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Henrik Stenson
Stenson in 2014
Personal information
Full name Henrik Olof Stenson
Nickname The Iceman
Born (1976-04-05) 5 April 1976 (age 49)
Gothenburg, Sweden
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Nationality  Sweden
Residence Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Spouse
Emma Löfgren
​
(m. 2007)​
Children 3
Career
Turned professional 1998
Current tour(s) LIV Golf
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
European Tour
Challenge Tour
Professional wins 22
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 6
European Tour 11
Asian Tour 1
Sunshine Tour 2
Challenge Tour 3
Other 2
Best results in Major Championships
(Wins: 1)
The Masters Tournament T5: 2018
U.S. Open T4: 2014
The Open Championship Won: 2016
PGA Championship 3rd/T3: 2013, 2014
Achievements and awards
Challenge Tour
Rankings winner		 2000
Swedish Golfer of the Year 2006, 2007, 2013,
2014, 2016
PGA Tour
FedEx Cup winner		 2013
European Tour
Race to Dubai winner		 2013, 2016
European Tour
Golfer of the Year		 2013, 2016
European Tour
Players' Player of the Year		 2013, 2016

Henrik Olof Stenson (born 5 April 1976) is a professional golfer from Sweden. He made history as the first male golfer from Sweden and the Nordic countries to win a major championship. This happened when he won The Open Championship in 2016, setting a new record for the lowest score in a major tournament.

Henrik has won many important golf events around the world. These include The Players Championship, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, and the World Cup. He has been named the European Tour Golfer of the Year twice. For over 300 weeks, he was ranked among the top ten golfers in the world, even reaching second place.

In 2013, Stenson achieved a "historic double." He won the FedEx Cup on the U.S. PGA Tour and the Race to Dubai on the European Tour in the same year. He was also chosen to be the captain for the European Ryder Cup team in 2023, but his role was later ended.

Early Life and Golf Start

Henrik Stenson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He had his first golf lesson when he was 12 years old, in September 1988. He started playing golf after going with a friend to the course. Even though he is naturally left-handed, Henrik learned to play golf using his right hand.

In 1991, he moved with his family to Bjärred, near Malmö in southern Sweden. He joined the Barsebäck Golf & Country Club. By age 15, he had a golf handicap of 5. By 18, he was playing at scratch level, which means he was very good. He played in many junior and amateur tournaments in Sweden during his teenage years.

Amateur Golf Career

When he was 18, Henrik first played for Sweden in an international event. This was the 1994 European Boys' Team Championship. His team lost a close final match against England. In 1996, he won the Italian Open Amateur Match-play Championship. He beat Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands in the final.

In 1998, while still an amateur, he played in eight professional tournaments on the Telia Tour. He finished in the top 10 five times. In his last amateur tournament, the Telia Grand Prix, he was leading with just two holes left. His good play in 1998 earned him a spot on the Swedish team for the 1998 Eisenhower Trophy in Chile. Sweden finished 6th, and Henrik was the best Swedish player.

Professional Golf Journey

Starting on the European Tour

Henrik Stenson became a professional golfer in 1998. Two years later, he was the top earner on the Challenge Tour, which is Europe's second-level golf tour. He joined the main European Tour in 2001. That same year, he won the Benson & Hedges International Open, which was his first win on the European Tour. From 2005 to 2008, he always finished in the top 10 of the European Tour's money list.

Stenson entered the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2006 and the top 10 in 2007. In February 2007, he became the first Swedish golfer to win a World Golf Championships event. He beat Geoff Ogilvy in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. This win moved him to the top of the European Order of Merit and to fifth in the world rankings. This was the highest a male Swedish player had ever been ranked. He spent over 100 weeks in the top 10 rankings between 2007 and 2010.

Henrik played in his first Ryder Cup in 2006. He helped Europe win the Ryder Cup for the third time in a row. He secured the winning point by beating Vaughn Taylor in his Sunday match. He also played in the 2008 event. In 2009, Stenson got a lot of attention when he took off some of his clothes to play a shot from a muddy water area. He only had his underwear and golf glove on!

Success on the PGA Tour

In May 2009, Stenson won The Players Championship, a very important event on the PGA Tour. He played a fantastic final round to win by four shots. This was his first stroke play victory in America. This win also brought him back to fifth in the world rankings. Stenson then focused on playing mostly on the PGA Tour.

After reaching a high ranking, Stenson had some tough times. His world ranking dropped in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, during the Masters, he had a difficult moment on the 18th hole. But he bounced back.

