In this episode of Beyond the Scorecard, we sit down with golf legend Henrik Stenson — Open Champion, FedEx Cup winner, Ryder Cup hero, and one of the game’s most respected figures. Henrik takes us inside his unforgettable 2016 Open Championship duel with Phil Mickelson, reflects on his record-setting 2013 season, and shares what it’s been like watching his son Karl forge his own path in golf.
We also dive into Henrik’s transition to LIV Golf, his perspective on the evolving landscape of professional golf, and how he’s translating decades of competitive experience into success off the course. From fatherhood to fairways to the future of the game — this is Henrik Stenson beyond the scorecard.
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[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hello folks, welcome to Beyond the Scorecard Podcast. A show where we discuss golf, business, life, current events, and our expertise in the field. I’m Joey Chrysatello, the digital marketing and social media manager of HJGT. Joining me as my co-host, we have our executive director and founder, Mario Ki. Today, we’re joined by one of the most accomplished players in modern golf, Henrik Stenson, a major champion, Olympic medalists, and FedEx Cup winner to name a few. We’re excited to dive into his incredible journey from career-defining victories to his perspective on the evolving landscape of professional golf. Thank you for joining us today, Henrik. We greatly appreciate you being here. Thank you. Yeah, good good to be here. Yeah, Henrik, really excited about this episode. I really appreciate you being uh on here as our guest. Uh we got a lot to to dive into today. You’ve had a very busy and successful career on and off the golf course. So, um you I’ll just kind of dive right into it. You know, one of the biggest moments that stands out in everybody’s mind when they think about Henrik Stenson was the 2016 Open Championship with the battle with you and Phil and that amazing 3-wood that you had. Um inspiring people like me who don’t hit a driver off the te. uh what do you think set yourself apart mentally in those final rounds when you were just going to battle with him and you know how do you carry that competitive edge in your life today? Yeah. Um, clearly going back to to that great week for me in Trun in 2016, it’s uh I’d say it’s it’s the finest accomplishment in in my career. Like you like you said, there’s been quite a few highlights. Certainly been some some low times as well, which you’re always going to encounter when you have a long u long career out on on on the professional circuit. You’re going to go through ups and downs. So, uh, but um yeah, 2016 that stands out. Um, saying that though, I think probably my my best year in my career was probably 2013 when I managed to win the FedEx Cup and the race to Dubai. Uh, the level of golf. I played from kind of June until November, December time is is probably the the longest period uh that I’ve performed at at the very highest level. Um so uh that being said clearly the the uh the best achievements I I would have to say is winning the open in 2016 and uh followed up with with the silver medal at the Olympics and also some another race to Dubai title. So 2016 and 2013 are are surely the best two two years in my career and um yeah it was it was a great battle with Phil. We went head-to-head from uh really back nine on Saturday, I’d say. We we started playing for position. Uh we were going back and forth. I managed to to make two birdies on the par threes coming in on on 14 and uh and 17 and picked up two shot swings and it was kind of a crucial moment there on after 13. And I felt uh I think at that time I think I was too behind and I felt like I I can’t really let Phil get away from me and uh if I open up you know too big of a deficit uh it’s going to be really difficult on Sunday and I managed to to throw those birdies in and he actually made I think bogeies on both of those and as as it stood on Saturday afternoon or evening I was uh one stroke up on on field going into Sunday. So, uh, being in in great position and then, uh, Sunday, yeah, pretty pretty early turned out to be a head-to-head battle and we opened up with a strong start. Uh, even though he birded the first nog um, we we opened up pretty clear quickly a big a big lead compared to the rest of the field. And then from from those early holes on Sunday, we it was just really a two two-man race and and we just kept on battling away um until the end where of course I I got the outcome that I really wanted. Certainly one of the best opens uh uh of of my lifetime. I remember that very vividly. Uh you mentioned 2013 and you know that was an amazing year for you as well, winning the FedEx Cup and the race to to buy. Is there anything, you know, I remember, you know, you coming down the stretch in the FedEx Cup playoffs and just playing pretty much lights out week in and week out, as you said, from June on. Is there anything particular that click for you that year that