.”
Stenson entered the week ranked 40th in the world, falling sharply from earlier this decade when he was ranked in the year-end top five four straight years between 201316 — at 3, 2, 5 and 4 — and ninth in 2017.
He dropped to 26th last year and slipped even more this year.
“It’s down but it’s not disastrous,” Stenson said after the victory. “I’ve been top 10 in the world for five or six years straight, and that’s where I want to be. I feel like I’m playing to my potential. I can certainly compete with the best and I guess I showed that once again.”
Rahm had an eagle and four birdies while shooting a 66. His back nine included a birdie-eagle-birdie stretch on holes 14-16 and he finished with two pars.
Reed also shot 66 and had seven birdies to go with one bogey. Reed recorded birdies on 15, 16 and 17 to draw close to Stenson and Rahm before shooting par on 18.
Woods shot a 3-under 69 and finished at 14-under 274, four shots behind Stenson.
“I had my chances. I didn’t make a lot of putts or a lot of birdies on the weekend,” Woods told reporters. “I certainly had a lot of good opportunities to put the ball in there close from where I drove it, and I just didn’t hit it quite close enough. And consequently, I ended up short (of winning).”
England’s Justin Rose fired a 7-under 65 and finished in a tie for fifth with Justin Thomas (70 on Saturday) at five shots.
Kevin Kisner (65) and Gary Woodland (73) tied for seventh at six behind Stenson.
The Hero World Challenge was a Wednesday through Saturday event as a consideration for travel to Australia for players competing in next week’s President’s Cup.
SYDNEY — Former champion and overnight leader Matt Jones made the most of his local knowledge to build a three-stroke lead with a three-under-par 68 on a day of low scoring in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday.
The Australian broke clear of the pack with four birdies after the turn and came through a stumble at the 17th before picking another shot at the last to stand at 13-under going into the final round of the tournament.
American Cameron Tringale shot a 69 for overall second place, a shot better than England’s Paul Casey (71), major winner Louis Oosthuizen (70) and Japan’s amateur world No. 1 Takumi Kanaya (70) in third place on nine-under.
A change in wind direction thinned the blanket of bushfire smoke over The Australian Golf Club that over the first two days of the tournament had players battling visibility problems, stinging eyes and coughs.
Jones knows very well, however, that changeable winds can be a big problem at the suburban course where he is a member and won the Stonehaven Cup in 2015.
Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir and Geoff Ogilvy all missed the tournament cut.