By then, Stenson could well be banned from his home circuit, on which he has appeared for the last 22 years. There is a court hearing in the UK in three weeks’ time that will basically decide if Wentworth chief executive Keith Pelley has the right to sanction the LIV brigade, including Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, the English duo who are also in this week’s field.
Until then, they remain eligible to compete and, indeed, to earn Ryder Cup points, a fact that has put Donald in an unenviable state of “limbo”, as he considers his personnel.
“To get some clarity will definitely help me,” Donald said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a bit more of that in a few weeks. But it’s not in my control, you know, and I’ll deal with it either way. My job is to get 12 guys in that team room, all on the same page, willing to win the Ryder Cup.”
It is a difficult situation on a personal level for Donald, the former world No 1, as he partnered both Poulter and Westwood in Ryder Cups. Meanwhile, Donald is close to Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, who have fallen out in the LIV controversy.
Donald is a neighbor of McIlroy’s and the pair have been playing practice rounds, most recently last week at the Bears Club, the course near their Florida homes, and have busily been planning for the clash with the Americans. Donald has managed to keep his long-term friendship with Garcia intact.
“I have spoken to Sergio quite a few times since I’ve been captain,” he said. “I mean, he’s cool with me. He understands my role and that I don’t have much influence on a lot of this stuff going on right now, so. But yeah, we’ve had some conversations, which I’ll keep private.”
Garfcia has elected not to play this week or in next week’s Dubai Desert Classic, where McIlroy will make his first start of the 2023. Donald will be looking for good performances for some of the youngsters who starred in the Hero Cup – the Ryder Cup dress rehearsal – that finished on Sunday with Continental Europe beating Great Britain & Ireland 141/2-101/2.
“It was a bit of a dry run for me and it was a great week, with so many of the guys playing well,” Donald said, identifying a few for praise, including Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre. “Stuff is really ramping up now and I’m excited to see how they kick on from here, starting with this fortnight.”
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