Former European Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson is slated to rejoin the DP World Tour next season after he was relegated by LIV Golf following an underwhelming 2025 campaign
Henrik Stenson will be re-joining the DP World Tour next season(Image: Getty Images)
LIV Golf star Henrik Stenson is taking his talents elsewhere after being relegated by the Saudi-backed league.
According to Bunkered’s Ben Parsons, Stenson is slated to return to the DP World Tour next season. The former European Ryder Cup captain was one of the many big names that defected to LIV Golf back in 2022, where he found immediate success before tailing off in recent years.
During the 2025 campaign, Stenson ranked 49th in the season-long standings with 6.11 points and zero wins or top-10 finishes. Though LIV Golf has previously shown leniency towards co-captains who’ve fallen into the “drop zone,” the circuit is now enforcing relegation more strictly as part of the series of changes it hopes will lead to accreditation from the Official World Golf Ranking.
READ MORE: Texas A&M PD takes action after trooper’s confrontation with South Carolina playerREAD MORE: Former Wimbledon star bares all in racy new snaps wearing see-through top
Following his departure from LIV Golf, Stenson settled over $1 million in outstanding fines to regain playing eligibility on the DP World Tour. Speaking to Bunkered back in August, the Majesticks co-captain asserted that he was taking his expulsion in stride.
“Over the course of a career, you’re going to have good years, you’re going to have bad years,” Stenson noted.
“It’s part of professional sports. You’re going to have disappointment. You’re going to have good times.
“On this end, I had the worst season out of the team, and I’m the one in the worst spot. You’ve just got to deal with it and move forward.”
Henrik Stenson finished 49th in the 2025 LIV Golf season-long standings(Image: Getty Images)
Prior to joining LIV Golf, Stenson struggled to find much success during his final years on the PGA Tour. He finished 187th or worse in the FedEx Cup standings in his last three years on the circuit, with his last win coming in 2017.
Despite no longer being competitively relevant, Stenson remained a major figure on the PGA Tour, given that he was bestowed the honor of serving as Ryder Cup captain.
Speaking to reporters at his introductory press conference in March 2022, the 49-year-old poured cold water on rumors suggesting he could defect to LIV Golf.
“Yeah, there’s been a lot of speculation back and forth, and as I said, I am fully committed to the captaincy and to Ryder Cup Europe and the job at hand,” he said at the time.
“So we’re going to keep busy with that, and I’m going to do everything in my power to deliver a winning team in Rome.”
When pressed further if the European captaincy meant that he was obligated to stay with the PGA Tour, Stenson added: “The captain does sign a contract. He’s the only one that does that.
“Players and vice captains don’t. But the captain has an agreement and those agreements are between Ryder Cup Europe and the captain, so I’m fully committed to my role as a captain and working hard towards the result we want in Rome.”
Stenson ultimately signed with LIV Golf several months later and was promptly stripped of his captaincy.