Luke Donald replaces Henrik Stenson as European Ryder Cup captain

Luke Donald has been named Europe's Ryder Cup captain for next year’s contest in Rome after Henrik Stenson was stripped of the role.

Stenson was appointed captain on 15 March, but the Swede’s tenure lasted just 127 days before he was sacked for breaking his contract by joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.

Donald, who was on the winning side in all four of his Ryder Cup appearances as a player, said: "I am incredibly proud to be named European Ryder Cup captain for 2023.

"It is truly one of the greatest honours that can be bestowed upon a golfer, to lead a team of your peers and be an ambassador for an entire continent.

"I feel extremely privileged to have been given that responsibility and it is a responsibility I do not take lightly.

"Some of my best experiences in golf have been in the Ryder Cup and I would not swap those for anything. It is an event like no other and I cannot wait to create more special memories in Italy next year."

Donald's appointment came just hours after Stenson pocketed $4.375m on his LIV debut, the 46-year-old winning the individual event and finishing second in the team competition at Trump National Golf Club.

That was described as "the greatest F/U in the history of golf" on Twitter by Donald Trump Jr, whose father – former US president Donald Trump – owns the course in New Jersey.

Donald was on the winning side in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012 and was also a vice-captain to Thomas Bjorn for the 2018 win in Paris.

The 44-year-old’s first taste of defeat in the biennial contest came in the same role under Padraig Harrington at Whistling Straits last year, when the United States stormed to a record 19-9 victory.

Five members of the European team have defected to LIV – Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Paul