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At exactly 12:29pm on Wednesday July 20, the news everyone had been expecting was confirmed.

Ryder Cup Europe announced Henrik Stenson had been stripped of the captaincy ahead of next year’s match, all but confirming the Swede as LIV Golf’s latest signing.

Unsurprisingly, the revelation sent the world of golf into a tailspin. More specifically, the world of golf social media.

There were strong reactions to the announcement, with Stenson coming in for some heavy criticism.

Everyone has their price. It's a disappointing decision as a Stenson fan, but if cash is all he is interested in at this stage in his career its hard to blame him.
— Sean McCloskey (@SeanMcC1984) July 20, 2022

What an absolute hypocrite. https://t.co/zDSVKs8hlY
— Renz (@jrbmdemon) July 20, 2022

This is so disappointing. https://t.co/d52iLxKdi8
— Golf Unfiltered (@GolfUnfiltered) July 20, 2022

Very sad. Is this the end of the Ryder Cup? 😢
— Ann Barr (@AnnBarr4819) July 20, 2022

It's just so telling...

So many of these guys have gone and shot themselves in the foot! They must have given him a lot more to leave now than leave after the Ryder Cup next year. https://t.co/xiWSdUQXyj
— Nick Tatham (@NickTatham22) July 20, 2022

Has this man lost the plot 🥴🤑 https://t.co/oynEBQdK3D
— John Petre (@JohnPetre9) July 20, 2022

This will follow him forever @henrikstenson. Wherever his life goes from here he’ll always be that guy. https://t.co/vDK9uC02LD
— Donnacha McCormack 🏌🏽‍♂️💰 (@dunta90) July 20, 2022

Golf is a sport where your word and integrity matter. Obviously Henrik's can be bought. https://t.co/XddnNqHSjb
— @richriker (@richriker) July 20, 2022

Stenson joins a core of his generation of Ryder Cup stars in choosing to join the Saudi-backed league, which is fronted by Greg Norman.

Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Europe’s record points-scorer Sergio Garcia were among the first players to join.

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Given the action taken against Stenson, it would seem unlikely any of those players stand a chance of captaining Ryder Cup teams in the future either.

No replacement for the Swede has yet been announced, although it has been reported that 2018 captain Thomas Bjorn – currently one of the vice-captains for next year – could step back into the role.

Also in the frame is Luke Donald, who was considered by Ryder Cup Europe before they opted for Stenson earlier this year.