At first, the chitter-chatter centred on the rights and wrongs of this unfortunate affair. Predictably, Stenson’s decision to move to LIV Gof is receiving widespread condemnation and has provoked a mixture of anger and sadness amongst DP World Tour players and staff.

Still, things move on. And gossip is no exception. Now that Stenson has been shown the exit, speculation is rife over just who will lead the European side in Italy in September 2023 and how the decision will be reached.

“We don’t have as many options as we had a few months ago,” says Jose Maria Olazabal, who skippered Europe to famous victory at Medinah in 2012. “So many of the potential candidates are already on the LIV Tour. I think we are down to three possibilities: Paul Lawrie, Luke Donald and Thomas Bjorn.”

A seven-time Ryder Cup player, Olazabal contends that Donald of the three is more suited to a match in the US. “He makes his home and his life there,” Olazabal says. “Travelling to the site would be easy for him.” That leaves, in his mind, Lawrie and Bjorn for Rome in 14 months. “Both would be good. Thomas has experience. He did a great job in 2018. But Paul has played enough times to know what the job entails. I would not be unhappy if he got the job.”

As to just how the final decision should be arrived at, Ian Woosnam, European captain at the K Club in 2006, keeps things characteristically simple. The wee Welshman thinks as quickly as he plays.

“For me, they should just go through the process again,” he says. “I don’t think they should do anything different. That would be the fairest way. It’s not as if it’s going to take long. One meeting would be enough.”

Anyway, let’s take a close look at the most prominent names in the frame, with one addition to Olazabal’s list of contenders.

Luke Donald

By all accounts, the former World No. 1 was more than a little miffed that he did not get the job first time round. And, to an extent, Donald had a point. Even in March this year Stenson’s appointment was seen as a little “iffy”, his name having cropped up often enough whenever LIV Golf was mentioned.

By that measure alone, Donald must be seen as a favourite. The 44-year-old Englishman has played in four (winning) Ryder Cups with some distinction, his 10-4-1 record an obvious reason for pride. And he has twice served as an assistant, to Bjorn in 2018 at Le Golf National and again under Padraig Harrington in 2021 at Whistling Straits. Perhaps the only slight knock on his candidacy is that he has hardly been an avid supporter of his home circuit. Over the course of his 21-year professional career, Donald has played in only a relatively paltry 183 European/DP World Tour events.

Paul Lawrie

Lawrie has never hidden his interest in being European captain. More than once the 53-year-old has stuck his hand in the air. But each time he has done so he has gone away disappointed, which is odd. A major champion and respected by all for both the undoubted quality of his game and his work away from the tour (his eponymous junior foundation in the north-east of Scotland has introduced golf to thousands of youngsters), Lawrie, a veteran of 621 European/DP World tour events, ticks many Ryder Cup boxes.

“I’d like to see Paul get the job,” says Peter Baker, a Ryder Cup player in 1993 and an assistant to Woosnam 16 years ago. “He absolutely deserves it. He’d be a really good captain. And, apart from anything else, he has done so much for the game.”

Lawrie has another supporter in former US Senior Open and PGA champion, Roger Chapman.

“I really think Paul is worth a shot,” says the Englishman. “I’m not sure he’ll get it though. Thomas will be promoting himself. No question. But I would go for Paul. He would be a bloody good captain.”

Twice a player in European colours (13 years apart in 1999 and 2012), Lawrie compiled a commendable record of 4-3-1 despite never playing in a home match. An assistant to Darren Clarke in the 2016 matches at Hazeltine National, the former Open champion has been strangely (and perhaps significantly) overlooked since, something that clearly rankles.

Speaking to The Scotsman newspaper, Lawrie was quick to point out that the upcoming selection process should follow the same path as the original. In other words, only he, Karlsson and Donald should be interviewed. And the final decision should be made by the same five-strong panel that includes the three most recent past-captains — Harrington, Bjorn and Clarke — DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley and David Howell, chairman of the tour’s tournament committee.

“If that’s not the case then it’s a joke, to be honest,” said Lawrie. “It has to be the same way as it was before. You’re still trying to appoint the captain for a role, you’re not looking for something different.”

Whether going public with that outspoken view proves to be the right thing to do remains to be seen.

Thomas Bjorn

The 51-year-old is seen by many as a safe pair of hands in this unprecedented situation, Bjorn’s captaincy of the winning 2018 European side in France was widely applauded. Unlike his American counterpart, Jim Furyk, the Dane arrived at Le Golf National armed with a team well suited to the straight-hitting demands of the course. Bjorn had clearly done his homework and planned meticulously.

