Ryder Cup Eligibility Remains Unclear With European LIV Golf Players

Henrik Stenson is disappointed that he won't be the captain of the next European team, while Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter believe they're still eligible to be part of it.

BEDMINSTER, N.J. – A week after being removed as captain of the 2023 European Ryder Cup team, Henrik Stenson expressed regret that the decision to move on from his captaincy was made by the DP World Tour.

The Swede, who won the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon and played on five European Ryder Cup teams, was named captain in March as the LIV Golf Invitational Series appeared to be done.

But later that week, LIV Golf announced an eight-tournament schedule for this year, and has already said it will play 14 events next year. Stenson, 46, long thought to be weighing a move to LIV Golf, made it official last week.

“I don't feel like I've given it up,’’ Stenson said Thursday at Trump Bedminster, where he will compete in his first LIV Golf event beginning Friday. “I made every arrangement possible here to be able to fulfill my captain's duties, and I've had great help here from LIV to be able to do that. And still, the decision was made that I was to be removed.

“I'm obviously disappointed over the situation. But it is what it is, we move on from there now,’’

Stenson shared an interview table with European Ryder Cup veterans Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, both of whom maintain that no decisions have been made and they would still like to be part of future Ryder Cups.

“We're not sure right now where the qualification criteria sits,’’ Poulter said. “I believe we're still all eligible to play. No decision has officially been made as far as I'm aware. I think the criteria is in three weeks' time (at the BMW PGA Championship), we start qualifying, but yet we still don't have a definite answer to what that is going to actually look like. So we haven't been given that level of information yet.’’

Said Westwood: “I'm still eligible to play on the European Tour. I don't think I've been banned from playing any events. The (BMW) PGA Championship is still my next event on the European Tour at Wentworth. I've had no correspondence on that. That's an event, a qualifying event, for the European Ryder Cup team.’’

Unlike PGA Tour players who have been indefinitely suspended from competing in tournaments, those who play on the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) have not been precluded from playing tournaments – although they have been fined for participating in LIV events without a conflicting events release.

That has left in limbo of whether the possibility exists to compete in the Ryder Cup. The DP World Tour requires only four events in order to maintain membership, and earning enough points to qualify – whether through its tour points list or via the world rankings – would seem to be a difficult task while competing in LIV events which won’t earn anything towards qualification.

Keith Pelley, the CEO of the European Tour, made a point to say that Stenson signed a contract with Ryder Cup Europe. Although neither he nor Stenson would speak to specifics about the contract, the Telegraph reported that the language stipulated that Stenson could not participate in rival league.

Stenson said Wednesday that he is keeping his options open and was asked about possible legal action.

“I just expect to be treated fairly going forward depending on what the outcomes are in this whole case, and that has yet to be seen what decisions are to be made and when we will be notified of anything like the boys are saying here, qualification and vice captaincies and all the rest," he said.

“So up until that point, we just wait for European Tour and Ryder Cup Europe to make those announcements.’’