After months of speculation and alleged near-appointments for players who may or may not have been attached to a rival league, Europe finally has its next Ryder Cup captain.
Henrik Stenson — he of the dry wit, occasionally fiery temper and buttery smooth 3-wood — will lead the Euros into battle when the matches come to Italy in 2023. The announcement was made Tuesday.
A mainstay on the European teams that dominated the past two decades, Stenson, 45, will oppose Zach Johnson at Marco Simone Club in Rome. The Euros haven’t lost as hosts since the 1993 matches at The Belfry.
“It is a huge honor and I was humbled to get the call confirming the news,” Stenson said. “I would like to thank the selection panel for believing in me and will say to them, and every European golf fan, that I will do everything in my power and leave no stone unturned in the quest to get the Ryder Cup back in European hands.”
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- Stenson’s crowning achievement came in 2016, when, at age 40, he carded a final-round 63 to outduel 46-year-old Phil Mickelson and win the Open Championship at Royal Troon. He’s won six times on the PGA Tour and 11 times on the European Tour.
- As a Ryder Cup player, Stenson compiled a 10-7-2 record across five appearances (three wins). He drained the clinching putt in his debut at the K Club in 2006. Stenson served as a vice-captain under Padraig Harrington when the U.S. won the 2021 matches at Whistling Straits in runaway fashion.