you could look back on? Yeah, I mean, I came uh 2011 was a really um if I were to pinpoint it, probably the two worst years of my career, it would be 2002 and 2011. So when when I um when I started uh kind of a bit of a comeback journey I’d say in in 2012 I came off the second worst year in my career uh performance-wise and I think I really you know I I I was digging deep and really put a lot of hard work in in 2012 and that really set me up for that that great uh 2013. So it was really um as a lot of times it’s it’s the work you do beforehand. It’s not really when you stop playing great. It’s what you did at that point. It’s it’s what you do beforehand. And I think that’s that’s a great kind of lesson to to to try and put forward to to a lot of the junior listeners here and and like it’s your your your advancements and and you becoming better is is really is that journey you do day in and day out. And then the results will follow. If you do good things over time, that’s when you will progress and and become better as a player. And uh yeah, I was doing a lot of work with my team during 2012. And then that really, you know, kick kicked off in in 2013. And pretty much every part of my game was at a at a great, you know, in in a in a good standing and in a good place. And I don’t think you necessarily have to be best at any any part of your game, but if every aspect of your game is in a good in a good uh standing, then you you’re going to produce some good scores and and you’re going to have good tournaments. Amazing couple years there. I mean, most most everybody in the golf world and most of our listeners are junior golfers and their families. They they’re well aware of Henrik Stenson’s accomplishments on the golf course. you know, you do some amazing work off the golf course. And one of the, you know, most special things that, you know, that I’ve admired about, you know, what you’ve done is your your work in junior golf and your your, you know, charity work through your foundation uh in Sweden. So, if you want to kind of tell the listeners a little bit more about what you do uh for junior golf in your home country. Yeah. So, we uh there there’s been two things we’ve been involved with for a long long time. Uh junior golf and and paragolf. Uh I I was uh awarded the uh the kind of player of the year uh in Sweden back in I think the first time was in 2006 uh or 07 around that time and they they give you a small contribution that you can give to to a worthy course or or something and and I’d seen a program about the paragraphers. So, I decided to to kind of ship that little contribution onwards. And uh after a couple of times of of being u voted Swed Sweden’s best golfer and and passing that that contribution on, they they called me up and said, “Do you want to be an ambassador and and do some stuff?” And that’s how we got involved with with Paragolf back in the day. And uh yeah, that’s that’s been a lot of fun. Uh those players are amazing. They have a lot of fun with the game. And it’s also a chance for them to interact uh you know with each other and and they play tournaments both nationally and and internationally uh depending on on their levels and and ambitions. Uh so we we do a lot with the parag golf and and um that’s been amazing. Uh and just to to see to see you know uh the abilities with with with challenges obviously uh being able to to play the game at a very high level and and we formed some some cool relationships and friendships throughout the years. Then I started I think the first year was in 2017 together with my former caddy Fanny Sunnisan. Uh won four majors on the bag with with Faldo back in the day and she worked for me for five years between 06 and 11. Uh and we we started our junior event for for juniors between 13 and 18. U so we we’ve had that running for yeah close enough 10 years now. So that’s u that’s a great week for us. And then two years ago we started a initiative that’s called play which is virtually uh our take on on dry chip and putt. So we had the first um uh kind of Sweden final last year uh with it was about 60 or 70 kids who made it to the final. Uh this year we had over a thousand thousand kids who were participating in in the first uh the first stage and and um yeah we’re coming up this upcoming summer then we’ll have the second final but that’s and and we all combine this throughout one week uh in the summertime and uh it’s it’s a busy week but uh but a fun week and uh we had tremendous weather and all these especially the young kids it felt like that kind of completed a circle with with the with the junior event and the parag golf event as well. So, uh yeah, it’s it’s fun to to be able to to host those uh events and initiatives and and kind of give back to the game and um yeah, see the see the joy of of uh of the little ones in particular when they hit a good shot or make a putt. It’s uh nothing like it. Yeah, you’ve certainly done an amazing work uh growing the game in Sweden and I’m sure uh you know the the future is very bright