Luke Donald jumped at a second chance to be Ryder Cup captain for Europe, taking over just 14 months before the 2023 matches in Italy without knowing whether players who sign up for the Saudi riches of LIV Golf will be available to him.

Donald only knew that unlike Henrik Stenson, stripped of the captaincy for signing up with the LIV Golf rival league, he wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“I’m giving you my word that I will be here for the next 14 months,” Donald said Monday in a video call. “I’m excited about this opportunity. I really am. The Ryder Cup means so much to me and I’m not going to take this lightly. So I will see you in Rome.”

Stenson, who pledged full support to the European tour in March when he was announced as captain, changed his mind four months later and signed with LIV Golf for what the Daily Telegraph reported to be a $50 million bonus.

Europe turned to Donald, a finalist for the job in March and a former world No. 1 who played on four Ryder Cup teams that all ended in a European celebration.

He compiled a 10-4-1 record. His last appearance as a player was in 2012 at Medinah, when he took down Bubba Watson in the lead singles match as Europe staged the greatest road comeback in Ryder Cup history.

Donald couldn’t have guessed then that it would be his last time playing the Ryder Cup. He went on to be vice captain for Thomas Bjorn in France and for Padraig Harrington last September at Whistling Straits, the only time Donald experienced losing.

Mostly, he remembers sitting next to Darren Clarke in the opening ceremony at Oakland Hills in 2004, his Ryder Cup debut. Donald said Clarke turned to him and said, “Once you play in one, you’ll never want to miss another.”

Stenson had other ideas, and it paid an immediate dividend when the Swede won in his LIV Golf debut on Sunday to collect $4 million, plus $375,000 for his team finishing second.

“Henrik has made his decisions and he’s got his reasons for it, and I’m not really here to judge that,” said Donald, a former NCAA champion at Northwestern with 13 victories worldwide. “I’m certainly excited about the opportunity, and when I found out I had a second chance, I grabbed at it, to be honest with you. This is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

The 44-year-old Donald spent 56 weeks at No. 1 in the world in 2011 and 2012 while vying for the top spot in the ranking with Rory Mcilroy. He also was the first player to capture the money title on the PGA Tour and European tour in the same year.