The Europeans will have an experienced hand at the helm in Italy.
On Tuesday morning it was announced that Henrik Stenson will be the European captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy. The 45-year-old from Sweden has been a member of five European Ryder Cup teams, most recently in 2018 at Le Golf National in France, and boasts a 10-7-2 record. As a rookie Stenson made the winning putt for Europe at the 2006 matches at the K Club in Ireland.
The news comes two weeks after the United States announced Zach Johnson, a fellow five-time Ryder Cupper, would captain the American squad.
“I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to be the European Ryder Cup captain – it is a huge honor and I was humbled to get the call confirming the news,” said Stenson via a release. “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.”
He continued: “The Ryder Cup is golf, and sport, at its very best. I got goosebumps every time I pulled on a European shirt as a player and that will be magnified in the role of captain. While it is great for me personally, it is also great for my country and all the players from Sweden who have played for Europe with such distinction since Joakim Haeggman became the first in 1993.
“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 Europeans have dominated on home soil and haven’t lost to the Americans outside of the United States since 1993. At the last matches, however, the youngest American team in history put on a record performance with its 19-9 dismantling of the Europeans at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Over the last 40 years the Europeans hold a slight advantage over the Americans, winning 11 of the 21 clashes. Team USA has won nine times, with the lone tie coming in 1989 at The Belfry in England.