Henrik Stenson has claimed he would “be willing to take a lie-detector test” to dispute that he used the Ryder Cup captaincy to leverage a much better offer from LIV Golf.
Stenson was announced as the European Ryder Cup captain in March this year, becoming the first Swede to ever hold the position, although he was subsequently dropped from the role following news that he had accepted an offer to defect to the Saudi-backed series in July. Englishman Luke Donald took over as captain for Rome 2023.
Some may have believed that Stenson had taken the role as captain in order to strike a much better deal with LIV Golf, claims that the Swede categorically denies.
“I can give you a 100 per cent honest answer that it was never the case. I would be willing to take a lie-detector test on that,” Stenson told Sportsmail. “I am happy. I thought that through in more than one afternoon. I am happy with where I am at. I managed to get a win straight out of the box and I am looking forward to next year.
“I am enjoying being with the guys on this tour. We are playing together, travelling together and it has a different vibe to regular life on tour that I did for many years. That was great. But I am enjoying this.
“I haven't played anything but LIV events since the summer, so I mean going forward I am getting the off season I have wanted for 16 or 17 years. I am looking forward to that – getting strong and healthy in the gym and getting ready for the new season in February. I am happy.”
The Swede certainly believes he has made the correct decision joining LIV, as he won on his debut at Bedminster to pick up the $4m first prize. Following his victory, he joked that he "played like a captain."
Stenson's loss is almost certainly Donald’s gain, and the Englishman refused to be drawn into whether or not he would pick any players who have joined LIV Golf for next year's edition. "It's hard to answer that because it's all hypotheticals and to be honest I haven't really been spending any kind of my energy on it because there's so many unknowns right now," he said. "Once this legal situation passes and then I'll have a better understanding."
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