Sweden’s Henrik Stenson crowned a remarkable season on Tuesday when he was named the European Tour’s Golfer of the Year for 2013.
The 37-year-old, the first man from his country to win the award, made history this year by winning both order of merit competitions in the United States and Europe – the FedEx Cup and The Race to Dubai, respectively.
“It’s a big honour,” Stenson said. “It just reflects the stellar year I have had. You can call it a dream season, year of my life, whatever you want. It has been an unbelievable year and I am delighted to win this award, especially as I am the first Swede to do so.”
I’m not sure how I top it ... but I just need to keep working hard and pushing forward
Stenson won his first European tour title in 2001, but he had to go through two career slumps – the latter of which, in 2011, left him ranked 230th in the world – before bouncing back in style.
His other stand-out performances in 2013 included a share of third place at the Scottish Open, followed by runners-up finishes at The Open and the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and third place in the US PGA Championship in the space of just five weeks.
He then won the second FedEx Cup play-off event, the Deutsche Bank Championship, before landing the Tour Championship in Atlanta to seal the overall title and a US$10 million bonus.
Though plagued by a wrist injury, he played in all four tournaments in the European Tour’s inaugural Final Series, surging to a six-shot victory in Dubai with a tournament-record score of 25 under par.