AP

Stenson joins Saudi tour, removed as Ryder Cup captain

Jul 19, 2022, 5:21 PM | Updated: Jul 20, 2022, 12:44 pm

FILE - Henrik Stenson looks at the Ryder Cup Trophy during a press conference, at the Marco Simone ...

FILE - Henrik Stenson looks at the Ryder Cup Trophy during a press conference, at the Marco Simone golf club, in Guidonia Montecelio, outskirts of Rome, Italy, Monday, May 30, 2022. Stenson was removed as Ryder Cup captain for Europe, Wednesday, July 20, 2022, choosing guaranteed money offered by a Saudi-funded rival league over leading his team in the most celebrated event on the European tour schedule .(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

The Ryder Cup captaincy of Henrik Stenson lasted all of four months.

Ryder Cup Europe removed Stenson as captain for the 2023 matches — still 14 months away from being played in Italy — when the Swede decided to choose the guaranteed money of the Saudi-funded rival league over the Ryder Cup.

The European tour and PGA Tour have suspended players who signed up for LIV Golf, which is handing out massive signing bonuses to go along with its $25 million prize fund in eight tournaments that feature 54 holes and no cut.

The third LIV Golf event is next week at Trump National in New Jersey. Sky Sports was among the first to report Stenson is leaving the European tour for the rival league, a move he confirmed on Wednesday.

That meant giving up a captaincy that he accepted four months ago when he said, “I’m fully committed to my role as a captain and working hard toward the result we want in Rome.”

The European tour did not mention LIV Golf in its short statement earlier Wednesday after meeting with the Swedish star, only that Stenson’s captaincy “has been brought to an end with immediate effect.”

“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,” the statement said.

Stenson announced on Twitter that he plans to play at the LIV Golf event next week. He said he had made arrangements with LIV Golf to fulfill his Ryder Cup captaincy and was “hugely disappointed” at being removed.

“While I disagree with this decision, for now it is a decision that I accept,” he wrote.

Stenson is No. 171 in the world and has gone five years since winning a tournament against more than 20 players. He fits the profile of many players Greg Norman has signed up for his LIV Golf series — major champions whose best days are behind them.

In addition to Stenson, LIV Golf announced that world No. 36 Jason Kokrak and Charles Howell III, both three-time winners on the PGA Tour, would play the event in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Stenson missed the cut last week in the British Open, while Kokrak finished tied for 42nd. Stenson played a practice round on the Sunday going into the Open with Phil Mickelson, regarded as one of the chief recruiters for Greg Norman and his LIV Golf.

The Daily Telegraph reported Stenson was in line for roughly a $50 million signing bonus. Most contracts are believed to be in the three- to four-year range.

Already disrupting the main tours in golf, the latest move is having a big impact on the Ryder Cup, one of the more celebrated events in golf every two years. European players who already have joined include Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell, though none was likely to be making the next team given their current form or age.

“I sincerely hope a resolution between the tours and its members is reached soon and that the Ryder Cup can act as a mechanism for repair amongst various golfing bodies and their members,” Stenson said in his statement.

The Americans are coming off a record rout at Whistling Straits last year. The Ryder Cup next goes to Marco Simone outside Rome in September 2023.

Luke Donald also was considered for European captain when the job was given to Stenson. Robert Karlsson was another option and it would be surprising if Europe went back to Thomas Bjorn, the winning captain in France in 2018 and Europe’s strongest voice.

Stenson was thought to be the ideal candidate for the Saudi-funded league late last year but had to weigh cash against his legacy as a Ryder Cup captain. He first chose one, then the other.

___

More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Stenson joins Saudi tour, removed as Ryder Cup captain