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Luke Donald: Used to be number one in the world
Photo: HENNY RAY ABRAMS/ AP
English golf pro Luke Donald is Europe's new captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup. Barely two weeks after Sweden's Henrik Stenson was dismissed, Ryder Cup Europe named the 44-year-old.
The traditional continental competition, in which a European team competes against a US team, will take place in Rome from September 25th to October 1st, 2023.
“I am incredibly proud to be named European Ryder Cup Captain for 2023.
Leading a team of like-minded people and being an ambassador for an entire continent is truly one of the greatest honors a golfer can have,” Donald said, according to the statement.
"I feel very privileged to have been given this responsibility and I do not take it lightly."
Other replacement candidates have also switched to the LIV tour
Europe's Ryder Cup director Guy Kinnings was very satisfied with the choice of Donald: "Luke is a former world number one who has an excellent Ryder Cup record and therefore undoubtedly has the prerequisites to be a successful European captain. « Donald was number one in the golf world for 56 weeks.
He played in the Ryder Cup four times and won the title four times with the Europeans.
There would probably have been more obvious candidates, for example Martin Kaymer or Sergio Garcia, who have already won major tournaments in their careers and can also look back on very successful Ryder Cup participation - but the German and the Spaniard play like Donald's predecessor Stenson the controversial and Saudi-funded LIV Golf Series.
Stenson was therefore dismissed as European Ryder Cup captain almost two weeks ago.
The 46-year-old now plays on the competing golf tour and won the LIV tournament in Bedminster, New Jersey, on his debut on Sunday.
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