Henrik Stenson, one of the first players to join LIV Golf, told the media outlet Bunkered on Monday that he is returning to the DP World Tour in 2026.
Stenson, 49, reportedly settled his fines with Europe’s top tour totaling more than £1 million. They accumulated because Stenson, since 2022, participated in LIV events that conflicted with DP World Tour tournaments without the latter’s permission. Stenson later resigned his DP World Tour card.
The Swede, best known for beating Phil Mickelson to win the 2016 Open Championship, was stripped of the 2023 Team Europe Ryder Cup captaincy as a result of his pivot to LIV Golf.
He won the first LIV event he entered, LIV Golf Bedminster in July 2022, but did not win again on the Saudi-funded tour. He finished better than 20th only once in 2025 and finished 49th in the season standings, the first one in the league’s “drop zone” despite his status as a captain of Majesticks GC.
Stenson opted to return to Europe rather than try to play his way back onto the LIV circuit.
“Over the course of a career, you’re going to have good years, you’re going to have bad years,” Stenson told Bunkered. “It’s part of professional sports. You’re going to have disappointment. You’re going to have good times.”
The news came on the same day that Laurie Canter of England officially became the first former PGA Tour player to earn back his eligibility on the tour after defecting to LIV. Canter’s season in Europe allowed him to finish second in the PGA Tour eligibility rankings via the Race to Dubai.
–Field Level Media
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