Still, as Lawrie pointed out this week, it would be odd indeed if a man involved in the selection process were to be appointed to a role that is not only prestigious, but highly lucrative. So if Bjorn is to be a candidate, he would surely recuse himself from the aforementioned five-strong committee.

Regardless, Bjorn just might get the job if past (and winning) experience is, as Olazabal pointed out, seen as a vital part of the transition from controversy to calm.

There’s another side to this though. More than one player asked for anonymity when espousing the cynical view that Bjorn (a past chairman of the tour’s tournament committee and now a member of the board of directors) will ultimately benefit most from his establishment credentials.

“It’s a done deal,” says one, summing up the prevailing sentiment. “Thomas will be looked after.”

Robert Karlsson

The lanky Swede is a long-shot this time round for a couple of reasons. First, rightly or wrongly, his nationality will be seen by many as hardly an asset in the current climate. And second, Karlsson, 52, is playing most of his golf on the PGA Tour Champions these days, not exactly the best way to stay on top of all things DP World Tour.

Still, by all accounts he was a stand-out assistant at the last two Ryder Cups. Look for him to possibly make it a hat-trick of back-up roles in Italy, particularly if Bjorn gets the top job.

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The post After Henrik Stenson’s shift to LIV Golf, Team Europe need a new Ryder Cup captain. Here are the four leading candidates appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Two major winners, and Ryder Cup stalwarts, were added as European vice-captains Wednesday morning.

European captain Padraig Harrington announced Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell will join Luke Donald and Robert Karlsson as assistants for his staff at this year’s biennial event at Whistling Straits.

“They have both contributed winning points in Ryder Cup history, have been there and done it, and the other players look up to them,” Harrington said in a statement. “They both have that aura and responsibility in that what they say will have meaning.”

A former World No. 1, Kaymer won his first major at Whistling Straits at the 2010 PGA Championship, defeating Bubba Watson in a playoff to earn the Wanamaker Trophy. Kaymer, 36, has played in four Ryder Cups, three of which were wins for Team Europe, highlighted by Kaymer sinking the clinching putt to complete the “Miracle”—or depending on your rooting interests, “Meltdown”—at Medinah in 2012.

Kaymer said he still hopes to make the team as a player, although he’s currently listed 36th in team rankings. But no matter his role Kaymer asserted he wants to be a part of the Ryder Cup experience.

“I admit it took me a while to say yes, because it’s a responsibility and if I do something I want to do it properly, so we talked about the role,” Kaymer said. “I’m not the type of guy who is into numbers and statistics. I’m more the person talking to the guys, more of the personal stuff, a bit more of the mental side. I feel like I’m a fairly calm person when I’m playing golf and through my experience I know what they all go through, whether that’s the guys that might be playing the Ryder Cup for the first time or guys that I have played Ryder Cups with before, so I think I understand the feelings quite well.”

Added Harrington: “Martin is somebody I wanted as a vice captain because he has a great personality and brings a calmness, a European element, and a lot of confidence with him.”

McDowell will be making his second stint as an assistant, helping out Thomas Bjorn at the 2018 Ryder Cup. The former U.S. Open champ has also played in four Ryder Cups, three of them European victories, scoring nine points in 15 matches. He also cliched the winning point at the 2010 Ryder Cup.

“I knew Padraig wanted me as part of the staff and it’s a huge honor,” McDowell said. “Padraig is one of my heroes and such an iconic figure in Irish golf. To have him captaining a Ryder Cup team is fantastic for Europe.”

The 2021 Ryder Cup begins Sept. 25. The Europeans are the defending champs.

The post Team Europe adds two major winners as Ryder Cup vice captains appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Eddie Pepperell has pole-position, Bryson DeChambeau second-place and proven pedigree, Tommy Fleetwood promising momentum.

The stage is set then for an absorbing moving day at the 31^st OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic, one that will also include Lee Westwood after the freshly-minted Abu Dhabi champion courageously snuck into the weekend on the +2 cutline.

An early 67 on Friday, to go with his opening 69, saw Pepperell set the clubhouse target at -8 by lunchtime of the second round and hold onto it all the way to dusk at Emirates Golf Club.

DeChambeau improved a Thursday 70 by three strokes but left a lot of putts out on the Majlis in his 67 as he chased down Pepperell. The 26-year-old American’s title defence is still very much on target though as he nestled into a three-way share of second with car crash escapee Dean Burmester (68) and Swedish half centurion Robert Karlsson (68), a shot adrift of Englishman Pepperell.

