Barely three months ago came the news that had been rumored for a while: Henrik Stenson was ready for the newly started LIV tour.
Since then, both he and the other stars on the tour have endured harsh criticism.
Some of the criticism has been about the fact that the tour is financed by a government Saudi investment fund, and Saudi Arabia is a country that is criticized from many quarters for a lack of human rights.
"I have made my choice"
In the country, for example, openly homosexual acts are prohibited, there is no freedom of religion and public demonstrations are illegal.
- PIF (investment fund), they invest in companies and businesses all over the world.
It's Boeing, it's Fedex, it's Starbucks, Uber and all sorts.
They sell oil to the whole world.
Where should you draw the lines?
Where do you draw the line between individuals, companies, countries?
I have made my choice and others can make theirs, says Stenson when SVT Sport meets him on location in Saudi Arabia.
Where do you draw the line?
- Where do I draw my line?
Yes.
- You can probably develop there what you mean.
What did you think?
You say that everyone gets to choose where to draw their line. What you want to bet on, and who you want to play for, for example. If we take Saudi Arabia as an example: They are criticized by, for example, Amnesty for human rights violations. There is no freedom of religion, no freedom of demonstration and homosexuality is illegal. Many, such as Amnesty, believe that the sport is a way for the country to wash its reputation. No matter where the money comes from: Could you play for anything?
- Well, if you're going to take it to the extreme, I would have had a very limited playing schedule.
I have played in China for 20 years, they are not very high on various lists.
The European Tour, or DP World Tour as it is now called, is sponsored by Dubai.
We have all football teams sponsored by Qatar, Abu Dhabi and also Saudi sponsoring Newcastle.
- Where do you draw the line?
I play on this tour, this league and that's what I focus on.
We can delve into this forever if we're just going to check it out.
It's everything from abortion rules to the death penalty and everything it could be.
Who is to decide the boundaries?
I do not know.
Denies the money rumours
Information in the media has claimed that Henrik Stenson received over SEK 500 million to go to the LIV tour.
He now denies that.
- It is definitely about money, but nowhere near such amounts.
It's always interesting to follow and see where rumors come from.
Can you invoice the difference somewhere, he asks.
Can you tell roughly what kind of money it is?
- No, I do not enter into individual contracts.
We never did that, and we don't do that now either.
But Stenson admits the money was part of the reason he chose to gamble on the LIV tour.
- The financial aspects have always been a part of where you have chosen to play.
It has always been a reason why players have chosen to play on the PGA Tour over the years, he says, and elaborates further:
- It has not only been because there are better courses and more world ranking points on the PGA tour than on other tours, it has also been about prize money.
- Money has also been a reason why the big names went to the Middle East and other parts of the world.
We are professional athletes and the economy is an important factor for us.
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Henrik Stenson on the choice to play on the LIV tour