Stenson on a roll
Swede out to make dream debut in Maybank Championship
SUBANG: Sweden’s Henrik Stenson is out to translate his consistent form into victory when he debuts in the Maybank Championship tomorrow.
The 41-year-old will tee off the US$3mil (RM11.7mil) tournament sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour at the Saujana Golf and Country Club on the back of two top-10 finishes he secured in the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks.
He was eighth at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and followed up with a tied sixth at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic last Sunday.
Being the highest-ranked golfer in this week’s 156-man field, Stenson is also eager to live up to his top billing and get his hand on a trophy in the early season.
It will be Stenson’s first return to the Saujana Golf and Country Club in 13 years – having finished third at the 2005 Malaysian Open, which was won by Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
The result was Stenson’s best outing in his previous five stroke play appearances in Malaysia.
Stenson, of course, was also part of the European side that defended the EurAsia Cup three weeks ago.
“I haven’t been playing much in Malaysia for the past 10 years and now that I’ve been here two times in a month, I’m back to being a local resident, I guess,” he said in jest.
“It’s a nice place, obviously a little bit on the hot side for us northern Europeans but we’ll get by that. Hopefully, we’ll have another good week here in the early part of the year.
“I still feel like it’s been a bit of a struggle, though, the long game has not been where I want it to be but putting has been pretty solid.
“I kept it together nicely, not making many mistakes despite that and I’m happy with that.
“Two top 10s in the first two events and I managed to get the win down here a few weeks ago so, all in all, a pleasing start but I still got some things to work on.”
Stenson boasts 20 worldwide wins, including six on the US PGA Tour.
He was also a silver medallist at the Rio Olympics last year.
Stenson holds the distinction of being the only man to capture both the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in 2013, netting him a US$20mil (RM84mil) combined jackpot.
The former world No. 2 also became the first Swede Major champion when he won the British Open in July last year.