SPORTS DESK
LIV Golf has announced that 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson has joined LIV Golf and will make his first start at the Invitational Bedminster from July 29 to 31, reports UNB.
Also making their debut at LIV Golf’s third event of the season will be world number 36 Jason Kokrak and three-time winner Charles Howell III, adding to the list of the world’s top players set to compete at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.
The former world number two Stenson, one of the most accomplished European golfers for over two decades, has won 21 times as a professional and amassed 149 top-10 finishes. Throughout his career, he has earned more than a dozen honors as the top performing golfer on global tours and competitions, spending over 300 weeks ranked in the top 10. A marquee member for Europe in international team play, Stenson has appeared in five Ryder Cups, helping lead Europe to victories in three of those competitions (2006, 2014, 2018). Stenson will join Majesticks GC, captained by former world number one and fellow Englishman Lee Westwood.
Kokrak, an 11-time winner as a pro, has earned more than 40 top-10 finishes throughout his career. Since September 2020, he has been ranked among the top 50 players in the world, with a ranking as high as 20. Beginning in Bedminster, he will compete on Smash GC, captained by four-time major champion Brooks Koepka.
Howell III has amassed 102 top-10 finishes throughout his career, including three professional wins. A former NCAA Division I Champion and Haskins Award winner as the country’s most outstanding collegiate golfer, he has been ranked as high as 15 in the world and has represented the US in multiple international team competitions. Howell III will play for Crushers GC, led by 2020 US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau.
Howell III, Kokrak and Stenson join a Bedminster field that will showcase 11 major champions with a combined 21 majors won, four former world number one players and nearly half of its competitors currently ranked in the top 100. The global field represents 13 different countries, features 18 players with 10 or more professional wins and includes future stars of the game who have earned NCAA National Championships and US Amateur Championships among their accomplishments. Players will compete in golf’s most exciting new format for $25 million and the chance to become LIV Golf’s third individual and team champions, and earn points toward LIV Golf’s season-long individual competition.
“Henrik Stenson adds yet another outstanding resume to LIV Golf’s global roster of elite players. His career performances spanning majors, season-long individual championships and international competitions have cemented him as a leader in today’s game,” said Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf. “The addition of Jason Kokrak, who has been consistently ranked amongst the world’s best, and Charles Howell III, one of the United States’ top competitors for years, along with English standout Paul Casey further strengthens a field that will put on a show for the fans at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. I’m excited for the third LIV Golf competition and can’t wait for our shotgun start at this fantastic venue.” The 48-man field will play across 12 teams of four players each. Teams will be announced in the days leading up to the tournament start.
South Africans have won the first two LIV Golf events, as former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel earned first prize in the individual competition at the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational London at Centurion Club. Stinger GC, Schwartzel’s team captained by major champion Louis Oosthuizen, took the team honors in London with fellow South Africans and teammates Hennie du Plessis and Grace finishing second and third, respectively. Grace and Schwartzel are now 1-2 in LIV Golf’s season-long individual points standings.