for junior golf in Sweden. Uh, speaking of junior golf, um, your son Carl is now paving his own way in golf. You know, it’s been amazing watching him grow up in events in the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour and then watching him on the range at Lake Nona, um, from when he was, you know, just a little toddler out there, it seems like. U, what’s been the most rewarding and maybe the most challenging part of watching him, you know, uh, and navigating the game at a high level given your own career at the very top? Well, I think it’s always going to be a little challenge in the the kind of father-son relationship. You know, the your kids normally don’t really want to listen to you and and uh I feel like I got uh as much if not more advice than most parents can give, at least when it comes to golf, right? And and then you got someone who’s like, “No, I want to do it my way.” And you’re like, “Okay, you go ahead, you do it your way.” But, you know, that’s that’s the way it goes. But I I I um I feel like with with him being a bit older now, he he kind of matures and and he’s he’s more receptive to to take in certain certain little tips that I can that I can give. So he doesn’t have to make 10 bogus before we realize there might be a better way to to do it. But uh that’s just the way it goes, right, with with parents and kids. And uh it’s been great. I mean, uh, for me being clearly golf professional, spending a lot of time practicing and always being out on the golf course, I I’ve never pushed him to to to play golf or he he played soccer uh in the early years and then just one day he came home and it’s like, no, I I want to put my focus on on the golf course and practice and yeah, it’s it’s been a lot of fun. We as a family, my wife played played golf both professionally and in in college as well. So she’s and clearly been been a lot around around the game traveling with me throughout the years. So she’s she’s also very excited to to go to events and see him, you know, through the good times and the bad times. And it’s it’s a journey. You do it both as a family and and as a as a player in in K. He’s he’s he’s on the early early stages there trying to develop and and become better and and better equipped for for hopefully years to come. I know it’s going to be uh quite refreshing for most of the parents to hear that a a son of a major champion and a FedEx Cup uh champion uh defies their ad advice because uh we we have parents that say that all the time that the kids just don’t listen to them. And my 13-year-old son, he don’t want anything to if it’s said from somebody else, he’ll listen. But for me, it’s it’s it’s the wrong way. So, I’m sure I think that that goes then then it might it might be some kids that should probably shouldn’t listen to their parents if if they don’t know much about golf maybe but uh no it’s u yeah I can I can see that that being a challenge at times and um that that’s just the nature of it I think and uh but you know as a as as a as a player and and me growing up obviously it’s it’s great to have the support of of your your parents and people around you to take you to events And yeah, looking back at at the early years, uh I mean we had a lot of fun. It was always we kind of took turns. The parents would you would go on a on a tournament. It might be two hours away, three hours away. It might be overnight stays and and one parent would would take you there and kind of look after you and then another one would come and kind of check in and and bring you home and and and so on. So, it was it was it was fun times traveling and competing as juniors and and uh uh both on and off the golf course. The name of the show is Beyond the Scorecard. And one of the biggest initiatives that we had when we launched the show was you we really want kids to be well-rounded in their life and understand that hey, you know, being Henrik Stenson on the golf course is a is a is a rare commodity. It’s uh you’ve got to have a plan for the rest of your life if golf doesn’t work out. And you know, you’ve you’ve done very well off the golf course as well building businesses and brand partnerships. you know, how do you approach opportunities away from the golf course differently than maybe you did on the golf course and what lessons, you know, from that, you know, translate into your business decisions? Clearly, the the game has given me great opportunities, not just in terms of uh the success on the course and and making prize money. Uh, and as you say, golf is a very it’s kind of a narrow pyramid, right? If you’re looking at other sports, if if you’re looking at how many players that make it in in soccer, for instance, you got leagues all over the world um in in pretty much every country, you can play at a high level. And and clearly there’s there’s a number of, you know, I don’t know, thousands of of players who who make it on in the top leagues, but golf is is pretty narrow. You got say 200 players on the PGA Tour. You got a hundred uh roughly in