Henrik Stenson hopes to break streak of runner-up finishes

When told Monday that a European hasn’t donned green at Augusta National Golf Club since 1999, Henrik Stenson briefly chuckled and said, “Well, we’ll make it happen this year then.”

The Swede finished runner-up Sunday at the Shell Houston Open – a position he’s become all too familiar with. It was his eighth second-place finish since his last victory in 2013.

“I know I’ve got a game that fits well for major championship golf, and you know, I’ve just got to keep on putting myself in the final groups or in the last couple of groups,” said Stenson, 39. “The more times I do that, the better the chances are for the outcome that I want to have. If you are there and thereabouts, of course you want to get there again and you want to go all the way. So I’m certainly motivated to make it happen.”

Stenson was paired with Jordan Spieth in the first two rounds of the 2015 Masters and says the eventual winner’s onslaught of birdies prompted him to play more aggressive.

Stenson opened with two rounds of 73 last year and posted a final round 68, his lowest round at Augusta National.

“My final round last year, I went more aggressive and that’s the lowest score I’ve shot around here,” Stenson said. “So that kind of put me in that direction, that I need to play a bit more aggressive. But you’ve still got to play well, otherwise you’re not going to get the score that you want to get anyway.”

This will be Stenson’s 11th Masters. His best finish is a tie for 14th in 2014.

“My strategy is to play a little bit more aggressive this year and shoot a bit more for the pins,” Stenson said. “I’ve tried to play a little too defensive in the past, and if you’re looking at the winners they all tend to make about 20 birdies this week. There’s no point going out there with a strategy to try and make 14 birdies and no bogeys. That’s still going to come up short.”