Europe’s Ryder Cup plans have been upended after captain Henrik Stenson was relieved of his duties 14 months out from the 2023 edition in Rome.
“In light of decisions made by Henrik in relation to his personal circumstances, it has become clear that he will not be able to fulfil certain contractual obligations to Ryder Cup Europe that he had committed to prior to his announcement as captain on Tuesday March 15, 2022, and it is therefore not possible for him to continue in the role of captain,” a statement from the Ryder Cup Europe read.
The villain of the piece was not mentioned by name but there was no need to do so. Of all the disruption wrought by the breakaway LIV Golf series, throwing the sport’s flagship team matchplay event into chaos might be the most significant yet.
Thoughts have immediately turned towards Stenson’s replacement, although the spectre of LIV also looms over that decision. Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia have all enjoyed celebrated Ryder Cup playing careers and would normally have been in the conversation.
But that quartet are among the growing band of LIV rebels and a clause inserted into the contract signed by Stenson just four months ago forbade any European Ryder Cup captain from participating in “other tours, leagues, series and competitions” that were in opposition to the DP World Tour, as reported by Mail Online.
Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are among the standout American names to have thrown their lot in with the Saudi-funded endeavour, meaning LIV disruption will take a toll on either side of the Ryder Cup divide.
Just a day after Stenson triumphed on his LIV Golf debut as he claimed victory in the third event of the breakaway series held in Bedminster, New Jersey, it was announced Luke Donald would step into his shoes and captain Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
We're delighted to announce @LukeDonald as 2023 European Ryder Cup Captain 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/76P9F8Cl10
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) August 1, 2022
Prior to this confirmation, The Sporting News took a look at the potential candidates below. Check out who the frontrunners were to lead Europe at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
MORE: Henrik Stenson stripped of 2023 Ryder Cup captaincy amid reported LIV Golf move
Potential Ryder Cup Europe captains for 2023
Thomas Bjorn
Bjorn has experience on his side, having skippered Europe’s emphatic 17½-10½ win in Paris in 2018. Possibly of similar weight in the current climate is the 51-year-old Dane’s status as a prominent and visible critic of LIV Golf. This case was made explicitly when Sergio Garcia scathingly announced his withdrawal from the DP World Tour and Ryder Cup contention this week. Garcia claimed he didn’t feel “loved” and namechecked Bjorn’s attitude towards the rebels as being among the reasons for this.
“When Thomas Bjorn comes to the BMW Championship and tells us, ‘We don’t want any of you and all the players say so’, well, I’m already old enough not to be putting up with nonsense like that.” From a Ryder Cup Europe point of view, LIV Golf is among the biggest nonsense they've ever had to put up with. If they selected Bjorn, he would be seen as the unity candidate — a symbol of all that remains good and noble in the sport, at a time when Stenson and his ilk as cast as all that is wrong.
Edoardo Molinari
At 41, time is on Molinari’s side, but whether it would arrive at a Ryder Cup staged in Italy is doubtful. This will be the first time the event takes place in Molinari’s homeland and an Italian leading Europe in Italy would be a stirring spectacle. There is no doubt he stands as the romantic choice.
Molinari has featured once at the Ryder Cup as a player, alongside his brother Francesco in 2010, but a tumble outside of the top 250 in the world rankings means he is unlikely to push for selection or qualification among the 12-man squad, even allowing for his relative youth. He might feel like the long-shot on this list but his selection alongside Bjorn as one of Stenson’s intended vice-captains is an indication of his credentials.
I’m honoured @HenrikStenson has asked me to be one of his Vice Captains and to be part of Ryder Cup Europe once again in my home country. Let’s go Europe! 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/tHy1NVmHZW
— Edoardo Molinari (@DodoMolinari) May 30, 2022
Luke Donald
Donald boasts a stellar Ryder Cup playing record, having never finished on the losing side across his four previous appearances. That was an era he spent playing and winning with the likes of Westwood, Poulter and Garcia. Former world number one Donald was never quite the same level of fan favourite, but the lack of regard the LIV defectors have shown for that status works in his favour.
A two-time vice-captain, Donald commands the respect of his peers, although an ongoing commitment to his playing career — despite dropping out of the world top 500 — seemingly remains strong. What the best part of 18 months on a reduced schedule would mean for those ambitions is something he, like Molinari, would have to contemplate.
Robert Karlsson
Another with vice-captaincy experience, having served at each of the past two Ryder Cups. It might be fairer to install Karlsson to the same role again in the reshuffle, in the knowledge his time will come. The problem for any of the prospective skippers — with the exception of Bjorn, given the modern trend not to dish out repeat captaincies — is that each would face up to being cast as a second-choice to Stenson. These unhelpful comparisons would probably be more frequently made if his fellow Swede assumed the mantle.
Paul Lawrie
The 1999 Open champion played his second Ryder Cup 13 years after his first, featuring in Europe’s record-breaking comeback on American soil, the 'Miracle at Medinah' in 2012. Like others on this list, the affable Lawrie would be a popular choice, so much so that throwing him into this maelstrom could be considered unfair. Calling on Scotland’s most recent major winner the next time the Ryder Cup is played in his homeland feels like the dream scenario, and one more befitting of a dutiful pro.