Fleetwood shifted gear a day ahead of the clichéd moving day, recovering from a three-over 75 with a flurry of eight birdies in a Friday low 65. Just four adrift of Pepperell, Fleetwood has raced from outside the cutline into genuine contention in a share of 11^th place.

After starting the day six over, Westwood’s fightback was equally gritty, a birdie-birdie finish, the last with a brilliant 3-wood and two putts at 18, capping a colourful two-bogey 68. Danny Willett also mustered a final hole birdie to squeeze in on the bubble but five other former champions – Alvaro Quiros, Rafa Cabrera Bello, David Howell (all +5), Stephen Gallacher (+6) and Haotong Li (+10) weren’t so lucky.

Major champion Graeme McDowell (+3) also has the weekend off, along with MENA Tour phenom Josh Hill (+10) after a pair of 77s.

The post Eddie Pepperell fires 67 for halfway lead in Dubai; DeChambeau and fightback Fleetwood lurk appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
VIRGINIA WATER, England — And then there were five. Having earlier appointed Robert Karlsson as the first of his vice captains for the 42nd Ryder Cup, European skipper Thomas Bjorn has added four more experienced individuals to his backroom staff. Combined, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell—two major champions and two former World No. 1s—made 24 appearances in the biennial contest with United States. Throw in Karlsson’s two starts and the quintet amassed a grand total of 56 points for the Old World between 1997 and 2016.

Perhaps the most surprising absentee from the group is former Open champion Paul Lawrie. The Scot served as assistant to Darren Clarke at Hazeltine National two years ago and, at 49, is much closer to the age normally associated with the role than both McDowell (38) and Donald (40). Given the European Tour’s unofficial political system behind the scenes in matters Ryder Cup, it would appear that Lawrie’s chances of making it into the top job in 2020, like those of his fellow Caledonian and major champion Sandy Lyle, have now disappeared. A more likely scenario would see Harrington and Westwood leading the Europeans in the next two matches.

Much less surprising was Bjorn’s reluctance to answer directly whether or not Lawrie, or any other veteran not sitting alongside him at Wentworth, scene of this week’s BMW PGA Championship, had received a phone call informing them that he had decided to look elsewhere for back-up at Le Golf National just outside Paris this September.

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“This was the route I wanted to go,” insisted the Dane. “But there’s five that can be vice captains, and these were the five. People are very accepting of what the captain wants, and that’s how I felt about it. Just because you’re not sitting at this table doesn’t mean that your voice is not heard. There will be things from other people that won’t be in France that will impact how we do things.”

Related: Will a Frenchman compete on this year’s European Ryder Cup team in Paris?

Still, a good case can be made for all five of those chosen. Karlsson is one of Bjorn’s closest friends on tour and can surely be relied upon to speak what the captain needs to hear rather than what he wants to hear. Westwood brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having played in the last 10 Ryder Cups. Harrington is a vice captain for the third time and is the only one of the five with previous experience. McDowell has twice won the French Open at Le Golf National, where the matches will be played outside Paris. And Donald, if nothing else, never played on a losing team in any of his four Ryder Cup appearances.

No one has more experience of the subordinate role that Bjorn though. Four times the 47-year-old has been an assistant, so he clearly knew what he was looking for in the men who will be his closest confidantes in France.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Bjorn’s braintrust includes a fivesome of players that have earned 56 points in their Ryder Cup playing days.

“The one thing I always prided myself on when I went in as a vice captain is I left my ego at the door,” he said. “As an individual sportsman, you have an ego, and so you should have. To achieve things, you’ve got to be very special, and we all have it in one way or the other. But when you go into Ryder Cup week, it’s about 12 players, and it’s not about the six of us. We are there to work for them. There’s nothing in it for us if we don’t have that trophy on Sunday night.”

Related: You won’t believe what the grandstand on the first tee at this year’s Ryder Cup will look like

Certainly, none of the five assistants were offended by getting the call to serve, even if the implication is that they no longer perform well enough to make the team as a player.

“I’m of an age now where my chances of making the team go down quite significantly,” said Westwood, summing up the prevailing mood. “Despite having played in so many Ryder Cups, I’m keen to see another side of it. When Thomas asked me, I jumped at the chance. Playing in a Ryder Cup is very special. But to be involved with it is special, too. He’s pulled together a good team with a lot of knowledge and experience. Hopefully, we can find the right words for someone less experienced that might be playing his first one—and hopefully not say the wrong things at the wrong times, as well.”

Indeed, there is much pressure on Bjorn and his men to get things right. The United States currently holds the Ryder Cup, the Solheim Cup, the Presidents Cup, the Walker Cup and all four major championships. Only the Curtis Cup remains in “enemy” hands. So, if nothing else, Europe will have no trouble adopting their traditional role of underdogs come September.

