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Henrik Stenson has broken into the world's top ten for the first time in his career following his superb victory at the Dubai Desert Classic last weekend.
The Swede held off the challenge of Tiger Woods and Ernie Els to clinch the biggest win of his career - a triumph that moves him up to number ten in the world.
Stenson, a key member of Europe's Ryder Cup winning team back in September, is delighted with his game, especially given that in 2002 he had slumped to a lowly 176 on the European Order of Merit.
Indeed, although now one of the world's form players, he worried at one stage that he would follow the same path as Ian Baker-Finch who eventually opted to quit after seeing his game fall apart following his 1991 Open triumph.
"I wondered if I was going to be like Ian Baker-Finch, who was a great player and then lost it completely and never got it back,” Stenson admitted.
"I became embarrassed to be on the course."
However, as the Swede's star continues in the ascendancy, Ryder Cup team-mate Darren Clarke's remains on a downward spiral as he falls out of the world's top 50 for the first time in a decade.
The affable Irishman now sits at 51 in the world, from 47, after a 20th place finish in Dubai.
Clarke's ranking has, of course, been hindered by his inactivity following the death of wife Heather just six weeks before the Ryder Cup, but he will be hoping to reverse his fortunes in Malaysia this week.
Another man on the slide is Masters champion Phil Mickelson who now finds himself sixth in the world having been clear in second just a few months ago
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Source: Sky Sports |
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