DUBLIN, Ohio – Sergio Garcia told reporters last week that Luke Donald, this year’s European Ryder Cup captain, informed him the Spaniard “had no chance” to make this year’s team after resigning his DP World Tour membership.
On Tuesday, the player who will be impacted the most by Garcia’s decision, Jon Rahm, lamented the loss.
“I’m going to miss him. We had a great partnership at Whistling Straights,” said Rahm, who went 3-0-0 at the 2021 Ryder Cup teamed with Garcia. “A Spanish duo in the Ryder Cup I think to me is embedded into the roots of the Ryder Cup. Look what Seve [Ballesteros] and [Jose Maria Olazabal] were able to do throughout their partnership, right.
“It’s a little sad to me that politics have gotten in the way of such a beautiful event.”
Garcia joined a group of other European players who resigned their DP World Tour membership after the circuit handed down fines of nearly £500,000 – and counting – for violating the tour’s conflicting-event release policies when they joined LIV Golf. Players are required to be members of the European tour to play for the Continent in the Ryder Cup.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team, which requires PGA of America membership but not PGA Tour membership, will likely include at least one player who joined LIV Golf. Brooks Koepka moved to second on the U.S. points list following his victory two weeks ago at the PGA Championship and he could earn one of the six automatic qualifying spots.
“Again, it’s the best Europeans against the best Americans, period,” Rahm said. “Whatever is going on, who is playing LIV and who is not playing LIV to me shouldn’t matter. It’s whoever is best suited to represent the European side. And I have a hard time to believe that the best player Europe has ever had, the most successful player Europe has had on the Ryder Cup isn’t fit to be on the team.”
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