Born a natural left-hander, Henrik learned to play golf right-handed from a young age at his local club in his hometown of Gothenburg. After moving with his family to Malmo in 1991 he joined and began practicing at the renowned Barseback Golf Club. Seven years later, after excelling in the elite amateur ranks, he turned professional in 1998.

A triumphant spell on the Challenge Tour, where he topped the money list in his second season, saw him gain a full European Tour card in 2000. Less than a year later, Henrik claimed the first of his victories at the 2001 Benson & Hedges International Open.

It was at this point in his early career that former professional golfer and TV analyst Robert Lee came up with "Iceman”, a nickname for the always stoic and outwardly calm Swede, which has stuck with him to this day.

A period of uncharacteristic inconsistency followed, and it was some years until the world saw the real Henrik Stenson on the golf course again. On reflection, it may go down as one of the Swede's more triumphant comebacks as he rediscovered some of his best form ahead of the 2006 Ryder Cup at The Belfry, where he sunk the winning putt on his debut appearance for Team Europe.

Since his debut in 2006, Henrik has racked up one of the finest Ryder Cup records in European history.

In 2013, Henrik achieved a feat only a handful of elite golfers have ever accomplished, when he topped the money list on both sides of the Atlantics, winning the European Tour's Race to Dubai and the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup.

Only a victory at one of golf's biggest stages could top such a memorable achievement and, true to form, that victory followed in 2016 when he became the first Swedish major champion by winning the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon. In one of the most thrilling major Sundays in history, Henrik not only shot a major championship record lowest aggregate score of 264, he was also able to fend off a swashbuckling Phil Mickelson in an epic duel for the Claret Jug.

This success-laden period of Henrik's career is simply dividends paid for year upon year of hard work. Graft is something the Swede has never been afraid of, and he has credited this attitude with helping him return to form following a well-documented slump from 2009-2012.

Vijay Singh and Alex Noren are maybe the hardest workers in golf, though I wouldn't be shy to put myself near the top of that list.

A family man through-and-through, Henrik's wife Emma and their three children are often travelling to tournaments all over the world to cheer him on because golf is far more than just an occupation in the Stenson household. Even during holiday breaks no golf club gets any chance to collect dust. "I actually paid the green fees for the family to play Pebble Beach last Boxing Day. We were holidaying on the west coast in an RV and that was one of the highlights,” he told Today's Golfer in 2020.