May
11
Posted By: Chris Garrett ยท
Henrik Stenson won THE PLAYERS Championship with a flawless final round Sunday, firing a bogey-free 6-under 66 for a four-shot victory. Starting the day five shots behind the leader, Stenson notched the second largest comeback in PLAYERS history and matched the largest rally on the Stadium course en route to victory.
Stenson finished at 12-under 276, four shots clear of Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter. John Mallinger (70) and Kevin Na (70) tied for third as FootJoy players swept the top four positions.
He tied for the lead with a chip-in birdie from just off the seventh green and took the outright lead with a two-putt from 55 feet on the fringe at the par-5 ninth. He never looked back and found himself lifting the crystal trophy at the end of the day for his second PGA Tour victory.
He stretched his lead with a pitching wedge into 2 feet for birdie on the 15th, then two-putted for another birdie on the 16th, taking some of the fear factor from standing on the 17th tee, staring at an island.
Once his ball found land, it was over.
"I could afford to go bogey-bogey and still win it," Stenson said. "That's always a handy situation to be in."