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The post Thomas Bjorn fills in the vice-captain roster for his European Ryder Cup team, with a few surprises appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 21-year-old Indian is the surprise early leader of the season-long Race to Dubai after winning the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship in the past two months to scoot up to No.71 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Sharma will peg it up with 2016 Ryder Cupper Andy Sullivan and Frenchman Alexander Levy at 7.15am in the marquee morning three-ball as Al Mouj Golf graduates to full European Tour status after a five year Challenge Tour apprenticeship. He’s clearly expecting a challenging week.

“I’m surprised this is the first time Al Mouj Golf has hosted a European Tour event as it’s such a great course,” he said. “It’s a tough, long course that can get windy; I definitely think that it’s a championship course. Now they have the event here I’m sure it will continue for many years to come.

“It would mean a lot to win an event in the Middle East especially at such a great course as Al Mouj Golf. I’m playing well at the moment so hopefully I can have four good rounds and we will see what happens. Every win is special to me so hopefully I can keep going and pushing my career on.”

Levy, whose ace during last month’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic earned the European Tour shot of the month award, has his eyes on a 2018 Ryder Cup spot and will tee off the 10th, 10 minutes before European captain Thomas Bjorn who is grouped with Soren Kjeldsen and Thomas Detry.

January’s Shot of the Month ?️???

Fans voted this @AlexLevyGolf shot as the European Tour’s best shot in January. pic.twitter.com/iAT9XutwdD

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 13, 2018

Fan favourite Andrew “Beef” Johnston will look to rebound from an unwanted weekend off at last week’s World Super 6 Perth when he heads off at 11.55am with former Ryder Cupper Robert Karlsson and Joost Luiten.

Thai Thongchai Jaidee, Welshman Jamie Donaldson and England’s David Horsey are off 10 minutes earlier, also from the 1st tee, while the threesome of Darren Clarke, Brett Rumford and Stephen Gallacher are sure to lure their share of the first day galleries at 12.05pm.

There will be great local interest in the performance of Omani amateur Azaan Al Rumhy (8.15am, 10th tee) and Bahrain’s Nasser Yaqoob (1.15pm, 10th tee) who qualified via the Oman amateur qualifier.

With just Sharma and Jorge Campillo in the current Race to Dubai top-10 and Levy, at No.62, the highest placed entry in the OWGR, the new Desert Swing event is wide open.

One of the stars could be Al Mouj Golf itself. The Greg Norman design, ranked third in our latest Top 10 Courses of the Middle East ranking, is in sparkling condition and set to be showcased to a global audience in excess of 400 million.

Related: Our 2018 Top 10 Courses in the Middle East ranking

Coverage of OSN Sports runs from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Thursday and resumes at 2pm-5pm.

The @NBOGolf course is ??#NBOOmanOpen pic.twitter.com/x6XcCKPj7n

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 13, 2018

The post Surprise Race to Dubai leader Sharma off early as Al Mouj makes its European Tour bow appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It means the South Africa will not chase a Mother of Pearl trophy hat-trick as billed.

“You know it is a pity, I would have loved to go there,” Grace said.

“I’m going to head back, there’s a little bit more important things on the table I have to take care of. It’s something she’s planned a long time ago and this is the only dates they could have done.

“So she’s taken a lot on her table and pushed it back for me and I think it’s time I did the same for her.”

Grace’s withdrawal is a blow but a strong field has still assembled at Doha Golf Club.

After making a strong start to the season by finishing in a tie for fourth in Abu Dhabi last week, Martin Kaymer  is making his first return to Doha Golf Club since 2014, The European Tour reports.

The German made seven straight appearances at the tournament from 2008 and enjoyed his best finishes in 2012 and 2013, tying for ninth in successive years. 

Kaymer is one of four players in the field from Europe’s 2016 Ryder Cup team, along with Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan and desert specialist Rafa Cabrera Bello, while 2018 captain Thomas Bjørn also makes the short journey to Qatar from Abu Dhabi. 

Bjørn and Wood were champions in 2011 and 2013 respectively, and are joined by five other past winners: Darren Fichardt (2003), Ernie Els (2005), Alvaro Quiros (2009), Robert Karlsson (2010) and two-time winner Paul Lawrie (1999 and 2012). 

World No.10 Alex Noren, a four time winner in 2016, is out to back up his top 10 finish in Abu Dhabi last week while former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell is set to get his 2017 European Tour campaign underway. 

Photograph by Getty Images

The post No more Amazing Grace in Doha appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.