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Henrik Stenson Stripped of Ryder Cup Captaincy as LIV Golf Rift Widens

Jul 21, 2022

Saudi Arabia’s contentious effort to buy its way into professional golf created a new flash point in the sport on Wednesday with the announcement that Europe’s team for next year’s Ryder Cup was dropping its captain, Henrik Stenson of Sweden, just ahead of his expected move to the new Saudi-financed LIV Golf series.

Stenson, whose affiliation with LIV Golf was announced Wednesday afternoon, became the latest player lured by the riches being offered by the series, which has upended the once polite world of professional golf since hosting its first event earlier this summer.

By guaranteeing players more money than they could earn in the biggest tours and tournaments that make up the traditional golf calendar, the LIV series has created an ugly fissure in the golf world. The fight has split golf into two camps: a group of traditionalists that includes some of the sport’s titans, including champions like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and a growing band of rebels, a group that includes Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and, now, Stenson, who won his only major championship at the 2016 British Open.

Source: The New York Times

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