Jon Rahm insists the DP World Tour and PGA Tour must reach a joint decision regarding the inclusion of LIV players at September’s Ryder Cup in Rome, with LIV golfers currently banned from the USA Ryder Cup team while Europe are yet to confirm their stance.
Zach Johnson’s USA are set to be without the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed in Marco Simone this autumn but it is unknown whether Luke Donald will be permitted to select veterans Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey.
Rahm stressed the need for some tough choices to be made and feels if Europe chose to restrict LIV players from playing in the Ryder Cup, it could give an opportunity to some of the continent’s younger players like Adrian Meronk, Robert MacIntyre and the Hojgaard’s.
“Listen, there’s some people that are going to have to make some tough choices, right? A little bit of that is out of my reach. My guess is, I hope the PGA of America and European Tour make a decision together,” Rahm said.
“Even if they decide not to on that side, I think it’s going to give an opportunity for a lot of great young players to show up and have the chance in Europe, right?
“It’s just going to be an opportunity for all of them. We saw a younger US team last Ryder Cup, and they did what they did.
“So I’m hoping these younger guys who have grown up watching the Ryder Cup and seeing their idols do what they do, let’s say, it energises the team a little bit in any manner, and we show up there to win.”
The world number five was speaking ahead of the opening event of 2023 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Kapalua where he reflected on a ‘positive’ 2022 which included wins in Mexico and at the Open de Espana.
It was however, an underwhelming year in the majors for the 2021 US Open Champion who was without a top-10 in the big four last term, a run he is determined to arrest.
“I’m pretty ambitious, so I’m not always going to accomplish everything I set my mind out to. But in this sport, if you’re not winning as much as you would like, you would take it as a bad year,” he said.
“So it’s a little bit subjective, in my opinion. I think there’s a lot of things you can do well as an athlete and as a player to consider a positive year. Obviously, you want to win events. That’s there.
“The only thing I didn’t do last year that I wish I would have done is compete better in majors and give myself a better chance. So obviously that being a goal this year, hopefully get number two and give Spain another major.”
- Sentry tee-times HERE
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