Henrik Stenson will not make an appearance on a Saudi-backed independent circuit, at least for now. Confirmation that he will captain Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup was accompanied by the 2016 Open champion's assurance that he will not be part of the ongoing golf disruption project.

Henrik Stenson named Europe captain for 2023 Ryder Cup

Henrik Stenson – ©Ryder Cup

“There has been a lot of speculation back and forth”, said Henrik Stenson. “I am fully committed to the role of captain, to the Ryder Cup Europe and to the job at hand. So we will continue to take care of all this and I will do everything in my power to present a winning team in Rome. »

“The captain signs a contract. He is the only one to do so. Players and vice-captains do not. But the captain has an agreement and those agreements are between Ryder Cup Europe and the captain, so I am fully committed to my role as captain and working hard to get the result we want in Rome. » The subplot, of course, is that when Stenson's term ends, he won't be bound by any such terms. But for now, the DP World Tour has kept its man.

Henrik Stenson, who won the job ahead of Luke Donald, becomes the second Scandinavian to captain Europe – after Thomas Bjørn – and the first Swede. Europe will be looking to win back the trophy in Rome, after a crushing defeat against the United States in Wisconsin last September.

“We are ready to take up the challenge”, Stenson said. “I know my players are going to be ready for the challenge. We saw a very strong American team at Whistling Straits. But we also saw that coming to Paris [at the 2018 Ryder Cup]. Yes, we were beaten last time, but we also managed to beat the opponent in the past. »

Guy Kinnings, the director of the Ryder Cup in Europe, offered the role of captain to Henrik Stenson at Sawgrass last Friday. "As we know, Mr. Stenson also has a dry, well-honed sense of humour, and we look forward to the unique style he will bring to this role with his own stamp.", Mr. Kinnings said. “But we also have to remember that he is a fierce competitor”.

Although it has received a series of public relations blows recently, the Saudi project – led by Greg Norman – continues apace. It is expected that a series of extremely lucrative tournaments, especially in the United States, will be announced imminently. If that were to happen, it's possible that the PGA Tour's stance that any player engaging with Norman can be banned from their tour could be the subject of a high-profile legal challenge.

To know more : https://www.rydercup.com/

To read our last article on the same subject :

Ryder Cup 2020: historic victory for the United States