Henrik Stenson will reportedly meet with DP World Tour executives on Tuesday amid rumors that the European Ryder Cup captain would soon be announced as the latest addition to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.
The Telegraph’s James Corrigan broke news of the meeting, which, per Corrigan, will include DPWT chief executive Keith Pelley and deputy CEO Guy Kinnings and pertain to the Sky Sports report that the 46-year-old Stenson was signing with LIV and would therefore be “stripped of his captaincy.”
Stenson, of course, hasn’t addressed the rumors, providing only a “no comment” to The Telegraph when asked about them at last week’s Open Championship. Stenson, who missed the cut, stepped into the interview area after Friday’s second round and didn’t field a single LIV question, however. He was asked a couple of Ryder Cup questions, answering those like any normal captain would, and another about his upcoming schedule, to which Stenson replied, “Undecided.”
Back in March, when Stenson was revealed as Europe’s captain for the 2023 matches in Italy, he addressed his commitment to the Ryder Cup. Even then, Stenson was being tied to a potential jump to the rival tour.
“There’s been a lot of speculation back and forth, but I am fully committed to the captaincy and to Ryder Cup Europe and the job at hand,” Stenson said then. “The captain does sign a contract. He’s the only one that does that. Players and vice captains don’t. But the captain has an agreement, and those agreements are between Ryder Cup Europe and the captain, so I’m fully committed to my role as a captain and working hard toward the result we want in Rome.”
Corrigan points out that this agreement includes specific LIV language: “The successful candidate will be expected during his tenure to commit to supporting the Ryder Cup and the DP World Tour exclusively, and therefore, by extension, not supporting or promoting other properties [including, without limitation, other Tours, Leagues, Series or Competitions].”
And Stenson’s replacement should the rumors materialize? Apparently 2018 captain and Stenson’s vice-captain Thomas Bjorn, though it’s worth noting that Bjorn, when contacted by The Telegraph, wasn’t aware of such contingency.
“I have heard nothing,” Bjorn said.
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