Tiger’s last Masters as much about family as a green jacket

Luke Donald has been named Team Europe captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup, to be contested September 29 – October 1, 2023 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy. Donald represented Europe in the Ryder Cup four times as a player, being part of a winning team on all four occasions and compiling a 10-4-1 overall record. He also has served as a vice captain in the last two editions of the biennial contest, under Thomas Bjørn in 2018 and Pádraig Harrington last year. The 44-year-old Englishman held the No. 1 spot on the Official World Golf Ranking for a total of 56 weeks, and in 2011 he became the first player in history to win both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR money lists in the same year. “I am incredibly proud to be named European Ryder Cup captain for 2023,” Donald said. “It is truly one of the greatest honors 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. “I love everything the Ryder Cup embodies, from the camaraderie and companionship of being part of a team, to the history of the contest, but most of all playing for something bigger than yourself. “Rome will be a fantastic host city, and I have always enjoyed spending time there. It is a city rich in history and hopefully we can create some of our own in 14 months’ time.” Donald has confirmed that both existing vice captains – Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari – will continue in their respective positions. “In my opinion, it was essential that Thomas and Edoardo remained part of the team,” Donald said. “They were the first two calls I made once I got the nod to be captain and I’m delighted that they are fully on-board. “Nobody needs any explanation of how important Thomas is to the Ryder Cup – one glance at the history books will show you that. He has lived and breathed European golf for the past 30 years and having his know-how behind me, not least as a winning captain, will be vital. “Furthermore, Edoardo has blazed an impressive trail for himself in the world of stats and his knowledge in this area with the players who will be on the team, in addition to extra-special Italian element he will bring to the entire occasion, is an extra bonus for Team Europe.”

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Henrik Stenson shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the Wyndham Championship. The 2013 FedExCup champion and The Open winner in 2016 was at 16-under 194 at Sedgefield with a round left in the PGA TOUR’s last regular-season event of the season. Webb Simpson, Kevin Na and Ollie Schniederjans were tied for second. Na shot a 65, Schniederjans had a 66 and Simpson — a North Carolina native who won at Sedgefield in 2011 — had a 68. Johnson Wagner was 14 under after a 65. Simpson had sole possession of the lead late in the round, before Stenson caught him during his birdie binge on the back nine. The Swede pulled even with Simpson with birdies on four of five holes, a run he capped by sticking his second shot on the par-4 17th some 10 feet from the hole and converting that putt. He could have ended his round with another one, but pulled his 15-foot birdie putt wide right and settled for par. Still, his 72-hole score is second-best in tournament play at Sedgefield, surpassed only by Carl Pettersson’s 191 in 2008. Simpson — a local favorite who grew up in Raleigh, played in college at nearby Wake Forest and named his third child Wyndham after that victory here — shared the 54-hole lead with Ryan Armour at 13 under. Simpson birdied his first hole, then reeled off 11 consecutive pars before briefly taking sole possession of the lead with birdies on the 13th and 15th holes. He sank a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 13 and two holes later, he settled for birdie after missing a 35-foot eagle putt on No. 15. Simpson could have caught Stenson on the 18th, but he pulled a 15-foot birdie putt left. Schniederjans — a 24-year-old, third-year pro from Georgia Tech — is chasing his first victory on tour and his fifth top-10 finish of the year. After shooting a 63 on Friday and starting his round two strokes off the lead, he became the first to 16 under with his birdie on the par-5 15th, hitting his second shot into the primary rough but recovering by chipping to 10 feet and converting the putt. Then came trouble on the next hole. His tee shot on the par-3 16th landed in a low greenside bunker, and he stuck his chip into the rough just above the sand on his way to a bogey that dropped him back a stroke. Na — who hasn’t won on tour since 2011 — joined Stenson in making a big move on the back nine. He had birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 17, landing his second shot inside of 10 feet.

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