PLAYERS perks will cause Stenson to weigh schedule
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Among the many benefits that came with Henrik Stenson's win at THE PLAYERS Championship on Sunday is a five-year exemption on the PGA TOUR.
The exemption would run through the 2014 season. To take advantage of that exemption, though, Stenson would have to rejoin the PGA TOUR.
The Swede has two windows of opportunity in the near term. He can take up membership for 2009 in the next 60 days. Should he not join at that time, Stenson would have 30 days after the Children's Miracle Network Classic to do so for 2010.
If Stenson doesn't take up membership at either of these two times, he can join at the end of any calendar year providing he has at least one year left on his exemption.
"You can count on I'll let you know what my thoughts are going into next year," Stenson said on Sunday night.
The Swede was a member in 2007, the same year he won his first TOUR event at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Although he earned a three-year exemption for that victory, Stenson opted to drop his membership in 2008.
The decision, Stenson explained, came down to how many tournaments he was playing on both the PGA TOUR and European Tour. TOUR members must play a minimum of 15 to retain their status while the European Tour requirement was 11 at that time.
Seven tournaments, though, count toward membership on both Tours -- the four majors and the three World Golf Championships. The European Tour membership requirement has now increased to 12, and two must be played on European soil.
"It's playing the worldwide schedule that's been wearing on me," said Stenson, who played 30 weeks in 2007. "I wanted to get down to about 25-ish, and having the 15 as a minimum in America just made me -- I wasn't getting enough rest after the journey, after the long travels to practice and prepare.
"f you add something on, you have to take something else out, and I'm just going to have a look and see what I'm doing."
Since he did not rejoin in 2008, though, Stenson can only play in 10 TOUR events as a non-member until after the 2012 season. Non-members can normally play in 12.
Scheduling will be a big factor in whatever decision he makes. The No. 5 player in the world, Stenson is currently exempt for the majors, THE PLAYERS and the World Golf Championships, so "I'm in the tournaments I want to play," he said.
Stenson lives in Dubai right now, which lengthens commutes considerably. Should he decide to rejoin the PGA TOUR, he'd likely need to figure out a U.S. base for his family, as so many other international pros have done.
At the same time, though, Stenson cut his teeth on the European Tour, and he enjoys playing all over the world. The European Tour schedule consists of 50 tournaments played in 25 countries, including three in the Middle East.
"We've got a lot of great events over here in the States," Stenson said. "It's probably more that I'm brought up on the European Tour. I kind of like all the changes, playing in different parts of the world, and also I'm based down in Dubai and have those tournaments down there.
"So I'm kind of happy to follow the sun, to be in that part of the world between October and February and then be here in the spring and be back in Europe over the summer. So I've kind of been able to take the best of both worlds.
"But still, I'm going to have a proper look at it, and when I have the schedules for next year and so on, we'll see what our plans are."
As a non-TOUR member, Stenson did not pick up the 600 FedExCup points that normally would go to the winner of THE PLAYERS Championship. Unless he takes up membership in the next 60 days and finishes in the top 125 on the points list, Stenson will not be able to participate in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, either.
But Stenson will be able to compete in the 2010 SBS Championship, the PGA TOUR's season opening winners-only invitational. Although Stenson may already be qualified, he also gains the following:
• Two-year exemption to the Masters Tournament (2010-11)
• One-year exemption to the U.S. Open (2009)
• Three-year exemption to the British Open (2009-11)
• One-year exemption to the PGA Championship (2009)
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