Henrik Stenson's rental home looted during first round of Open
11:53 AM ET
Bob HarigESPN Senior Writer Close
- Senior golf writer for ESPN.com
- Covered golf for more than 20 years
- Earned Evans Scholarship to attend Indiana University
SOUTHPORT, England — Henrik Stenson scrambled to put together clothing for the second round of The Open on Friday after his rental home in the seaside town was burglarized and looted while he was competing in the first round of the tournament on Thursday.
"I am extremely grateful that my family were not in the house at the time," said Stenson, 41, the defending Open champion, in a statement released by his management company, IMG.
Merseyside police confirmed that the burglary took place during daylight hours, with the belief that the culprits knew Stenson's identity and had targeted the residence while he was away.
In addition to his golf clothing, cash and jewelry were also taken. Stenson had been photographed and filmed leaving the home on Monday as he took the traditional step of returning the Open trophy, the Claret Jug, to tournament officials.
"As many of you know, the Claret Jug was returned to the R&A on Monday, but unfortunately, along with some valuable personal items, they have taken all of my clothing for the week," Stenson said.
Stenson, who is from Sweden, is a five-time winner on the PGA Tour and has 11 European Tour victories.
In 2009, he disclosed that he had been a victim in the Stanford Financial scandal that sent financier Allen Stanford to prison. Stenson lost several million dollars because of the fraudulent investment scheme.
"It is obviously very special for me to be playing here in front of the fantastic Birkdale crowds as the defending Open champion, so I am going to try to not let this spoil the week in any way," said Stenson, who shot 69 in the opening round.
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