LIV Golf returns this week despite concerns over its future, but one player not in the field is Henrik Stenson.
Playing for Majesticks Golf Club in the 2025 LIV Golf season, Stenson finished 49th in the individual standings and was relegated from the league.
It may now prove to be a blessing in disguise, with LIV Golf’s future in doubt amid funding issues from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Stenson is now focused on this week’s Senior PGA Championship at The Concession Golf Club, where he was tasked with discussing his LIV Golf relegation.
Henrik Stenson left disappointed by his LIV Golf relegation
Sharing what it was like to not only suffer relegation, but to do so after a close battle with friends and teammates, Stenson said: “I’ve never been friendly with Ian [Poulter].
“Yeah, I mean, we were basically three guys really hanging on in the back waters. Yeah, as it turned out, it was one shot on the final round, the final day.
“I was disappointed with my performance, at the same time as Ian did a really, really strong finish.
“I think he birdied four out of the last five or five out of the last five or something like that to beat me by a shot. That was me done for the year and in the individual standings.
“That’s the way it goes, but I had it all in my own hands, and I didn’t finish it the way I wanted and should have.
“Yeah, I mean, it is what it is. It doesn’t really matter who’s the one that knocks you out or over-jump you by a shot.
“That’s just the nature of the sport. I got no one else to blame than myself for not playing better in the final round there.”
It was likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to his former Majesticks teammate Poulter, who finished one point ahead of Stenson in the standings.
That secured his position in the LIV Golf league for 2026, although he is currently in the drop zone for this season.
Henrik Stenson confirms his upcoming golf schedule
Stenson is in the high-quality field taking on the Senior PGA Championship, which includes the likes of Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington among many other icons.
The Swede, who won The Open Championship in 2016, is then headed for a busy schedule after the event in Florida.
“Yeah, this year it’s a bit of a hybrid playing here this week,” he shared. “I got European Legends event next week in Barbados.
“Then I will most likely play the regular U.S. Open qualifier in May in London, and then July is two senior majors, the U.S. and The Open, senior ones plus The Open.
“That will be a pretty busy month. Then we’ll see come end of August. I’m eligible to play Champions Tour.
“Yeah, so then we’ll kind of wrap up the back end of the year for me will be some of those events. We’ll see how that goes and make a plan going into ’27.
“It’s still, yeah, some questions I can’t really give you answers on how the future’s going to be and how I decide after having this break and how I want to kind of position my schedule and seasons going forward.
“I might choose to have a smaller window again. Say I’m playing golf over these months, and that’s kind of my season.
“Even though it might be a longer season in terms of tournaments, I might still kind of pick a smaller portion of the year that I decide to play golf during, and we’ll just kind of make it up as we go along and see what’s what.”
Now 50, Stenson’s last major appearance arrived at The Open last year, where he finished in a tie for 45th.
It represented the veteran’s only 2025 appearance on the PGA Tour, where he boasts six career victories.
Read more:
The date when LIV Golf will ‘definitely’ stop being funded by the Saudis as tour set to fold
LIV Golfers in the dark over current situation, ‘scramble’ has now been set off
Sergio Garcia responds directly to rumours that LIV Golf could end
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