Stenson welcomes new blood for Rome Ryder Cup battle
Henrik Stenson: Getty Images
HENRIK STENSON has been handed the task of winning back the Ryder Cup in Rome next year, and he admits Europe will likely present a radically rejuvenated side after September's record defeat at Whistling Straits.
The Swede (45) was chosen by a five-man panel comprising of the last three European captains—Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn and Pádraig Harrington—as well as DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley and tournament committee chairman David Howell to lead the side at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club from September 25 to October 1, 2023.
He was the favourite on a shortlist comprising Luke Donald, compatriot Robert Karlsson and Scotland's Paul Lawrie with his selection only delayed by doubts over his commitment to the DP World Tour given the recent speculation over his interest in the Saudi-backed Super Golf League.
Phil Mickelson's explosive comments appear to have put paid to that option in the short term and Stenson, who beat Mickelson in a memorable duel for The Open in 2016, revealed he has signed a contract with the DP World Tour.
"There's been a lot of speculations back and forth, and as I said, I am fully committed to the captaincy and to Ryder Cup Europe and the job at hand," he said. "So we're going to keep busy with that and I'm going to do everything in my power to deliver a winning team in Rome."
He added: "I want to be a players' captain. I want to work closely with the players. As you know, for decades, we've had a great bond within the European team room. I want to build on that and make sure we keep that."
He will be keen to add another Ryder Cup win to his three from five appearances as a player and also to maintain a tradition of winning continental European captains following successes for Seve Ballesteros (1997), Bernhard Langer (2004), José María Olazábal (2012) and Thomas Bjørn (2018).
The first of his three wins as a player came as a rookie in Europe's record-setting 18½ – 9½ victory at The K Club in 2006, when he holed the winning putt and later celebrated wearing a fluorescent green wig.
"Maybe, we need to do a tri-colour one with a bit of red and a bit of white (for Italy)," he said of the famous wig he claimed from an Irish fan in Co Kildare. "How does that sound?"
Stenson was 30 and ranked 11th in the world in 2006, but he admits Europe may present a fresher face in Rome next year following September's record 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits, where he was one of Harrington's assistants.
"Yeah, looking solely at the age, our average age at Whistling Straits, I think it was near enough 35 years on average, and the American side had about 26-year average," he said, admitting Europe were simply outplayed. "So we certainly had an older team and at some point, there will be a shift, and I can definitely see that happening this time around.
"I can also see a few hungry veterans want to keep their jerseys. I know from my own experience; that when you play in a Ryder Cup, you don't want to hand that jersey to someone else. You are going to fight dearly to keep it another time."
While his opposite number Zach Johnson began the US qualifying process at The Players and confirmed he will have six picks, Stenson had no details on whether or not he will expand the three wildcards Harrington had for Whistling Straits.
"We've got time to decide these things," he said. "It's going to be an interesting 18 months. We have time obviously, and time will tell exactly how the team will formalise."
Europeans Séamus Power and Sepp Straka have won on the PGA TOUR in the last eight months and Stenson left the door ajar for them.
"I'm sure they are hungry as ever to get one of the spots on this team," he said of potential new faces. "Some of them, I don't know that much, but I will have the opportunity to get to know them and play with them and see where they kind of fit in in all of this. These are exciting times. The door is open for anyone with a European passport."
