PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 20, 2021

Henrik Stenson

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Henrik Stenson. Henrik opened up with a 73 today. He's 1-over par currently.

Henrik, really, really solid play through the 12th or 13th hole. That's really when the gauntlet around here seems to start. Is that kind of how it felt for you out there today?

HENRIK STENSON: Yeah, it's really a kind of two-half golf course. You play the first four into the wind. Obviously, a little more gentle than the last five on the back nine, but you play virtually nine and nine into or downwind in these conditions that we've had here for the last couple of days.

Yeah, no question, you want to -- really pleased to be level par, especially the way I played in the first four or five holes there. Then managed to pick up some birdies on the downwind holes. Once we turned around, it certainly -- those long clubs, the 3-, 4-irons, it's difficult shots. Of course, 17 is a brutal one; even off an up tee, it's a very difficult hole. Yeah, I had a really poor finish.

Someone must be very keen to speak to me because this is probably bottom of my list right now.

Q. I know that's not the finish you want, but you look at your results for the last few weeks and today, have you seemed like you turned a corner and found something in your swing that maybe wasn't there?

HENRIK STENSON: Yeah, I certainly had a good couple of days here Monday, Tuesday. Then yesterday when I played, I kind of maybe didn't feel as good as I did on Monday evening and Tuesday. But, yeah, it certainly feels like we're trending in the right direction. It's a tough test, this one, to come out when you're searching for form and confidence. It's probably one of the tougher ones to step onto the tee and feel that commitment and building trust out there when you've got strong winds and curving holes and marsh lands left, right, and center.

It's a difficult golf course, no question. Other than a bad finish, I was obviously pleased with the way I was hanging in there and hit a couple of good shots in between here and there and scrambled well. On and around the greens it was pretty tidy.

Q. When I last saw you, you were heading for two weeks of basically what you called training camp. Just wanted to see how it went.

HENRIK STENSON: It went pretty good. A lot of hard work, long days. Like I said, it feels like we're trending in the right direction. It was certainly more solid in the practice rounds than it has been. Then, yeah, going out in a major championship on a really difficult golf course, it's obviously going to put things to the test.

Commitment could have been better today. It's one of those classic where you play a lot of shots into the wind and you kind of start feeling like you're leaning into it a little bit, and that's probably the one thing I don't need in my swing at the moment, more leaning forward. So it's a little bit of a catch-22, that one, when I've got to stay more centered but the conditions kind of forces you to go forward a bit.

Yeah, we're battling a little bit with that, but, yeah, we still can find some positives.

Q. In the practice rounds, with this wind that's stronger too, did you play all the way back?

HENRIK STENSON: Yeah, we did play quite far back on most of the holes. It's extremely long. Tuesday, we played the back nine, and coming in, I played forward on 17, forward on 18, driver, 3-wood on 18. We played up tee on 17 and 18 today and 14. You're obviously playing a lot shorter, but they're still difficult shots, green sitting at an angle and into that strong cross-wind on a few shots. Yeah, it's a good test.

Q. Did you ever consider during the practice rounds going to some of those forward tees to play, realizing they would probably be there, or does it matter?

HENRIK STENSON: Yeah. I mean, on 4 we played it up yesterday in the practice round, and that was up today. Most of it, it doesn't really matter in practice to me if it's a 3-iron or a 5-iron or whatever, it's kind of the same shot. We're quite used to playing off those numbers, and it doesn't change the angles too much either.

Yeah, I mean, someone might want to spend another hour out there and hitting shots from every angle, but I'm quite confident that we'll work that part out if they change a tee box or two.

Q. Henrik, first of all, I was the one that actually requested you when you were on 15.

HENRIK STENSON: You're in the bad books, okay, good to know.

Q. Just so you know. Is it hard, as your game isn't exactly where you want it to be, as you age, as you're 45 now, to put the effort in? Not necessarily here this week, but at home and working and trying to get your game better?

HENRIK STENSON: No, I feel like I've put a lot of time and effort in here the last couple of months for sure to try and find some form. Yes, it's getting better. I'm too stubborn and too unhappy with myself if I don't get the game to where I want to. Yeah, motivation is not leaving us on that end.