Former Open champion Henrik Stenson is reportedly planning to return to the European Tour (officially called the DP World Tour) after being relegated from the LIV Golf League. The Swede, who won the Open back in 2016 at Royal Troon, finished 49th out of the 61 players taking part in the 2025 renewal of the controversial breakaway tour. That meant he finished just inside the “Drop Zone” (and just a place behind his teammate Ian Poulter, whose career has also faltered since he joined LIV).
Stenson was the co-captain of the Majestics GC team, alongside Poulter and Lee Westwood, with Sam Horsfield completing the line-up. But they had a season to forget as they ended in 11th position out of 13 teams. Horsfield marginally outplayed his three veteran captains, finishing in 39th position in the standings (Westwood was 46th).
Although Stenson could stick around and attempt to qualify for next season’s LIV Golf League, it appears he’s opted to return to the fold of the European Tour, probably to enjoy the rest of his career without the stress of possible relegation looming over him. So let’s take a look back at Stenson’s time playing in the LIV side of golf, and also at some of his career highlights over the years.
Photo credit: Andre61 / Shutterstock.com.
Stenson’s Season to Forget in LIV Golf
Stenson didn’t have a brilliant 2024 in the LIV Golf League, finishing 35th of 57 players in the standings. But he was comfortably clear of the Drop Zone, and posted two top-10 finishes along the way. He also finished ahead of Westwood, Poulter, as well as German Martin Kaymer and aging great Phil Mickelson. Still, it was far from the result he would have wanted.
Henrik Stenson’s LIV Golf 2024 Record
| Date | Location | Finishing Position |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2nd-4th | Mayakoba | T36 |
| Feb 8th-10th | Las Vegas | T15 |
| Mar 1st-3rd | Jeddah | T31 |
| Mar 8th-10th | Hong Kong | T8 |
| Apr 5th-7th | Miami | T29 |
| Apr 26th-28th | Adelaide | 51 |
| May 3rd-5th | Singapore | 44 |
| Jun 7th-9th | Houston | T15 |
| Jun 21st-23rd | Nashville | T25 |
| Jul 12th-14th | Andalucía | T27 |
| Jul 26th-28th | United Kingdom | T41 |
| Aug 16th-18th | Greenbrier | T28 |
| Sep 13th-15th | Chicago | T6 |
The Swede is not far off 50 years of age, and he’s clearly on the decline when it comes to his golfing ability. He turned 49 in April, by which time the 2025 LIV season was well underway. In the first event in Riyadh in February, Stenson was way off the pace and finished on one under par, 16 shots back from the winner, Adrian Meronk. Things picked up for the Swede Down Under, however, as he posted his best result of the season in Adelaide when he tied for 12th with a score of -5. To say things went downhill from there would not be far from the mark.
His next four results (in Hong Kong, Singapore, Miami, and Mexico City) were T50, T38, T47, and T34. Then he – just about – landed his final top-20 finish of the campaign when finishing T20 in South Korea. The rest of his results (T44, T25, T45, T34, T39, and T22) left little to be desired.
Henrik Stenson’s LIV Golf 2025 Record
| Date | Location | Finishing Positon |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 6th-8th | Riyadh | 48 |
| Feb 14th-16th | Adelaide | T12 |
| Mar 7th-9th | Hong Kong | T50 |
| Mar 14th-16th | Singapore | T38 |
| Apr 4th-6th | Miami | T47 |
| Apr 25th-27th | Mexico City | T34 |
| May 2nd-4th | Korea | T20 |
| Jun 6th-8th | Virginia | T44 |
| Jun 27th-29th | Dallas | T25 |
| Jul 11th-13th | Andalucía | T45 |
| Jul 25th-27th | United Kingdom | T34 |
| Aug 8th-10th | Chicago | T39 |
| Aug 15th-17th | Indianapolis | T22 |
They also left him relegated from the LIV Golf gravy train. But such is the blessed life of a professional golfer that the consolation prize appears to be the chance to continue travelling around the world playing at the best courses available and getting paid for the privilege. Hard life.
Stenson’s Greatest Victories
As mentioned, Stenson won the Open in 2016, and that is undoubtedly his greatest triumph in terms of prestige. Phil Mickelson set the early pace at Royal Troon and led by three shots after the first round, five shots ahead of Stenson. The Swede clawed it back in the second round, however, and got himself to within a shot of Mickelson, who still topped the leaderboard. Stenson edged ahead after the third round after scoring 69 to Mickelson’s 70, and with just a shot in it, it was all to play for going into the final round.
In a fantastic final-round duel, both Stenson and the American played exceptional golf, but it was the man from Gothenburg who eventually won the day, although he had to set a new Open Championship record to do so! Stenson finished with an amazing round of 63 (to Mikelson’s 65) and an overall score of 20 under par to win his first (and so far only) major.
Stenson came close to winning the US PGA Championship when finishing third and tied third in 2013 and 2014, respectively. He also tied for fourth at the 2014 US Open, and tied for fifth at the 2018 US Masters. The second major has, however, eluded him.
He’s won plenty away from the majors, of course, with The Players Championship in 2009 being his first notable tournament win. In total, he’s landed six PGA Tour wins and 11 on the European Tour, including the DP World Tour Championship twice. He’s also been part of the European Ryder Cup team on five occasions, winning three of them. On the LIV Tour, Stenson has just one victory: in his very first event in July 2022. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Swede has a tournament win or two left in him when he returns to the European Tour, or whether his best golf is well and truly behind him.