Open Form Guide

08	07	06	05	04	03	02	01	00	99
3	MC	48	34	-	-	-	MC	-	-

For a long while there were suspicions that Stenson's game was unsuited to playing in the majors. In his first 13 starts he rarely looked comfortable and posted a best finish of 14th. The Open Championship appeared to be an especially difficult challenge for him as he failed to break the top 30 in four attempts. But this time last year the penny seemed to drop and all of a sudden he has blossomed as a major performer. He got the worst of the first day weather at Birkdale but recovered from a poor start to make the top three. A few weeks later he contended throughout the week at the PGA Championship before finishing fourth. And last month he made the top 10 at Bethpage in the US Open. In between he has won the Players' Championship (the "fifth" major), claiming the title in commanding style with a final round of 66. Despite his huge potential, there has always been a suspicion that his game has lacked the finesse and subtlety for the majors and links golf in particular. Maybe his caddie Fanny Suneson has helped in that regard. On recent major form he has to be considered a title challenger - but perhaps only if the weather stays fine.