DUBAI // Henrik Stenson does a good line in self-deprecating wit. Rarely does the world No 4’s form on the course, whether it be red-hot or stone-cold, affect his penchant for mirth.
Last year, as the Swede was suffering a rare blip around the Earth Course, he said it was all part of his masterplan.
“I finished very quickly so I could go and see the family I haven’t seen in months,” Stenson said, after an errant Round 2 in the 2015 DP World Tour Championship.
“It was all tactics, really: shoot a bad score, be out first this morning, then I can spend the afternoon at The Atlantis with the kids. It went to plan.”
Remembering that aberration - which it clearly was, given he had won the previous two editions of this tournament - 12 months on, Stenson was straight back to the jokes.
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“You mean when I had to stand on my head to see myself on top of the leaderboard?” he said at his eve-of-tournament press conference.
Do not expect a repeat of that over the next four days. Since then, Stenson has enjoyed arguably the most productive season of his career, most notably capturing his first major championship, the British Open, in sublime fashion at Troon in July.
He medaled at the Olympics in Rio, too, which he says was an aim at the start of the campaign. And, crucially, he has tapered his schedule perfectly, peaking just in time for the finale.
When he tees it up in the final match of Round 1, alongside nearest challenger Danny Willett, at 12.40pm, he knows a second Race to Dubai title is his for the taking.
“I know I can play well around here, of course,” Stenson said. “I think I’ve got a good game plan in place. And even if I don’t play my best, I’m probably going to try a little bit harder than I did last year for the final two rounds then.”
Stenson’s sustained excellence has edged him up to No 4 in the world rankings. Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson separate him from top spot, but he says reaching No 1 is not especially a driving force for him at present.
“The world rankings are a reflection on how well you are playing over a period of time, and I was always more keen on winning a major championship,” he said. “I’ll probably be more keen on winning a second major championship [than] becoming world No 1.”
His week started with a well-received - and well-merited - surprise, when he was granted honorary life membership of the European Tour.
He became the 51st player and first Swede on an illustrious list that includes the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson and Nick Faldo.
He was presented with his special membership card on the eve of the DP World Tour Championship by Keith Pelley, the European Tour chief executive.
“What he contributes to our tour is incredible, his contribution to the tournament committee, and how he interacts with all the players,” Pelley said.
“I call on him often to get advice, but today it is about celebrating his greatness on the golf course, and there was no greater afternoon than watching Sunday at Troon.”
The timing of the honour provided such a shock for its recipient that Stenson even struggled for a one-liner, settling instead for the prosaic summation that is was “pretty sweet.”
“It is a great honour to join that club and get honorary life membership on the European Tour,” Stenson said.
“That’s definitely a special thing. I could see it coming at some point, hopefully, but I didn’t expect it this morning.”
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