Less than two weeks after his dismissal as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Swedish golf pro Henrik Stenson has won his first tournament in the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series. In doing so, he earned $4.375 million in prize money.
The 46-year-old prevailed at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster with a total of 202 strokes ahead of the two Americans Matthew Wolff and Dustin Johnson (both 204 strokes). Germany’s top golfer Martin Kaymer finished the tournament in the US state of New Jersey in twelfth place with 210 strokes.
Stenson pledged his full support to the European Tour when he was named Ryder Cup captain in March. Four months later, the tour stripped him of his post when hinted at his move to the rival LIV tour. The traditional Ryder Cup, in which a European team competes against a US team, will take place in Rome from 25 September to 1 October 2023.
Stenson: Played like a captain
“I think we can agree that I played like a captain,” Stenson said after the Bedminster win. The 2016 British Open champion received $4 million in prize money for winning the Saudi-sponsored series of tournaments. For second place in the team ranking with his former Ryder Cup colleagues Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, there was another $375,000 on top.
LIV Golf attracts the pros with enormously high entry fees and prize money. The new series is criticized because of the million-euro investment from Saudi Arabia. The background is that the country, which has been criticized for human rights violations, is trying to improve its reputation with lucrative sporting events. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have sanctioned participants in the new tournament series with disqualifications, tournament bans and fines.