The European Ryder Cup team made a huge announcement Wednesday. They have dismissed their team captain Henrik Stenson, who has been taken off the roster for next year’s competition in Rome.
Stenson is reportedly about to sign a deal to play on the LIV Golf series, which a lot of current PGA Tour and DP World Tour (the former European Tour) players have done.
It's official: Henrik Stenson is no longer the 2023 European Ryder Cup captain. 👀 pic.twitter.com/1phShCsZrF
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 20, 2022
Ryder Cup Europe, the joint DP World Tour/PGA of Great Britain and Ireland/PGAs of Europe body that oversees the Ryder Cup alongside the PGA of America, released a statement explaining their decision.
“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 to his announcement as captain on Tuesday 15 March 2022, and it is therefore not possible for him to continue in the role of captain.”
“Confirmation of the new 2023 European Ryder Cup captain will be made in due course. Ryder Cup Europe will be making no further comment on any aspect of the process until that time.”
The Ryder Cup, which takes place every two years, pits the best American golfers against the best European golfers. Last year, the American team won.
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and other governing bodies have taken a hard stance against players who have decided to join LIV Golf, so this announcement shouldn’t come as a shock to many. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, one of golf’s greatest players, wasn’t invited to participate in the 150 celebrations of the British Open because of his affiliation with the LIV series.
