Englishman Luke Donald has been named as the new European Ryder Cup captain after Henrik Stenson was sacked. Stenson was stripped of the captaincy after controversially signing a £40 million with LIV Golf.
Donald's appointment comes just a day after his predecessor scooped £3.3 million in prize money, as the Swede began his LIV Golf career with victory at Trump National, Bedminster. The Englishman will now take the reins and lead the European's to Rome next year, when they host their American rivals at Marco Simone.
Donald heads into the role with plenty of experience, having played in blue and gold four times - winning on all four occasions - whilst also acting as a vice captain in both 2018 and 2021.
Upon his appointment the former world No. 1 said: "I am incredibly proud to be named European Ryder Cup Captain for 2023. It is truly one of the greatest honours that can be bestowed upon a golfer, to lead a team of your peers and be an ambassador for an entire continent. I feel extremely privileged to have been given that responsibility and it is a responsibility I do not take lightly.
“Some of my best experiences in golf have been in the Ryder Cup and I would not swap those for anything. It is an event like no other and I cannot wait to create more special memories in Italy next year.
"I love everything the Ryder Cup embodies, from the camaraderie and companionship of being part of a team, to the history of the contest, but most of all playing for something bigger than yourself.
“Rome will be a fantastic host city, and I have always enjoyed spending time there. It is a city rich in history and hopefully we can create some of our own in 14 months’ time.” As well as the controversy surrounding Stenson, the Englishman faces a bigger task than most who have come before him due to the sheer strength of the American side.
Team USA blew the Europeans out of the water at Whistling Straits just under a year ago, after securing a record-breaking 19-9 victory. Donald will now be tasked with re-building a new wave of Team Europe stars, with stalwarts such as Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia all set to follow the same fate as Stenson after also signing on the dotted line with the Saudi-backed Series.
Stenson had been appointed Ryder Cup captain on March 15 but the Swede's tenure lasted just 127 days. His decision to defect to the controversial LIV Golf saw him removed from the role with immediate effect, despite his hopes he would be able to continue in the position while playing LIV events. A meeting with Ryder Cup Europe officials made it clear that was not acceptable.