Europe. You got maybe 50 in Asia, you got 50 at live, you you add them up and you got South Africa, Australia, but you’re still only like maybe 400 players who who play at the highest level and and can sustain themselves. So odds are are not I don’t want to discourage anyone and like you said, but it’s probably good to also uh you know have a plan B and I think that’s great with a college system. You can you can still kind of keep on pursuing your your golfing dreams. uh at the same time as you you u spend uh u time and focus on on on um on on having having another another path as well. Um so um yeah keeping keeping up the school work is always a good advice I think and uh uh yeah I think the the game has just given me so many opportunities to meet a lot of people and and playing in proams and different sponsor initiatives and and so on. So just like being open-minded and being uh interested and talking to people, you never know what doors that that can open. And the same thing if you’re if you’re working as a caddy um at at a club and um you know you’re catting for for some guys and just like showing yourself from from the best uh the be put your best foot forward and and showing yourself from your best side. You never know that guy might have a big company and he might be interested in hiring you because you did such a good job cadding. So you just like yeah being street smart being kind of open to to different opportunities. So I think that’s um that’s definitely something that that can help you a lot and like you know with with uh with studying and and getting an education uh so many times you you you study for something and then you hear yeah I I started with this but then just by coincidence I met this guy or I I I got interested in this and then you end up working with something totally different. So just just really um yeah being being alert and and u doing all the right things and that that’s going to help you out a lot I think. Yeah, I think that’s amazing advice and you know um it’s it’s really hard to tell a 12 13 14 year old that because they a lot of them think that you know that this is my only really road is is the PGA tour live or you know playing on the European tour what have you. But, uh, you know, it’s it’s important to, you know, exhaust all options that golf can bring you. You know, my 13-year-old son, I, you know, I got him back into the game of golf. He doesn’t want really want to play competitive, but, you know, the the opportunities to network and to go to some different clubs and to meet people, especially at a young age, is invaluable. And, um, you know, I I encourage kids to take advantage of all the other sides of golf, uh, that it has to offer. So, and that’s the that’s the great thing with with the game as well. I mean, once you learn it as a as a junior, you got it for life. It’s like golf, tennis, skiing, whatever. It’s like once you learn it, you you can you might not want to play for 10 years or 15 years, but then you can you can you can certainly uh carry on at a later stage. And like I said, the opportunities that comes with it, I think, are great. So, yeah, it’s it’s a great game in that sense. Yep, that’s a fantastic point. And uh I I tried to drill that into my son’s, you know, head is that you could play golf until you’re 90 years old, you know, and there there’s a there’s always a game for you to be with the handicap system. So so many great advantages to playing golf versus other sports. With that being said, um you know, you’ve had an exciting uh move to live over the last few years and you know, it’s been one of the bigger transitions in your career. Um you know, with any big change comes challenges. you know, how do you personally view, you know, Liv’s role in the growth of the game and what excites you most about, you know, where professional golf is headed uh with the uh you know, now existence of Liv? Yeah, it’s uh yeah, it’s certainly been some turmoil and and uh some some challenges within the game. It kind of created uh certainly a lot of lot of fraction. Um I fully understand like the golf fans I I think um part part of the golf fans got got upset because it now uh split up a lot of their favorite players were now not not just playing in one place but playing in in different areas. But it’s it’s certainly um you know that kind of disruption brings a lot of positives. there’s always going to be some pains with it, but I think uh I’m I’m looking forward for, you know, down the road I think everything will kind of find its place and coexistence and and and work out in a good way. It’s just does that take five years, does it take 10 years? I I don’t know. Uh it might take longer than than what I keep on playing. Uh but I’m most things kind of finds its place at some point. But I think Liv brought, you know, a new a new product. Uh certainly with us traveling around the world, playing in a lot of places that were very clearly starved of professional golf at a high level. Uh the reception we got in Australia has been phenomenal. It’s