Henrik Stenson wins the 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston

An early flurry of birdies propelled Henrik Stenson into the lead, and he avoided trouble late to win the 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship. Stenson finished at 22-under, two strokes ahead of Steve Stricker.

Stenson began the day two strokes behind 54-hole leader Sergio Garcia. A bogey at No. 2 dropped him three off the lead, but that was his final dropped shot of the round. Three straight birdies on No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 moved him to the top of the leaderboard. Another birdie at No. 8 helped him make the turn at 33. Stenson birdied the 11th, then made five straight pars.

He appeared to run into some trouble on No. 17, hitting his approach shot into the greenside bunker. It was the first time Stenson found a bunker all week, but it proved to be a non-issue. He holed out from the bunker to make birdie and secure the win.

Players went low again on Monday, but Stenson’s steady play coming in was key to winning. Several players near the top of the leaderboard stumbled, while Stenson avoided giving any strokes back. The win caps off a recent string of excellent play. Stenson also jumped ahead of Tiger Woods and into the lead of the FedExCup playoffs.

The win is Stenson’s first on the PGA Tour since he won the Players Championship in 2009. He’s played exceptionally well in big events recently, finishing second at The Open and third at the PGA Championship. He will now head to the BMW Championship atop the standings with two playoff events remaining.

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