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Henrik Stenson has an explanation for why he's skipping this year's FedEx Cup Playoffs

August 07, 2019
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Six years after winning the FedEx Cup, Henrik Stenson will miss this year’s PGA Tour playoffs, which begin Thursday at the Northern Trust.

Though it was known since Friday when the field was announced that the Stenson, 43, wouldn’t be teeing it up at Liberty National, the reason was unclear until Tuesday. Stenson announced on Instagram that he was skipping the PGA Tour’s postseason so he could “practice and recharge [his] batteries” in his native Sweden before playing in the Scandinavian Invitation later this month.

Formerly known as the Nordea Masters on the European Tour, the Scandinavian Invitation is scheduled for Aug. 22-25—the same week as the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake, where $15 million will go to the season-long champ.

Stenson, who won two playoffs events, including the Tour Championship, on his way to capturing the 2013 FedEx Cup and a $10 million bonus, is 85th in points standings this year. He had to play this week at Liberty National to be able to qualify for next week’s 70-player BMW Championship.

The winner of the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon, Stenson has four top 10s in 18 worldwide starts in 2019 but no wins. His best finish on the PGA Tour was a T-8 at last month’s RBC Canadian Open.

Stenson isn’t the only golfer eligible to compete at this week’s Northern Trust who isn’t in the field. Paul Casey, who played last week at the Wyndham Championship and is eighth on the points list, took a pass to rest up for a run at the FedEx Cup at East Lake, and Sam Burns (broken ankle) and Rafa Cabrera-Bello (awaiting the birth of his daughter) are not in the field.