Henrik Stenson on the controversial tour: Not the players who decide

The controversial LIV tour, funded by authoritarian Saudi Arabia, divides the golf world.

World stars such as Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia have chosen to drop out of the US PGA Tour to play the premiere competition in London this week, and at the last minute it also became clear that six-time major winner Phil Mickelson will line up.

"Our job to play"

Before Scandinavian Mixed at Halmstad Golf Club, the Swedish stars Annika Sörenstam and Henrik Stenson were asked how they see the future of golf now that the new tour, which will consist of eight competitions, competes with the men's European Tour and the PGA Tour.

- A lot is happening, absolutely.

It is difficult for us to know or speculate, says Henrik Stensson at a press conference and continues:

- We can only focus on what we do here and that is to make this competition better.

This is the second edition, so it's still early, but we're looking to develop this over a number of years to come and make it better.

You can only focus on what we have ahead of us and that is this competition.

Annika Sörenstam says that it is an "interesting time".

- We can only focus on this competition.

It's interesting what's going on, of course.

However, I think this competition is good for golf and we must focus on that.

If the two traditional tours have mostly focused on criticizing the LIV tour as a competitor and threatening exclusion, the players who have chosen to take the step over have been asked about the lack of human rights in Saudi Arabia.

TT: Is it reasonable for the outside world to demand it of you stars - that you think about and stand up for human rights?

- We are professional golfers and it is our job to play.

What motivated us once upon a time, when we were ten years old, may not have been the job.

Then it was the joy of the game and we have had that with us throughout our careers.

I think most people have that with them, says Henrik Stenson.

- All the tours around play in different countries and in venues in the world where you might not necessarily want to live or agree with everything.

It is not the players who necessarily decide where we play, but we play competitions that have been arranged and have been done for many, many years, he continues.

"Grow in a positive way"

Annika Sörenstam stopped playing full time in 2008. Now she chooses to play a few competitions a year, such as the major competition US Open last week and the upcoming Scandinavian Mixed.

This means that she is in a different seat than Henrik Stenson and the motive is to make golf as a sport grow, she says.

- I play competitions that I feel have the same purpose, the same meaning with it.

I play in Sweden to celebrate Swedish golf.

I play for a completely different reason than 15-20 years ago.

I am investing in growing golf in a positive way, says Sörenstam, who for example runs the Annika Foundation and is chairman of the International Golf Association.