Henrik Stenson och Jerringpriset 2013-3
Stenson won the Jerring Award for his performance in the 2013 season.

In 2013, Stenson had an amazing year. He won several tournaments and finished high in others. He became known as one of the best "ball-strikers" in golf. At the 2013 Open Championship, he finished second, just three shots behind the winner. This was his best performance in a major championship at that time. He then finished second again at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Stenson continued his great form in the 2013 PGA Championship, finishing third. His good play led him to win the Deutsche Bank Championship. This was his first PGA Tour win in over three years. He then won The Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. He reached his career-best ranking of 3rd in the world. He was a top player in many areas, like hitting greens and overall scoring.

In November 2013, he won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. This also meant he won the Race to Dubai. By winning both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in the same year, he made history. No other player had done this "historic double" before. He was also named the European Tour Golfer of the Year.

In May 2014, Stenson reached his highest world ranking ever, number two. He had strong finishes in major tournaments that year. In 2015, he didn't win any tournaments but consistently made the cut in all events he played. He finished second four times.

In 2016, he won the BMW International Open for the second time. This was his 10th win on the European Tour.

Major Championship Victory

Stenson won the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon. This was his first major title, after many top finishes without a win. He was leading by one shot going into the final round, playing alongside Phil Mickelson. Stenson shot an incredible 63 in the final round. This tied the record for the best final round by a major winner. His total score of 264 was the lowest ever in any major championship. He won by three shots, becoming the first Swedish male golfer to win a major.

In August 2016, Stenson won a silver medal for Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was tied for the lead on the final hole but finished second. He also played in the 2016 Ryder Cup, helping Europe earn points. In November 2016, he won the Race to Dubai for a second time. He had the best scoring average on the European Tour that year. He was named European Tour Golfer of the Year again.

In August 2017, Stenson won the Wyndham Championship. He set a new tournament record for the lowest score. In 2018, he finished in the top 5 at the 2018 Masters Tournament. This meant he had finished in the top 5 at all four major championships in his career. He also played very well in the 2018 Ryder Cup, winning all three of his matches. He was one of only two players to finish undefeated.

In December 2019, Stenson won the Hero World Challenge. This was his first tournament win in over two years. In March 2022, he was announced as the captain for the 2023 European Ryder Cup team. However, his captaincy was later ended.

Joining LIV Golf

In July 2022, it was confirmed that Henrik Stenson would join the LIV Golf Invitational Series. In his very first LIV Golf event, the Bedminster tournament, he won by two shots. In September 2022, the Swedish Golf Federation announced that they were ending their partnership with Henrik Stenson. In May 2023, Stenson also resigned his membership from the European Tour.

Awards and Special Recognitions

  • In 2005, Henrik received the Elit Sign number 130 from the Swedish Golf Federation. This award is based on a golfer's world ranking achievements.
  • In 2007, he became an honorary member of the PGA of Sweden.
  • In January 2014, the radio audience of Sveriges Radio voted Stenson as the best performing Swedish athlete of 2013. He won the Jerring Award.
  • He has been named Swedish Golfer of the Year five times: in 2006, 2007, 2013, 2014, and 2016.
  • In November 2016, Stenson was given the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal. This award is for the most important Swedish sports achievement of the year.
  • In 2022, Henrik Stenson was chosen to be part of the Swedish Golf Hall of Fame. He was the fifth person to be inducted into this new Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Henrik Stenson is married to Emma Löfgren, who is also from Sweden. They met at the University of South Carolina and got married in Dubai in 2007. They have three children: a daughter named Lisa (born in 2007) and a son named Karl (born in 2010). They live near the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. Emma's sister, Sarah Skönby, has been Henrik's manager since 2008. In 2014, Stenson invested in PGA Sweden National, which was his first time owning part of a golf course.