been fun to go back and play play some in in uh like Singapore and Hong Kong and some of these kind of classic venues on on the European tour at least over the years that that’s been fun to go back and play there and and uh it’s also given uh you know new kind of audience because if if I’m looking if I go and watch Tampa Bay Lightning at a hockey game, it’s not everyone that’s at at a at a hockey game is you know hockey players. here. So, Liv is kind of tapping into the the the potential of bringing people from outside of golf in and watch the tournaments as well, not just have the regular golf fan. Um, and with it being a little bit kind of younger, a little bit more hip and and you know, the music, it’s a shotgun start, it’s it’s all kind of happening in a more uh in a shorter time space. I think that’s something that that that really fits the the next generation a bit better. Uh, I would say I’m probably more of a traditionalist myself, you know, but I can see I can see the benefit of of having that window. Okay, it starts at 12 and it finishes at 4:30 and then there’s a concert afterwards and then you’re done and and you had a great day a great day out. Um so it’s uh yeah a lot of benefits clearly uh for for players and caddies and coaches and everyone that lives in and around the game. It’s created another 55 spots for players caddies and and the all the support personnel. So it’s really grown the the uh the number of spots at the highest level that we talked about earlier. Um, but it’s, yeah, it’s it’s been kind of a power struggle. Who’s going to be the the PGA Tour? Has been the leader in in the world of golf for a long long time. Done a great job. Uh, but there there’s clearly been certain things that’s been pushed with Liv coming on the scene. That’s has had to make the the PDA tour kind of review what they’re doing and and there’s been a lot of change and and evolvement on the PDA tour as a as a as a consequence as well. Yeah, I think you nailed it there as far as, you know, the biggest thing with Liv is that just the amount of new opportunities that’s available now for the junior golfers coming up through the ranks and what it’s done to push the PGA Tour to make um long, you know, changes that were long overdue. Um I’m a huge fan of Liv. Um I think it’s done some great things and I know, you know, there’s a lot of friction obviously for quite some time, but the temperature has cooled down now a little bit more and we’ll see what what happens here in the future. But uh certainly from a junior golf standpoint, a lot of opportunities have been brought to the game of golf and um you know, certainly exciting times ahead. So the last question we have for you, Henrik, is you know, when when people talk about Henrik Stenson years from now, you know, beyond the trophies, beyond the highlights, what do you, you know, hope that they say about how you approach golf, how you approach family, and how you approached, uh business? I think we we’ve done obviously great on the golf course and and a lot of good stuff off the golf course and um yeah I think um if you’re talking about kind of legacy yeah it would be a shared legacy and what we managed to achieve in in the different different spaces really um and uh and how you treat people. I always try to you know take the time for for all the all the fans and and all the juniors at the golf tournaments. Uh Phil’s been a tremendous ambassador for the game and and uh you know that’s I think he kind of uh got some some inspiration from from Onor Palmer back in the day I’m sure and and really you know taking the time and and and writing those autographs and taking those pictures and if someone askked you for advice and so on. So yeah, I mean that’s that’s something we we hope that we’ve we managed to to make an impact and and uh you know kind of pass that on uh because the game’s been great to me and uh I’ve had a you know great great career and a great journey and um yeah I hope I can I can I can repay that to some extent. You’ve certainly been someone that I’ve admired and I remember when I met you 10 years ago at Lake Nona in 2015 when I moved there. You were super welcoming, super uh kind and um definitely somebody that uh remembers names and faces and uh something that I’ll never forget in my life. So, we appreciate everything that you’ve done for the game of golf. Uh what you’ve done for junior golf and um certainly somebody that uh the juniors should admire uh both on and off the golf course. Hen Rick, thank you so much for being on here. We greatly appreciate that. Ladies and gentlemen, we greatly appreciate you listening in on this episode of Beyond the Scorecard. Please follow us on all social medias. You can find us under the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, Instagram, Tik Tok, LinkedIn X, you name it. Follow Henrik on social media, Henrik Stenson, fairways, greens, and everything in between. See you next time on Beyond the Scorecard. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music]
