Luke Donald named Europe’s Ryder Cup captain
Luke Donald has been named Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for next year’s contest in Rome after Henrik Stenson was stripped of the role.
Stenson was appointed captain on March 15, but the Swede’s tenure lasted just 127 days before he was sacked for joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.
Donald, who was on the winning side in all four of his Ryder Cup appearances as a player, 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.”
Donald’s appointment came just hours after Stenson pocketed 4.375million US dollars (GBP 3.5million) on his LIV debut, the 46-year-old winning the individual event and finishing second in the team competition at Trump National Golf Club.
That was described as “the greatest F/U in the history of Golf” on Twitter by Donald Trump Jr, whose father – former US president Donald Trump – owns the course in New Jersey.
Donald was on the winning side in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012 and was also a vice-captain to Thomas Bjorn for the 2018 win in Paris.
The 44-year-old’s first taste of defeat in the biennial contest came in the same role under Padraig Harrington at Whistling Straits last year, when the United States stormed to a record 19-9 victory.
Five members of the European team have defected to LIV – Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and Bernd Wiesberger – while Americans Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have joined the controversial breakaway.
The trio have been indefinitely suspended from the PGA Tour and are therefore, as things stand, ineligible for the Ryder Cup, while it remains unclear if the European rebels will be able to qualify.
DP World Tour members who played in the inaugural LIV Golf event were fined GBP 100,000 and banned from competing in the Scottish Open.
However, following a hearing before Sport Resolutions (UK) days before play got under way at the Renaissance Club, Poulter, Adrian Otaegui and Justin Harding had the punishments temporarily stayed, pending determination of their substantive appeals.
As far as Poulter and Westwood are concerned, that means they are still eligible and Westwood plans to play in the Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, in September.
Latest
-
Courses
Six of the toughest holes in golf anywhere in the world
Check out six of the toughest holes in golf
-
Instruction
WATCH: Tommy Fleetwood explains his three-quarter swing
Tommy Fleetwood has an interesting swing style which has caught the attention of many.
-
Equipment
Lucas Glover raises eyebrows with new broomstick putter from L.A.B
Lucas Glover is set to switch the new L.A.B. Golf DF3 broomstick putter into his bag after a brief trial.
-
Videos
WATCH: Dog proves why he’s man’s best friend with refreshments delivery on golf course
Just when you think a man’s best friend couldn’t get any better somebody shows us they can.
-
Equipment
Cameron Young trialling unusual prototype club at The Players
Cameron Young is out to solve a great riddle of the Players Stadium Course in Palm Valley with an unusual but logical addition to his bag.
-
Courses
How much will a round at Glendower Golf Club’s championship course set you back?
Glendower Golf Club is both beautiful and challenging.
-
Equipment
Ping’s G730 irons deliver on promises of more distance and maximum forgiveness
Ping deliver easy-to-hit high-launch distance irons.
-
Videos
WATCH: Golfer defies logic with sand wedge escape filmed in super-satisfying slow-mo
You won’t see anything more satisfying today.
-
News
Rickie Fowler’s driver trials and tribulations show how tough it is for pros to find the right fit
The driver struggles have been real for Rickie Fowler.