Thursday 2 April 2015 19:49, UK
'The best player in the world who hasn't won a major.'
It's a moniker most would welcome but, while comfortable with it for now and keen to hold on to his 'Ice Man' image, it's one Henrik Stenson will be keen to shake.
With seven top-five finishes in the sport's biggest events, Stenson has certainly come close and it was only a rampant Phil Mickelson who denied him a Claret Jug at Muirfield in 2013. However, just over a year later the Swede appeared to lose control of his game just as a golden opportunity presented itself in the US PGA Championship at Valhalla, as Rory McIlroy somehow fought back to win.
There's little else for Stenson to achieve in the sport. Since returning from the depths of despair to secure first the South African Open, then so much more, he has been a feature in the deepest events around the world. Twice a winner of the European Tour's season-ending finale as well as the PGA Tour's equivalent, nobody has earned more money than him on the golf course over the last two years.
But majors matter most and his first opportunity this season comes at a course he's yet to truly conquer. There have been signs - he was six-under through 10 holes of the first round three years ago only to play the remainder in five-over - but it's alarming that Stenson has broken 70 just once in no fewer than 30 rounds at Augusta National. In contrast, he's failed to break 80 on three occasions and far too many rounds have got away from him.
Take away those obvious concerns surrounding the suitability of this great old course and the case for Stenson is obvious. His form in 2015 has improved with each and every outing and while he should've won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the superstitious side of Stenson may like the fact that so rarely have Masters champs won in the build-up.
Certainly, he'll have taken great positives from an event which saw him maintain a steady rate of short-game improvement and, as one of the world's best ball-strikers whose power and precision with that blue-shafted three-wood in hand is virtually unmatched, all of the pieces appear to be coming together at the right time.
Will he make enough of those testing five-footers for par? That would have to be the concern, but Stenson has shown since returning to the highest level that he's become an expert at peaking for the important weeks and his Augusta form is improving with each and every visit.
Without question, he's perfectly capable of ending the European hoodoo here and in the process providing Sweden with its first men's major champion.