DUBAI // Henrik Stenson returned to his second home of the UAE this week and targeted the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship as his leading objective behind the priority of winning one of the four majors for the first time and competing in the the newly created $US10million (Dh36.7m) Dubai World Championship.
The popular Swede, ranked 10th in the world, loves playing in the Gulf region and has already captured two legs of the "Desert Swing" by triumphing in the 2006 Qatar Masters in Doha and the Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates the following year. "Naturally I wouldn't mind winning those two tournaments again in January but it would be nice to complete the triple by winning in Abu Dhabi," said Stenson, as he took some time off from his European Tour commitments before embarking on the new Race to Dubai, which begins in Shanghai next month.
"I have finished second twice in Abu Dhabi and I would really like to go one better," added Stenson, who turned in a gallant display in the inaugural tournament on the National course in 2006 when he defied a debilitating illness to finish only one shot adrift of the American winner Chris Di Marco and also shared the runners-up spot this year with Lee Westwood, four shots behind the runaway champion Martin Kaymer.
Stenson, 32, who is in his eighth year as a European Tour professional, enjoys his frequent visits to the Middle East. "All three are up there with the best events on the calendar," he said. "The courses are among the best we play and it is always a pleasure to take part. I just hope that I can capitalise on the experience I have of playing here to add that Abu Dhabi title to my collection [of seven wins].
"As a professional it is always nice when you have three attractive events in the same area one after another and next year we will have the [Dubai World] Championship to look forward to which is tremendous for all of us." Stenson believes that there will be even more to look forward to in future years as Dubai leads the Emirates initiative in becoming a key part of top quality golf. "We are all watching as fantastic new courses are being built all around us over here and they will all be competing for the right to stage top events," he remarked. "It can only get bigger."
The Swede hinted that one day he might be looking for a slice of the action and follow the likes of growing array of former tour pros like Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Gary Player into the design of UAE courses. He suggested that he will not emulate Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, who are mixing playing with design at present. "The focus has to be on strengthening my reputation as a player first," he said.
"But after I have done that, hopefully I will have enough experience to be able to go into design." He intends to use his influence in the Emirates to make full use of this brief visit by having a sneak peak at the new Earth Course that Norman has designed. "I will definitely try to head out there and have a look at the course. I hope I can be convincing enough with my powers of persuasion to get on there." wjohnson@thenational.ae
