The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Stenson goes seeking redemption at Bay Hill
golf: World No 5 hopes to make amends for 2015’s ‘tough loss’
Henrik Stenson hopes to make amends for one of the toughest losses of his career in a week when golf will mark the loss of one of its most influential figures.
Stenson held the outright lead with four holes to play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2015, but three-putted the 15th for a bogey and did the same for par on the 16th after finding the green in two.
American Matt Every took full advantage with a birdie on the 18th to become the third player to stage a successful title defence in a tournament started by Palmer in 1979.
This year’s event is the first since Palmer died in September at the age of 87 and numerous tributes are being made to the seven-time major winner at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
A 14-foot bronze statue of Palmer was unveiled at the course on Saturday, while Masters champion Danny Willett is among the players who will have the tournament’s “umbrella” logo on his bag for the week.
Orlando resident Stenson, who followed in Palmer’s footsteps by winning the Open Championship at Royal Troon last year, would love to mark the occasion by lifting the trophy on Sunday.
“There’s no question it was one of the tougher losses that I had in 2015 when I didn’t manage to win here, despite having a great opportunity,” said the world No 5, who has finished in the top 15 in each of his last five starts at Bay Hill.
“That’s the way it goes sometimes, but I hope I can make up for it and I win this tournament in the near future.”
Although world No 1 Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Adam Scott are not competing, four of the world’s top five and 14 of the top 25 help make up a strong field, which includes defending champion Jason Day and Rory McIlroy.
Meanwhile the European Tour’s Players’ Player of the Year Award has been renamed the Seve Ballesteros Award.
The award is voted for by Tour members at the end of each season and will now carry the name of five-time major winner Ballesteros, who died in 2011.