European Tour: Sky Sports pundit Rob Lee hails world class Henrik Stenson

Sky Sports golf pundit Rob Lee was full of praise for Henrik Stenson after the Swede retained his DP World Tour Championship on Sunday.

Lee says the 38-year-old showed he was one of the world’s top players by holding off an extremely strong field in Dubai despite not being at his best.

Victory for Stenson, who has moved up to second in the world rankings, looked unlikely when he appeared to have fallen out of contention after a double-bogey at the 11th and a difficult par-saving putt at the next.   

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But birdies at the closing two holes - and the capitulation of playing partner Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who double bogeyed 16 and 17 - secured a two-shot victory for Stenson with Ryder Cup trio Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Victor Dubuisson sharing second spot.

Lee said: “Henrik had a spell in his career when he couldn’t keep it on the golf course and at 11 on Sunday he fired his tee-shot with a two-iron straight out of bounds. But at 12 he made a tough putt (from 12 feet) to save par and that for me kept him in it.

“That’s what the top players do, when they are not really in control, but they somehow just hang in there and then make it happen at the end, and that’s exactly what he did.

“Stenson was dogged and determined on Sunday and deserved his victory.”

As for his birdie at the penultimate hole, Lee added: “The pin at 17 was in a really evil spot and Stenson got the ball to within 18 inches of it. But Rafa Cabrera-Bello was only a yard left of where his playing partner landed it, yet put it in the water.

Henrik had a spell in his career when he couldn’t keep it on the golf course

“And Henrik’s wedge shot at 18, his third on the par five, was out of the top drawer and he finished in style with another birdie. That’s what champions do.”

Of the venue, Lee added: “The golf course has really come on in leaps and bounds over the years. It was originally a resort golf course and when the players first got there they thought, ‘Is this a real curtain closer to the season?’

“But because the greens are full of lumps and bumps. And there is an issue when they put the flags in tight places that even the top players can really struggle to get close to it. It’s a really good gambler’s golf course.”