Henrik Stenson wins Golf Writers Trophy

Open champion Henrik Stenson has landed his second big award in the space of a week, with further honours expected to come for the Swede.

Henrik Stenson won The Open at Royal Troon after a thrilling duel with Phil Mickelson. Picture: Michael Gillen

Hot on the geels of becoming the second golfer after Annika Sörenstam to win one of the most prestigious prizes in Swedish sport, Svenska Dagbladet’s Bragdguldet, Stenson has been awarded the Golf Writers Trophy for the second time.

The award is voted by members of Association of Golf Writers and recognises the person or persons, born or resident in Europe, to have made the year’s most outstanding contribution to golf.

Having claimed his first major at The Open at Royal Troon by winning a thrilling duel with Phil Mickelson, Stenson won this award with an overwhelming majority in the voting.

This was despite stiff competition from the Masters winner Danny Willett, Olympic champion Justin Rose and Alex Noren, who collected four European Tour titles in 2016.

“It is always a great honour to receive the Association’s award,” said Stenson. “We talk about receiving recognition from your colleagues and your peers but, in this instance, it’s great to be receiving that recognition from some of the most knowledgeable media in the sport.

“So it’s wonderful to be chosen as their Golfer Writers Association Trophy winner and I feel very honoured to win the award for a second time in my career,” added Stenson, who first won this award in 2013.”

Stenson, who is also expected to be named as European Tour Golfer of the Year tomorrow, added: “It’s been a fantastic season for me winning my first Major at Royal Troon, winning the BMW International in Germany, winning a Silver medal at the Rio Games and finishing first again in the Race to Dubai.

“The manner I went about this year was very pleasing from start to finish. I know that the award is presented just before the 2017 Open, so it’s going to be very nice being present at Royal Birkdale next July to relive all those great memories of what I achieved at Troon.

“It’s been a great year for European golf and the European Tour and even though we didn’t bring back the Ryder Cup, I look back knowing that winning the Open helped so much in winning the Race to Dubai.

“And, while Danny has to be congratulated for winning the Masters, I again have to thank the Association of Golf Writers in voting me as their Golfer of the Year. I’ll never grow tied of being weighed down with trophies!”

AGW Chairman, BBC Golf Correspondent Iain Carter, said: “Not only is Henrik an outstanding golfer, but he is one of the game’s finest ambassadors. I think it is fair to say a great many of the the golf writers were thrilled that he secured his long awaited first major title and this was reflected in their voting.

“He won the Claret Jug in fantastic style by beating Phil Mickelson in an epic duel that left the rest of the field as nothing more than bit part players. It was a contest that will long be remembered as one of the greatest Open performances ever witnessed.”