Coming in to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship (opens in new tab) there had been talk about returning LIV golfers, with Henrik Stenson making his first appearance in a DP World Tour event since he joined the LIV Golf circuit and, with it, lost the European Ryder Cup captaincy.
Speaking on Thursday, the Swede stated that he hadn’t had anyone “step up to him personally and vent those thoughts” (opens in new tab) around leaving for LIV Golf, with Stenson finishing in a tie for 20th at 10-under-par. Now though, after shooting a final round 66 at Yas Links, the 46-year-old has revealed that he could see himself playing in Europe “more often than in past years if it turns out I can”.
Stenson claimed victory on his LIV Golf debut at Trump National Bedminster
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Stenson’s hopes though will fall on a court case in February (opens in new tab), with LIV golfers set to find out whether they are allowed to compete on the DP World Tour going forward.
Speaking to Golf Digest (opens in new tab) on Sunday, Stenson stated: ““I’ll be watching the arbitration case with interest,” before adding “I’m not going to guess on the result. But it will be interesting to see what comes after it. I still want to play on this tour. In my mind, nothing has changed from when I started playing on multiple tours.
“I’ve always supported Europe. It’s been a big part of my career. Nothing will ever change that. In fact, I could see me playing here more often than in past years if it turns out I can. It’s all a tangle at the moment though.”
Stenson in action in Abu Dhabi
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Having lost the European Ryder Cup captaincy (opens in new tab) after joining the Saudi-backed series, Stenson also remains hopeful of potentially making the team for Rome at the end of September.
Admitting that “there will be some emotions involved for me this year,” the Swede hasn’t given up hope of being part of Luke Donald’s squad, as Stenson stated: “If I go out and win the Open Championship again and do well elsewhere, I might qualify. It’s not impossible. And it would certainly be the irony of ironies. But until we know exactly what is happening, no one can say what the situation is going to be. I’m not a guy who wants to guess.”
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