Henrik Stenson’s DP World Tour strategy ‘went to plan’ just not on the course

In pursuit of a third straight DP World Tour Championship title, Henrik Stenson is out of contention at Jumeirah Golf Estates but at least he can spend more time with this family.

Henrik Stenson at the end of the second round of the DP World Tour Championship. Paul Childs / Reuters

DUBAI // Having won the previous two DP World Tour Championships, it is obvious Henrik Stenson knows how to plot his way round the Earth Course.

In pursuit of a hat-trick this week, though, he has totally altered his gameplan. Which means, of course, that pursuit has not really been one worth the name.

In his joking debrief after round 2, Stenson suggested his plan had been to shoot the highest score possible at the start of the week, so he could get out in the first match of Day 2, the 7.40am pairing with Tommy Fleetwood.

[Pairings and tee times (UAE) for DP World Tour Championship — Round 2]

That way, he would be guaranteed to be back in good time to get spend the afternoon with his wife Emma, and children Lisa and Karl.

He was dead last in the field when he reached 9-over by the sixth, with a triple-bogey late in his first round and a double early in the second notable blemishes on his card.

When he got to the seventh tee box, it seemed to dawn on him that the quickest route back to the clubhouse would be to take the fewest shots. So he went on a red-hot run, firing six birdies in the next seven holes.

“I was plus nine after six played, then made a bunch of birdies from there and finished very quickly so I could go and see the family I haven’t seen in months,” Stenson said.

“It was all tactics, really: shoot a bad score yesterday, be out first this morning and then I can spend the afternoon at The Atlantis with the kids. It went to plan.”

Stenson’s chipper demeanour in the face of a miserable start to the event spoke of a player who has already mentally checked out for the season.

The Swede, who was 16th in the Race to Dubai standings when he arrived here this week and thus too far back to contend for the Order of Merit title, acknowledged as much.

He has just one event left before the end of the year, in South Africa, when he might be hoping the golf does not get in the way of taking his family on safari.

“My own state of mind hasn’t really been where it needs to be to perform at my highest level,” he said, after signing for a second round of 69.

“You’ve got have your mind in the right place if you’re going to compete with the best and it hasn’t really been there.”

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