The European Ryder Cup team announced Wednesday that it dropped Henrik Stenson as captain for the 2023 event in Italy. Stenson has announced that he’s joining the LIV Golf Invitational Series and will play in its next event, which begins July 29 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
Henrik Stenson out as Europe Ryder Cup captain after LIV defection
“In light of decisions made by Henrik in relation to his personal circumstances, it has become clear that he will not be able to fulfill certain contractual obligations to Ryder Cup Europe that he had committed to prior his announcement as Captain on Tuesday March 15, 2022, and it is therefore not possible for him to continue in the role of Captain,” Ryder Cup Europe said in its statement.
A new captain will be named “in due course,” Ryder Cup Europe said.
In a statement, Stenson said his “interest in this concept has been well documented over the past few years” and that LIV Golf “is something that I want to experience.”
“Unfortunately my decision to play in LIV events has triggered Ryder Cup Europe to communicate that it is not possible for me to continue in my role as Ryder Cup Captain,” Stenson said. “This is despite me making specific arrangements with LIV golf, who have been supportive of my role as Captain, to ensure I could fulfill the obligations of the Captaincy. While I disagree with this decision, for now it is a decision that I accept. I have huge respect and admiration for the Ryder Cup and those individuals behind it who I know are doing their utmost to act in the best interests of the historic event.”
Stenson, 46, was set to become the first Ryder Cup captain from Sweden. He had a 10-7-2 match record in five appearances as a player. He’s best known for winning the 2016 British Open in a Sunday duel against Phil Mickelson, another aging player who has joined LIV Golf. Stenson’s 63 in the final round at Royal Troon tied Johnny Miller’s record for the lowest score to close a major championship.
Stenson last won a full-field, top-level tournament at the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship in 2017 and has fallen to No. 171 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has missed the cut in his past four appearances at majors and in seven of his past nine — among them last week’s British Open, where he bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17 in the second round to miss the cut by a stroke.
On Tuesday, LIV Golf tweeted a photo of the 48-golfer field for next week’s tournament, the third of an eight-event schedule in 2022. Three photos were left blank with “TBA” written underneath.
On Wednesday, LIV Golf announced that it is also adding Jason Kokrak, a three-time PGA Tour winner who is ranked 36th, and Charles Howell III, who has one PGA Tour win since 2007 and is ranked 173rd. That would seemingly fill out the field for the tournament next week.
Asserting that Stenson “adds yet another outstanding résumé” to his venture’s “global roster of elite players,” LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman trumpeted the recent additions, which also include Englishman Paul Casey, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour and a 15-time winner in Europe.
The quartet of Casey, Stenson, Kokrak and Howell “further strengthens a field that will put on a show for the fans at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster,” Norman said in a statement.
LIV Golf, which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has paid players such as Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka hundreds of millions simply to sign on with the new league, which promises a shorter schedule, no-cut tournaments and guaranteed prize money. The new circuit has been accused of “sportswashing” Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations.
In his statement, Stenson admitted that “a part” of his “decision to play in LIV golf events has been commercially driven but the format, schedule and caliber of players were also significant factors.” Only two of the top 20 and 10 of the top 50 in the world rankings have joined LIV, though those numbers are expected to grow.
LIV Golf tournaments also include four-player team competitions, and the series said Wednesday that Stenson would join a squad captained by Englishman Lee Westwood. Kokrak was placed on a team led by Koepka, and the captain for Howell’s designated team is DeChambeau.
The PGA and European tours have suspended and/or fined their golfers who have joined LIV, though the Department of Justice reportedly is looking into whether the PGA Tour has engaged in anticompetitive behavior by issuing such bans. Stenson and the other former major champions who have joined LIV probably will be allowed to play in future major tournaments, which are not operated by the PGA or European tours, but the bulk of LIV’s lineup probably will have to hope that the Official World Golf Ranking starts recognizing LIV events because world rankings will be the only entry point to the majors for most. LIV has applied for OWGR accreditation; without it, the league’s golfers will see their world rankings plummet because they cannot improve their standing via PGA or European tour events.
A major stumbling block for LIV could be the format of its tournaments, which are shorter than normal (54 holes compared with 72 at most PGA Tour events), have significantly smaller fields and don’t have cuts. OWGR guidelines say tournaments must be four rounds and have at least 75 players to receive full consideration and that new leagues must adhere to OWGR standards for at least a year before they are admitted to the rankings. The OWGR handbook also says it can reject a league’s application or change its guidelines at its discretion.
Source: WP
