Henrik Stenson was in line to serve as captain for Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup, but now, that’s not coming to pass.
On Wednesday, Ryder Cup Europe released a statement saying the Swedish golfer would not be taking the helm for next year’s event in Rome. The statement comes after months of rumors that Stenson would make the jump over to LIV Golf.
ESPN reports that Luke Donald, Paul Lawrie, Thomas Bjorn and Robert Karlsson are in the running to replace Stenson as Europe’s captain.
MORE: Who is playing LIV Golf? Stenson joins ranks of PGA Tour defectors
The decision to remove Stenson as captain seemingly has something to do with Stenson’s potential move to LIV Golf: The Telegraph reported on Tuesday that a move to the upstart golf tour was imminent for the 46-year-old.
In March, Stenson seemingly made it clear that he was all-in on the captain’s gig, but apparently he’s gone back on his word.
If he makes the official jump to LIV Golf, Stenson will be the latest in a slew of players, young and old, who have joined the Saudi-backed tour. Brooks Koepka was the latest big name to join, with a host of others rumored to be considering the jump.
Stenson hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since the 2016-17 season.