Amateur Wins

  • 1996 Italian Open Amateur Championship

Professional Wins (22)

PGA Tour Wins (6)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (1)
World Golf Championships (1)
FedEx Cup playoff events (2)
Other PGA Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 25 Feb 2007 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 2 and 1 Australia Geoff Ogilvy
2 10 May 2009 The Players Championship 68-69-73-66=276 −12 4 strokes England Ian Poulter
3 2 Sep 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship 67-63-66-66=262 −22 2 strokes United States Steve Stricker
4 22 Sep 2013 Tour Championship 64-66-69-68=267 −13 3 strokes United States Jordan Spieth, United States Steve Stricker
5 17 Jul 2016 The Open Championship 68-65-68-63=264 −20 3 strokes United States Phil Mickelson
6 20 Aug 2017 Wyndham Championship 62-66-66-64=258 −22 1 stroke United States Ollie Schniederjans

European Tour Wins (11)

Legend
Major championships (1)
World Golf Championships (1)
Race to Dubai finals series (2)
Other European Tour (7)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 13 May 2001 Benson & Hedges International Open 66-68-71-70=275 −13 3 strokes Argentina Ángel Cabrera, Republic of Ireland Paul McGinley
2 26 Sep 2004 The Heritage 69-67-67-66=269 −19 4 strokes Spain Carlos Rodiles
3 29 Jan 2006 Commercialbank Qatar Masters1 66-68-71-68=273 −15 3 strokes England Paul Broadhurst
4 3 Sep 2006 BMW International Open 71-68-66-68=273 −15 Playoff South Africa Retief Goosen, Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington
5 4 Feb 2007 Dubai Desert Classic 68-64-69-68=269 −19 1 stroke South Africa Ernie Els
6 25 Feb 2007 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 2 and 1 Australia Geoff Ogilvy
7 18 Nov 2012 SA Open Championship2 66-65-69-71=271 −17 3 strokes South Africa George Coetzee
8 17 Nov 2013 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai 68-64-67-64=263 −25 6 strokes England Ian Poulter
9 23 Nov 2014 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (2) 68-66-68-70=272 −16 2 strokes France Victor Dubuisson, Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy,
England Justin Rose
10 26 Jun 2016 BMW International Open (2) 68-65-67-71=271 −17 3 strokes South Africa Darren Fichardt, Denmark Thorbjørn Olesen
11 17 Jul 2016 The Open Championship 68-65-68-63=264 −20 3 strokes United States Phil Mickelson

1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
2Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour

European Tour Playoff Record (1–3)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2005 Scandinavian Masters Australia Mark Hensby Lost to par on second extra hole
2 2006 BMW Asian Open Spain Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3 2006 BMW International Open South Africa Retief Goosen, Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington Won with eagle on first extra hole
4 2014 BMW International Open Spain Rafa Cabrera-Bello, France Grégory Havret,
Paraguay Fabrizio Zanotti		 Zanotti won with par on fifth extra hole
Cabrera-Bello eliminated by par on fourth hole
Havret eliminated by birdie on second hole

Sunshine Tour Wins (2)

Legend
Flagship events (1)
Other Sunshine Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 7 Dec 2008 Nedbank Golf Challenge −21 (63-71-65-68=267) 9 strokes United States Kenny Perry
2 18 Nov 2012 SA Open Championship1 −17 (66-65-69-71=271) 3 strokes South Africa George Coetzee

1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

Sunshine Tour Playoff Record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2009 Nedbank Golf Challenge Australia Robert Allenby Lost to par on third extra hole

Challenge Tour Wins (3)

Legend
Tour Championships (1)
Other Challenge Tour (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 25 Jun 2000 DEXIA-BIL Luxembourg Open −18 (63-68-69-70=270) Playoff Belgium Nicolas Colsaerts (a), Denmark Nils Roerbaek-Petersen
2 17 Sep 2000 Gula Sidorna Grand Prix −7 (66-69-71-71=277) 3 strokes Netherlands Robert-Jan Derksen, England Kenneth Ferrie
3 5 Nov 2000 Cuba Challenge Tour Grand Final −18 (69-67-65-69=270) 5 strokes Sweden Mikael Lundberg, England Andrew Raitt,
Italy Michele Reale

Challenge Tour Playoff Record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2000 Costa Blanca Challenge Sweden Johan Ryström Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2 2000 DEXIA-BIL Luxembourg Open Belgium Nicolas Colsaerts (a), Denmark Nils Roerbaek-Petersen Won with birdie on second extra hole

LIV Golf Invitational Series Wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 31 Jul 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster −11 (64-69-69=202) 2 strokes United States Dustin Johnson, United States Matthew Wolff

Other Wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 30 Nov 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup
(with Sweden Robert Karlsson)		 −27 (65-67-66-63=261) 3 strokes  Spain − Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Pablo Larrazábal
2 7 Dec 2019 Hero World Challenge −18 (69-67-68-66=270) 1 stroke Spain Jon Rahm

Major Championships

Wins (1)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
2016 The Open Championship 1 shot lead −20 (68-65-68-63=264) 3 strokes United States Phil Mickelson

