Golf Comment: Stenson deserves every penny of cup windfall
WHAT an incredible turn of fortune Sweden’s Henrik Stenson completed on Sunday and who can begrudge him the FedEx Cup and its bumper winners’ cheque?
He lost millions of dollars in disgraced financier Allen Stanford’s fraudulent investment scheme four years ago, but this win now sets him up for life in a game he loves. What a great end to the story.
He’s had to be very strong over the years, but is now playing some fantastic golf and his game has gone from strength to strength since tying for third at the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart in July.
He’s won twice on the Tour since then and is up to No4 in the world, yet I don’t think he will be the recipient of the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year award on Friday.
For Americans to vote for a European would be a huge surprise.
Tiger Woods has won five times this year and became world No1, but I think it will be Phil Mickelson taking home the award.
Winning that elusive Open title was a very sweet moment, after multiple runner-up finishes, and then going so close at the US Open puts him ahead of the rest.
The Ryder Cup is on everyone’s minds once again with it not only being exactly a year away, but a year on too from the miracle at Medinah.
Stenson has made a fantastic step up, and a timely one, with Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald not as dominant as they once were.
France’s Julien Quesne enjoyed his second win on the European Tour at the weekend, shooting a brilliant final round of 67 to win the Open D’Italia Lindt.
However, lying 41st in the Race to Dubai rankings means no place for him in Jose Maria Olazabal’s Seve Trophy squad.
Sam Torrance OBE is a multiple Ryder Cup-winning golfer and media commentator. Follow him on Twitter @torrancesam