“Haven't had anyone step up to me” – Henrik Stenson on his return to DP World Tour action

Ousted Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson made his return to the DP World Tour on Thursday (January 19). The ace golfer teed off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at Yas Links. The LIV Golf player’s return to the European circuit had sparked a conversation.

Now, Stenson has come out to state that he hasn't faced any backlash for his return. The golfer insists that he felt welcomed on his first DP World Tour start since being stripped of the Ryder Cup captaincy due to his defection to the Saudi-backed circuit. The Swede golfer stated that no one stepped up to him personally to vent their thoughts on his return.

Speaking to Sky's Tim Barter, Henrik Stenson addressed the controversy surrounding his return and said:

"The way I look at it is obviously when all of us went and played the PGA Tour back in the day we shouldn't have been welcomed back either then… There's multiple tours in the world, and as far as I'm concerned, as long as you fulfil your criteria and earn the right to be there, you should be able to play in as many tournaments as you like.”

The 46-year-old added:

"But I haven't had anyone step up to me personally and vent those thoughts. I haven't played since the Scottish Open last summer. It's been a while so there are a lot of guys I haven't seen for a long, long time. It's been good to catch up with some long-time friends. It's been a great week so far."

It is pertinent to note that Henrik Stenson was one of the most controversial figures who moved to LIV Golf last year.

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Henrik Stenson's controversial move to LIV Golf

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - Previews

Henrik Stenson was announced as Team Europe captain in the 2023 edition of the biennial Ryder Cup in Rome. However, the 46-year-old was soon relieved of his duties after he was unveiled as a LIV Golf player. The 2016 Champion Golfer of the Year was largely criticized for his high-paying jump and the European captaincy was later handed to Luke Donald.

Having made his move, Stenson went on to win the debut LIV event at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. Following the win, the golfer even took a jibe at the DP World Tour.

Speaking after his LIV Golf debut, Henrik Stenson said:

"I played like a captain.”

The Swede further added that he had no regrets about choosing LIV Golf over the Ryder Cup.

He added:

"No (regrets), I made my decision and obviously Ryder Cup Europe made theirs. It's not great but it is what it is. The Ryder Cup has been a huge part of my career and I wish Luke all the best with the team going forward and we'll see where all end up in the long-run with this."

Following this, Henrik Stenson is currently teeing up at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. This was his first DP World Tour start since last year’s Scottish Open. Pitted against some of the best golfers from the PGA Tour, it will be interesting to see how the LIV player finishes on the leaderboard.