Results Timeline

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament CUT T17 T17 T38
U.S. Open T26 CUT CUT 9
The Open Championship CUT T34 T48 CUT T3 T13
PGA Championship T47 T14 CUT T4 T6
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Masters Tournament CUT CUT T40 T18 T14 T19 T24 CUT T5
U.S. Open T29 T23 T21 T4 T27 WD CUT T6
The Open Championship T3 68 2 T39 T40 1 T11 T35
PGA Championship CUT 3 T3 T25 T7 T13 CUT
Tournament 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Masters Tournament T36 CUT T38
PGA Championship T48 CUT T64 CUT
U.S. Open T9 CUT CUT
The Open Championship T20 NT CUT CUT T13 CUT

     Win      Top 10      Did not play CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 1 1 7 16 11
PGA Championship 0 0 2 3 5 8 16 11
U.S. Open 0 0 0 1 4 6 15 9
The Open Championship 1 1 2 4 4 8 19 14
Totals 1 1 4 9 14 29 66 45
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (2011 U.S. Open – 2016 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (four times)

The Players Championship

Wins (1)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
2009 The Players Championship 5 shot deficit −12 (68-69-73-66=276) 4 strokes England Ian Poulter

Results Timeline

Tournament 2006 2007 2008 2009
The Players Championship T3 T23 T10 1
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Players Championship CUT CUT T15 T5 T34 T17 CUT T16 T23 CUT
Tournament 2020 2021 2022
The Players Championship C CUT WD

     Win      Top 10 CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
WD = withdrew
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

World Golf Championships

Wins (1)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
2007 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship n/a 2 and 1 Australia Geoff Ogilvy

Results Timeline

Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.

Tournament 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Championship T3 T13 T19 T57 T77 T37 T16 T4 T28 WD T54
Match Play R32 1 3 R64 R64 R64 R64 R32 T34 R16 NT1
Invitational T13 T31 T41 T16 T29 80 T2 T19 T6 T17 T39 T27 T35
Champions T40 T13 T31 T24 T11 T2 T2 T20 NT1

1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
     Win      Top 10      Did not play WD = Withdrew
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = No tournament
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

PGA Tour Career Summary

Season Starts Cuts
made		 Wins (majors) 2nd 3rd Top
10		 Top
25		 Earnings
($)		 Money
list rank
2001 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a
2002 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a
2003 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a
2004 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a
2005 4 4 0 0 1 1 2 53,919 n/a
2006 10 8 0 0 1 1 4 582,303 n/a
2007 15 10 1 0 0 2 6 1,897,554 40
2008 9 8 0 0 2 4 6 1,238,118 n/a
2009 10 9 1 0 1 4 5 2,550,185 n/a
2010 15 9 0 0 1 1 1 683,070 134
2011 15 9 0 0 0 0 2 327,799 166
2012 15 11 0 0 1 1 7 791,107 115
2013 18 16 2 3 1 8 10 6,388,230 2
2013–14 15 14 0 0 1 3 8 1,894,235 49
2014–15 16 16 0 4 0 8 12 4,755,070 9
2015–16 14 10 1 (1) 1 1 4 7 3,397,373 21
2016–17 15 9 1 1 0 3 8 2,769,771 34
2017–18 16 14 0 1 0 5 9 2,680,487 40
2018–19 15 14 0 0 0 3 8 1,397,370 82
2019–20 5 3 0 0 0 0 1 155,111 203
2020–21 18 11 0 0 0 0 3 245,906 189
2021–22* 13 4 0 0 0 0 2 184,439 208
Career* 221 167 6 (1) 10 10 48 98 31,746,140 32

*As of the 31 July 2022.

Team Appearances

Amateur

  • Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1994
  • European Boys' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1994
  • European Youths' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1996
  • European Amateur Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1997
  • Eisenhower Trophy (representing Sweden): 1998
  • St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1998 (winners)

Professional

  • Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2005, 2009
  • World Cup (representing Sweden): 2005, 2006, 2008 (winners), 2009
  • Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2006 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2010 (winners), 2011 (winners), 2012
  • Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2006 (winners), 2008, 2014 (winners), 2016, 2018 (winners)
  • EurAsia Cup (representing Europe): 2018 (winners)

Ryder Cup Points Record

2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 Total
1.5 1.5 – – 3 2 3 11

See Also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Henrik Stenson para niños

  • List of golfers with most European Tour wins
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