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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

March 20, 2016

Henrik Stenson

Orlando, Florida

Q. Another close call here at Bay Hill. Henrik, right in the mix with a few holes to go. How did it play out from your perspective?
HENRIK STENSON: Well, I got off to a bit of a tough start. I didn't hit the greens early on. I had to fight to save pars. Did some good par saves early on and got a few birds middle of the front-9 and then picked up another two on 12 and 13 and at that point I felt like I was right in the mix of things and I just feel like I batted the swing a little bit too much trying to get comfortable during the warm up on the range and just feel like I hit a few loose shots everyday. I still had some great shots throughout the week and you know, long game is normally my strength and it keeps on putting it in decent position but I just hit too loose ones: The one on 14 couldn't get up and down and left on 16 in the water and pretty much game set and mix. I needed a four to stay tied at the top and I didn't.

Q. What considerations were given to maybe hitting driver on 16 to not have as much in with your second there?
HENRIK STENSON: No, I mean I -- like I said, I put some bad swings on it every now and again and I hit a healed a 3-wood. I lost 20, 25 yards off the tee shot. Left me with a 4-iron instead of more like a 6-iron. No.

I've hit 3-wood all week there and left me some decent clubs into that green so I wouldn't go back and change that. I would like to hit another 4-iron, though.

Q. What do you take away from in week again coming so close but falling short?
HENRIK STENSON: I'm happy with the progress. I came in to play golf and I did even though I don't feel I'm on top of my game. Still hit a lot of good putts today and that's really what kept me in the ballgame and scrambled well throughout the whole week.

So, you know, happy with the way things are going and one step closer the where we want to be.

Q. Henrik, you said you guys weren't officially on the clock. Did the discussion you had about picking up the pace, did that affect you at all down the back-9?
HENRIK STENSON: No. No. We were asked to try and keep up with the guys ahead on the 12th and Kevin was just off with his tee shot on 11 so he had to have some extra yardage to figure out what to do and then from there on we kind of kept a decent pace moving forward. So, no, that was never an issue.

Q. Clearly a tournament where you've had a lot of success but haven't been able to close the deal.
Do you feel like this place owes you one?

HENRIK STENSON: Eventually. I think eventually -- I mean it wasn't to be there. I feel both yesterday and today I came up on the wrong side on one or two times with the small margins, you know, and it is a game of small margins and sometimes you have a few good breaks on your side.

I mean I've had a couple of good breaks throughout the week. Don't get me wrong. I didn't feel like I had as many as you sometimes need to win and with the ball-striking and -- I never really felt a hundred percent with it all week and when you got longer irons and winds and tough shots, if you don't feel like you can take one side out. I've had a bit of a two-way miss going all week. Never builds confidence.

So, you know, back to the drawing board. Got sometime before Augusta to keep working away and pick up the ball-striking a notch but I came here to try and mentally be in the right place and have a good solid tournament, and I did. I'm pleased with the progress and in that way.

Last year I had three great tournaments leading up to Augusta and I got sick. I wanted to try to have something similar this year and didn't play good at Doral and played a bit better in Tampa and played definitely better here than the previous two weeks. Heading in the right direction even if we're not quite there with the ball-striking and confidence and in that sense.

Q. In an odd way do you feel better this year leaving the tournament than last year?
HENRIK STENSON: Absolutely, a hundred percent. Last year I felt like I had it in my hand and let it slip. I was one of the guys in the mix. I did pretty well to be in the mix given my confidence level, really. So, I'll take a lot of positives out of this week.

You always want to win when you're up there but -- it's one of them when it's a four man race at the top and it's that tight, you got to do some good stuff and I just didn't feel like I had that extra gear to produce it, really, and still you can win but it's going to take a bit more good luck to do it if you're not on top of your game.

Q. Did you know you were tied for the lead at some point today?
HENRIK STENSON: Yeah, both Kevin and I birdied 13, I think we were tied for the lead but then I immediately dropped one on the next one there which is, again, feels like because I didn't really feel sound with my swing, make a few too many unforced errors, like a boxed 5-iron into the middle of the green. The wind off the right, you know, there's been a few going this way and then you kind of hold it off and let it flare into the wind and come up short.

Just couldn't get up and down. It wasn't really the hardest up and down but I just couldn't get it close enough. I hit some good putts on both 14 and 16 but I guess that is small margins. One day you make both of them, the other day you miss both.

Q. On 16 what did you have in?
HENRIK STENSON: 4-iron second shot.

Q. Do you know how far about?
HENRIK STENSON: 220 yards.

Q. The other thing, there was a lot of discussion back and forth on where your drop should be. How did that finally get resolved?
HENRIK STENSON: I asked if they saw -- if they could see and TV could see and he said that they thought it was over so then I called the rules official because obviously you got to be sure what you're doing and then they said they thought, and the rules official thought, okay, if they can't say a hundred percent we're better off going this side.

We kind of decided we're going on the short side. When he drives off then they get confirmation they were a hundred percent sure it crossed on the side so I had to call him back and had to obviously go on what the television saw there.

Q. Because of the way you're playing, any regrets about next week?
HENRIK STENSON: No. No. I think I'm happy with the schedule. It was always going to be a bit of give and take. You got to miss out on one, two tournaments, with the Ryder Cup, Olympics, everything else that's been going on. Going to be a couple weeks. I'm not playing next week or Bridgestone. I'm missing out on two big tournaments but I got to get a schedule together this year that suits me and my traveling schedule and everything so with that in mind, you just got to accept those things going to happen and I came off playing -- had a long stretch off. I played three in a row. I need of breather before Houston.

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