NEW Open champion Henrik Stenson has joked he still has some way to go to match Zlatan Ibrahimovic's status in his native Sweden.
Stenson produced one of the Open Championship's greatest final-round performances to emerge triumphant after a classic duel with Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon on Sunday.
The 40-year-old's eight-under-par 63 was a new fourth-round low for an Open champion and his final score of 20 under par was also a record for the championship.
His achievement in becoming Sweden's first major winner has attracted huge attention in Sweden but Stenson insists Ibrahimovic, the country's former football captain and record goalscorer, remains number one.
Stenson told BBC Radio Five Live: "I think I said I would need to win 10 majors to get up to his recognition but maybe five will do it. We'll see! One at a time.
"This is huge back home and it has been quite chaotic with all the media, but it is all good and I am just going to try to recharge."
Stenson has little time to reflect on his victory before heading to America for the US PGA Championship, the final major of the year, next week. After that comes the Olympics in Rio.
Golf's presence in the Games has been controversial with a number of top players pulling out but Stenson has always been keen to feature.
He said: "It is important. I have been looking forward to it for a good few years. It is always a great honour to represent your country. I am a huge sporting fan in general and to see an Olympic Games from the inside and participate it is going to be huge.
"If I can do myself and my country proud by bringing home a medal that would be awesome, it would be something to hang next to some nice trophies. I have got a Claret Jug now. An Olympic gold medal - or any Olympic medal - would be quite nice to put next to it in the trophy cabinet.
"I'm going there excited and I am going to try my hardest."
