Luke Donald has been announced as Europe’s captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup after Henrik Stenson was stripped of the role.
Ryder Cup players and captains had been warned that they would not be allowed to compete in the iconic tournament if they joined LIV Golf, and Stenson was duly removed from his role after signing up to the controversial Saudi-funded series last month.
Donald was interviewed for the captaincy before Stenson was selected, and now becomes the first English captain of the European team since Nick Faldo in 2008.
The 44-year-old has never finished on the losing side as a player in four Ryder Cup appearances, winning 10-1/2 points from his 15 matches. He served as vice-captain when Europe regained the Ryder Cup by beating the United States in 2018.
“So excited and truly honoured to be named European Ryder Cup Captain,” Donald tweeted. “I’m really looking forward to the next 14 months & getting my team ready for Rome.”
Stenson made his first LIV appearance over the weekend, winning his debut tournament in Bedminster, New Jersey to collect a £3.3m winner’s cheque.
“I guess we can agree I played like a captain,” the Swede quipped after his win. “It’s been a good first week. Nice to be here with the guys and getting a feel for it. It’s been a busy 10 days and extremely proud that I managed to focus as well as I did.
“It was a little wobbly coming home, we haven’t finished the deal in a couple of years with any wins so it is always a little added pressure when you are in contention but I did well.”
The Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy will host the next edition of the biennial Ryder Cup, starting in late September next year.