Henrik Stenson is set to be announced as the latest player to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series with the Swede immediately being stripped of his Ryder Cup captaincy, according to a report in the Telegraph.
The monumental U-turn, and arguably the biggest coup for the Greg Norman-fronted venture, could be finalised as early as Wednesday after a signing-on fee in the region of £40m was agreed.
The 46-year-old held talks with DP World Tour chiefs after the conclusion of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews and although officials remain coy about the conversation, sources have signified that Stenson will be unveiled as part of the LIV Golf Series roster and specifically the field for the New Jersey event.
Sources further revealed that Stenson remained keen to fulfil his Ryder Cup duties in Rome and play on the LIV Series simultaneously but this was reportedly considered a breach of the contract he signed when accepting the position as captain. It is not yet known how the news will be communicated.
Englishman Luke Donald was Stenson’s nearest competitor in the race and may well be looked upon once more by Ryder Cup officials, alongside Paul Lawrie, Robert Karlsson and Europe’s last winning captain – Thomas Bjorn. All of which are seen to have unwavering loyalty to the DP World Tour.
At the time of his appointment, Stenson said: “When I started out as a professional golfer, it was beyond my wildest dreams that, one day, I would follow in the footsteps of legends of the game such as Seve and be the European Ryder Cup Captain. But today proves that, sometimes, dreams do come true.”
The 2016 Open champion is now set to turn his back on those dreams and join fellow European Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer in the controversial Series. Whilst they may have been unlikely to feature in a playing capacity, all would have been expected to hold captain and/or vice captain positions in future.
Although the news is not yet formalised, the U-turn has been fraught with criticism. Sky…
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