Henrik Stenson has been named The European Tour Golfer of the Month for November in recognition of his part in Sweden’s superb triumph in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China.
The 32 year old crowned a wonderful week on the Olazábal Course at Mission Hills by helping partner Robert Karlsson claim the World Cup for his country for only the second time, the initial success having been enjoyed by Anders Forsbrand and Per-Ulrik Johansson at La Querce in Italy in 1991.
Having begun the week as pre-tournament favourites, Sweden lived up to the billing in style with a stunning final round 63 in the foursomes to win by three shots from the Spanish duo of Miguel Angel Jiménez and Pablo Larrazabal.
It was Stenson’s first monthly award since he picked up the accolade for February 2007 – following his victories that month in both the Dubai Desert Classic and the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play – and gave recognition to an excellent spell of form at the end of the year which saw him finish fifth in the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai at the start of November and claim victory in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa four weeks later.
The Swede faced some strong competition for the November accolade, chosen by a panel comprising representatives of the Association of Golf Writers (AGW), Television, Radio and The European Tour; and leading the way were Sergio Garcia of Spain, India’s Jeev Milkha Singh and Stenson’s World Cup partner Robert Karlsson.
Bill Elliott, golf correspondent of the Observer, said: “This was an exceptionally strong month for The European Tour, arguably the closest we have had to vote on, but Henrik Stenson just edged it with his magnificent performance in helping Sweden to victory in the World Cup and then following it with a commanding victory in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.”
Garcia won the HSBC Champions title at the Sheshan International Golf Club after a thrilling sudden-death play-off with his Ryder Cup team-mate Oliver Wilson of England; the Spaniard winning at the second extra hole with a birdie four to give him not only his eighth European Tour International Schedule title, but also the perfect start on The Race to Dubai.
Singh captured the Barclays Singapore Open, Asia’s richest national Open, by holding off Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington, a victory which helped him win the Asian Tour Order of Merit for the second time. He followed that with an emotional victory in the Nippon Series JT Cup on the Japan Golf Tour just days after his wife gave birth to their stillborn child.
Karlsson’s part in the World Cup triumph crowned a superb year for the 39 year old who won the Mercedes-Benz Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship during a season which ended with him being the first Swedish golfer to win The Harry Vardon Trophy as European Number One.
Other players commended for their performances over the month were Australia’s Rod Pampling, who returned home to triumph in the Sportsbet Australian Masters at Huntingdale Golf Club in Melbourne; South Africa’s Ernie Els who won the King Hassan Trophy in Morocco; and Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng who prevailed in Dunlop Phoenix tournament, also on the Japan Golf Tour.
Other Golfer of the Month Award winners in 2008 were: Germany’s Martin Kaymer (January), Mark Brown of New Zealand (February), Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland (March), Trevor Immelman of South Africa (April), Garcia (May) and Larrazabal (June), Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (July and August) and Karlsson (September and October).
