Stenson wins LIV Golf event, earns $4 million in debut
Henrik Stenson’s choice that price him the European Ryder Cup captaincy paid massive and rapid dividends Sunday when he received the LIV Golf Invitational at Bedminster and picked up greater than $4 million for 3 days’ work.
Staked to a three-shot lead going into the third and closing spherical at Trump Nationwide, Stenson opened with a 20-foot birdie putt and by no means let anybody nearer than two photographs the remainder of the way in which.
He closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Matthew Wolf (64) and Dustin Johnson, who birdied the final gap for a 68.
Stenson, 5 years faraway from beating a area of greater than 20 gamers, picked up $4 million for profitable and an extra $375,000 for his crew ending second.
The massive payoff — not together with a signing bonus reported to be about $50 million — comes lower than two weeks after the 46-year-old Swede determined to affix the Saudi-funded LIV Golf sequence.
Stenson had pledged full help to the European tour when he grew to become Ryder Cup captain and March, and the tour stripped him of the job 4 months later when he modified his thoughts.
“I assume we are able to agree I performed like a captain,” Stenson stated on the LIV Golf telecast.
He completed at 11-under 202.
Requested by the LIV-paid broadcaster if he felt validated by the win, Stenson selected to not interact and replied, “It’s been a great first week.”
“It’s been a busy 10 days. I’m extraordinarily proud I managed to focus in addition to I did,” he stated.
Stenson received the Hero World Problem in December 2019 within the Bahamas, the vacation occasion hosted by Tiger Woods with a 20-man area. Earlier than that, he received the Wyndham Championship in 2017. And though he felt strain within the closing hour, it didn’t all the time seem like it.
Stenson poured in an 8-foot birdie putt on the 14th that gave him a three-shot lead with 4 holes remaining, two of them par 5s. However he took 4 to get down from left of the inexperienced on the par-5 fifteenth. Two holes later, Stenson made a 10-foot putt for par to take a two-shot lead down the par 5 closing gap.
“The putt on 17 was large to maintain the cushion developing the final,” Stenson stated.
Johnson now has completed eight, fourth and tied or second within the three LIV Golf Invitationals. His crew, “4 Aces,” has received the final two instances, paying $750,000 to every participant. In three occasions since Johnson reportedly obtained a $150 million signing payment, the two-time main champion has remodeled $5.2 million on the course.
Carlos Ortiz of Mexico (68) completed fourth, whereas Patrick Reed (69) was fifth.
Phil Mickelson shot an even-par 71, solely the second time in 9 rounds of LIV Golf that Mickelson has shot par or higher. He completed thirty fifth.
The LIV Golf Invitational is off for a month in the course of the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour, returning over Labor Day weekend about an hour west of Boston, after which two weeks later performs within the Chicago suburbs.
Reporting by Related Press
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