Henrik Stenson has been announced as the European Ryder Cup captain for Rome 2023, becoming the first Swede to hold the position in Ryder Cup history.
Stenson had been one of the leading candidates but his potential appointment was brought into question by his rumoured involvement with the Saudi-backed Super League.
It was reported back in January that Stenson was asked to choose between the Ryder Cup captaincy or the rumoured Saudi-backed golf league after Lee Westwood ruled himself out of the running for the job. This announcement all but confirms Stenson’s commitment to the PGA and DP World Tours so should end any speculation of further participation in a Saudi-backed Super League, for the time being anyway.
Luke Donald looked to be favourite for the job after Stenson’s $30m offer was reported, but it seems he has chosen the Ryder Cup captaincy over the riches of the Saudi Super League – which may have been dented by the recent comments from Phil Mickelson to his biographer Alan Shipnuck that resulted in a public apology from Lefty and the six-time Major winner announcing he was taking a break from the game.
The Swede’s loyalty to the European (now DP World) Tour is significant because he lost an estimated $11m in a fraud scandal more than a decade ago after Allen Stanford’s property investment scheme was exposed as a sham. Stanford was convicted in 2012 and is currently serving a 110-year federal prison service having been convicted on charges that his investment…
