Stenson stymied by fan stealing his golf ball on fairway

Last week it was Augusta for Henrik Stenson, ranked 13th in the world, this week it was the China Open. And the big difference the tall Swede noticed between the two tournaments: well, the spectators don't steal your golf balls on the fairways in Augusta.

After teeing off on the ninth hole of his opening round at the Beijing Honghua International course his drive ran towards the trees where a few spectators were standing.

'It stopped out in the open. Several people saw it stop, but when I got there it was gone. Somebody had picked it up, for a souvenir, I guess,' Stenson (pictured) said. 'We asked everyone about who had taken it but they wouldn't say anything.'

Other players on the course confirmed to the referee that they had seen the ball stop on the fairway so he didn't lose a shot, but the incident seemed to slightly rattle him and he ended up bogeying the hole.

With most mainlanders unfamiliar with the game of golf, spectator etiquette is a recurring problem. Players often complain about mobile phones going off, course staff have a constant battle trying to keep spectators quiet while players are putting and stopping autograph hunters from approaching players at inappropriate times. Greenkeepers, too, rant about women in stilettos wandering on to the courses.

'It's a bit of a problem when you play in a place where they don't know much about the game,' the 30-year-old Stenson said.