ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Henrik Stenson, whose bid to win the desert slam came up two shots short on Sunday, has taken a long look at this year’s schedule and decided to skip the WGC-Dell Match Play in March.
The fifth-ranked Swede – who closed with a 67 to tie for second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, the only European Tour desert event he hasn’t won – told GolfChannel.com that he will not play the year’s first World Golf Championship in order to better prepare for the Masters.
“Unfortunately, when they shuffled the Match Play I needed a week off and I feel it’s beneficial to play the week before the Masters,” said Stenson, who will instead play the Shell Houston Open the week before the year’s first major.