Henrik Stenson insists he’s “willing to take a lie detector test” over a rumour he used his Ryder Cup captaincy as leverage to get a better LIV Golf offer.
The Swede shocked the world of golf when he was announced as Greg Norman’s latest coup back in July, a move which immediately brought an end to his tenure as captain of Team Europe for the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Since then, suggestions have been rife that Stenson used his position as skipper to get a better financial offer from the league’s Saudi-backers – a figure believed to be in the region of $40 million.
But now, in an interview with Mail+, the 46-year-old has refuted the claims, insisting he’s prepared to go through extreme measures to disprove the rumour.
“I can give you a 100% honest answer that it was never the case,” Stenson said ahead of the LIV Golf Team Championship. “I would be willing to take a lie detector test on that.”
Stenson, who has pocketed just shy of $5 million since joining LIV, then expressed his joy at having defected to the breakaway league, hailing the experience a “different vibe” compared to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
“I am happy with where I am at,” he continued. “I thought that through [on] more than one afternoon. I managed to get a win straight out of the box and I am looking forward to next year. I am enjoying being with the guys on this tour.
“We are playing together, travelling together and it has a different vibe to regular life on tour that it did for many years. That was great, but I enjoy this. I am getting the off season I have wanted for 17 years.”
Stenson was replaced by Luke Donald as Ryder Cup captain after switching to LIV Golf.
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