Henrik Stenson: “It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you play your best game and use all that experience and mental capacity and everything, you can definitely be up there and win”; Watch the PGA Championship live Thursday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf
Last update: 05/18/22 8:44 p.m.
Henrik Stenson says he hopes to take inspiration from Phil Mickelson’s 2021 PGA Championship win
Phil Mickelson may have dominated the build-up to the 2022 PGA Championship for the wrong reasons, but Henrik Stenson will be hoping to take inspiration from the defending champion absent this week at Southern Hills.
Mickelson became the oldest winner in major history at Kiawah Island last year, but is missing a second major of the year as part of an extended hiatus from play following a backlash violent to the explosive comments he made about the PGA Tour and a Saudi. rival league that started in February.
Longtime rival Tiger Woods said he was “disappointed” by Mickelson’s absence this week, with many other players describing his exile from the game as “sad”.
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Tiger Woods admitted he was disappointed with the absence of defending PGA Champion Phil Mickelson from this year’s tournament at Southern Hills in Tulsa
Stenson, when asked if Mickelson’s victory last year at the age of 50 gave him hope of winning a second major title in the future, the 46-year-old joked: “Yeah. , I still have four years to prepare, I guess .
The Swede, who got the better of Mickelson in a memorable duel to win the Open in 2016 at Royal Troon, added: “Certainly for us guys who are a bit older, of course it was great to see Phil win at 50 last year and give that inspiration that it’s definitely not too late.
Phil Mickelson became the oldest winner in major history by winning the PGA Championship last year
“We see the younger generation, the kind of firepower they have off the tee, but there’s more to it than distance.
“No matter how old you are, if you play your best game and use all that experience and mental capacity and everything, you can definitely be up there and win even at a later age. It was definitely inspiring and good to see.”
Stenson hasn’t won a full event since 2017 and has fallen outside the world top 200, as he now has the added responsibility of leading Europe’s bid to win back the Ryder Cup in Rome next year .
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Henrik Stenson says he’s delighted to take on the role of European Ryder Cup captain and is looking forward to the challenge
“I’m sure it will occupy my mind a little more than I would like sometimes,” admitted Stenson, although he is not determined to go for more than three wildcards for the contest in Marco Simone. Golf and Country Club.
“I think that’s me as a person. I want to do a good job. I want to be there for the players, making sure we’ve done everything we can in preparation.
“It will take a long time, but it’s a fun time.
“It’s going to be an interesting trip and we’re going to do everything we can to get the right result in Rome and for me to perform as well as possible throughout the trip.”
Who will win the PGA Championship? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins Thursday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf.