Iceman Unscripped

Henrik Stenson has recorded six top10s in his 13 Abu Dhabi starts including twice finishing runner-up on The National course. He talks to Kent Gray about finally sealing the missing leg of his personal Desert Swing slam and what it will take to win a second major.

- Kent Gray

HENRIK STENSON BARELY NEEDS THE PAIR of question-posing middlemen sitting in on this, his last interview of the 2017-18 European Tour season. We’re in a plush members’ lounge at The Els Club on the day after the DP World Tour Championship and the tanned Swede, fresh from a T-12 performance at Jumeirah Golf Estates, has not long finished playing with three fortunate amateurs in watchmaker Audemars Piguet’s annual Dubai golf day. This is last stop in the golf interview equivalent of speed dating with the equally jaded local media corps before Stenson can clock off for the off-season, even if it was a ridiculously short break as he went on from Dubai to finish fourth at Tiger’s bash in the Bahamas before contending again in the Indonesian Masters and eventually settling for another solo fourth placing.

With his famously dry sense of humour, the ‘Iceman’, is a favourite among the media, naturally engaging and eminently quotable. He knows how to play the game and remembers the media are merely a conduit to the fans, so has fun knowing his message will be reflected thus.

He’s also adept, it seems, at giving with little prompt. After the requisite exchange of pleasantries, Stenson eases into a leather sofa and begins talking, essentially interviewing himself for much of the next fascinating 25 minutes and 20 seconds. We know the time exactly as it is recorded on our dictaphones. We can also assure you the majority of the 4505 words spoken belong to the former Open champion and have the transcribe to prove it.