Henrik Stenson proud of comeback after BMW International Open win
Sunday 26 June 2016 23:24, UK
Henrik Stenson admitted he had to "dig deep" after a final-round stutter as he clinched his 10th European Tour title at the BMW International Open.
Stenson went 47 holes without a single dropped shot before he made four bogeys in seven holes late on a marathon 36-hole final day at Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof, but he birdied 13, 15 and 17 for the second time on the day to pull clear of the chasing pack.
The world No 7's strong finish salvaged a one-under 71 for a winning score of 17 under par, and he feels his first win since the 2014 DP World Tour Championship will give him huge confidence ahead of a hectic summer schedule.
"I'm delighted; I came close here the last two years so it feels pretty special to get my hands on the trophy again," said Stenson, who won the tournament in Munich in 2006.
"It was hairy all the way; it was a tough one. I had to dig deep to come back. I didn't play well on the front nine; made a couple of mistakes; got caught out by the wind a few times and missed one or two putts I should have made as well.
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"I felt like I was starting to make a bit of a mess of it and then I came back and made the birdies on the par fives, and I made some good putts closing out.
"I really feel like I played well in 2015 and I just couldn't get my hands on a trophy. It was a bit hard at times but you've just got to keep on trying and put yourself in position. I did that once again and this time I managed to go all the way."
Stenson now has his sights set on being the most successful Swedish player on the European Tour, as he now sits just one win shy of Robert Karlsson's haul of 11 victories.
"I keep track of Robert, he's won 11," Stenson added. "Up until today, I managed to win some nice tournaments and a very nice career to date. Of course you always want to try to be the one who has played the most Ryder Cups, the highest-ranked Swede winning the most times and so on. I'm chasing those 11, don't you worry about that.
"To win this week feels like I've got a nice little boost now in the right direction with the confidence. We've got a big summer ahead. We've got two more majors, the Olympics, the FedExCup and The Ryder Cup. There's a lot of golf to play, so this is definitely a push in the right direction."
