Shirtless Henrik Stenson To Us: "I'm a little hot"

Arguably the most surreal element to Henrik Stenson's 20-under-par Open Championship win was his calm, cool demeanor and unusual (for him) fluid pace of play.

No moment was more bizarre than the 17th when Stenson arrived at the tee, fresh off a key birdie from the native rough left of the green to maintain his two stroke lead. As fast as he'd walked up to the tee, Stenson immediately walked back down the tight-mow walkway toward the New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro and myself who were standing against the large scoreboard pondering the drama that had unfolded.

"Shield me," Stenson said to us as he had just finished taking off the shirt, revealing his abs to the crowd, and leaving him with just his under armor.

Stenson asked if he could moved behind us with the scoreboard as his backside shield, with only us and a day-glo clad policeman as his fronting shield, and then bared chest as he took off his undershirt while we awkwardly looked forward.

"I'm a little hot," he joked, a nice duel reference to the temperature and his ninth birdie of the day.

Indeed he was.

A few pictures and Tweets:

Me, pretending this was situation normal, while Cannizzarro is doing the more extensive reporting as Stenson takes off his shirt: