“I’m just disappointed” – LIV Golfer Henrik Stenson opens up about being stripped of Ryder Cup captaincy amid PGA Tour-PIF deal

Henrik Stenson finished T13 at The Open Championship 2023 on Sunday. However, the 47-year-old golfer was disappointed about something else. The Swede, while speaking to the media at Royal Liverpool, opened up about being stripped of the Ryder Cup captaincy and said he was “just disappointed” about it.

There was almost no fanfare around Stenson at Hoylake. This symbolized the golfer’s life after he moved to LIV Golf. Following his defection, the veteran lost the captaincy as well as his spot on the European Ryder Cup team. Needless to say, Stenson is still dejected about the officials’ decision to replace him with Luke Donald.

Stenson claimed that no one from the DP World Tour or Ryder Cup Europe would agree to sit down with him and talk despite his wish to serve the team. Speaking in an exclusive conversation with The New York Post, Henrik Stenson said:

“I’m just disappointed that with everything that came out, because there was a big willingness on my part to sit down and talk long before this thing got to where it got to. That’s my disappointment — that there were certain people, without naming names, that didn’t want to sit down and take those meetings. And, as a consequence, I feel like we ended up in all of this that could have been avoided. But we live and we learn.”

🚨#NEW: In an exclusive with the @nypost, Henrik Stenson spoke on his stripped Ryder Cup captaincy after he left for LIV: “I’m just disappointed that with everything that came out, because there was a big willingness on my part to sit down and talk long before this thing got to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/BGtvyeetLu

He added:

“I knew I could have fulfilled my obligations as captain, but clearly the DP World Tour and Ryder Cup Europe didn’t see it that way, and that’s why they made that decision. I’ll look forward and not backward…

"I’ve played in five Ryder Cups and was vice captain in one and there’s always going to be some great memories from the camaraderie, and some of that camaraderie are still there.”

Henrik Stenson also referred to fellow LIV golfers like Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia and said that he’s not alone in the sticky situation.

Henrik Stenson on the PGA Tour-PIF deal

Henrik Stenson’s comments come amid the PGA Tour-PIF deal. The golfer was arguably the biggest victim of the backlash LIV Golf faced. However, now that the two sides have decided to join hands, Stenson is left wondering about his position.

Commenting on the shock alliance deal announced by the PGA Tour and PIF on June 6, Stenson said:

“A lot of these decisions are not on my plate… We’ll see where it ends up — from Ryder Cup to memberships on DP World Tour and PGA Tour and all the rest of it. I’m just sitting tight right now.”

The Ryder Cup 2023 will tee off in September in Rome. With just months to go for the international event, it’ll be interesting to see what direction the officials choose in terms of LIV players’ eligibility.