Henrik Stenson is still eyeing a spot in Europe's Ryder Cup setup despite being sacked as captain. The Swede was put in charge of the Europeans last March, but dramatically lost his job as skipper just four months later.
The Swede was sacked from his role after making the controversial decision to join the LIV Golf Series. His dismissal was no doubt a bitter pill to swallow having represented his continent on five occasions as a player.
The 2016 Open champion and former world No. 2 has since been replaced, with England Luke Donald now the man in charge of Team Europe ahead of this year's event in Rome.
Despite his sacking, Stenson still has ambitions to be part of his successor's plans, with his concentration now remarkably on qualifying for the European team as a player. Speaking after his contentious return to the DP World Tour this week, the Swede said: "If I go out and win the Open Championship again and do well elsewhere, I might qualify.
"It’s not impossible. And it would certainly be the irony of ironies. But until we know exactly what is happening, no one can say what the situation is going to be. I’m not a guy who wants to guess.”
Despite his hopes, it still remains to be seen as to whether Stenson and his fellow LIV Golf members will be eligible to compete in the event. Team Europe clearly set out their own zero tolerance approach to those who have chosen to defect following the sacking of Stenson.
A decision regarding the eligibility of LIV golfers in DP World Tour events is expected to be settled in court next month, and Stenson is hoping it is good news for himself and his fellow defectors. "I’ll be watching the arbitration case with interest,” he admitted. “I’m not going to guess on the result.
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"But it will be interesting to see what comes after it. I still want to play on this tour. In my mind, nothing has changed from when I started playing on multiple tours. I’ve always supported Europe. It’s been a big part of my career.
"Nothing will ever change that. In fact, I could see me playing here more often than in past years if it turns out I can. It’s all a tangle at the moment though.” Stenson's return to the DP World Tour was an impressive one, as he finished in a tie for 20th at last week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
