LONDON – Henrik Stenson was Wednesday stripped of the captaincy of the European Ryder Cup team, with the Swede understood to be on the verge of joining the Saudi-funded rebel LIV Golf series.
Following discussions with Ryder Cup Europe officials, the decision was made to effectively sack the 46-year-old as skipper of the team for the event in Italy next year.
The move will deepen the rifts in a sport wracked by internal division, with a growing number of major stars defecting to the lucrative new circuit.
Ryder Cup Europe said in a statement that Stenson’s tenure as skipper for the competition against the United States in Rome next year had been brought…