European player admits Jon Rahm’s comments about him in 2023 made him really struggle before the Ryder Cup that year

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Making a Ryder Cup team is the peak of many players’ careers, with the event proving to be like nothing else in the men’s game.

While the world’s best will play for unbelievable riches on a weekly basis, the Ryder Cup always manages to hit a little differently. It brings a side out of players that most fans do not see during regular PGA Tour or DP World Tour events.

Whether it is Scottie Scheffler crying after a record defeat, or Rory McIlroy having to be bundled into a car to avoid getting into a potential fight, the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome seemed to have so many storylines.

There was the reported split within the American team, and a masterclass from Luke Donald in what proved to be the first of two successful spells as captain.

European player admits Jon Rahm’s comments piled the pressure on before the 2023 Ryder Cup

Unfortunately for one European player, he was forced to watch the action from home despite putting himself on Donald’s radar earlier in the year.

Pablo Larrazabal has made more than 460 appearances on the DP World Tour, while he has won nine times. Two of those victories came in 2023.

However, when the time came for Donald to name his six picks, Larrazabal missed out. And speaking with Life on Tour this week, he admitted that he found sustaining his momentum too difficult once it became apparent that he had a genuine chance of making the team.

“The problem with my nine wins is they were too separated. Every two years, I had one, another one, another one. And then in 2022 and 2023, I got two each year. That was big. But the first year wasn’t a Ryder Cup year. The second year was a Ryder Cup year. Then I put too much pressure on myself,” he said.

“It’s great, but it’s not great when Luke Donald sends you that message, ‘my eyes are on you, I would love you to play well’. Then suddenly, Jon Rahm talks to the media and says, ‘I want Pablo to play with me in the foursomes because I want a partner that if we have a nine foot putt to win the hole, Pablo has the ability to do it’. That pressure is not easy. Obviously, I was 40 years old. But that doesn’t matter. I play golf like I’m 15 years old. I play for fun and I have a lot of fun. But the pressure is there.”

How Pablo Larrazabal performed after his second win on the DP World Tour in 2023 left Luke Donald with no choice ahead of the Ryder Cup

Following Larrazabal’s second win of the year at the KLM Open, he went on to miss five of his next seven cuts. That run included early finishes at both the US Open and The Open Championship.

The final missed cut came at the Omega European Masters, which proved to be a significant moment in Donald completing his team. Ludvig Aberg secured his first professional win that week in Switzerland and was included in the side just days later.

Obviously, that proved to be an inspired call, with Aberg going on to shine in both foursomes sessions at Marco Simone.

Meanwhile, Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton really established themselves as a crucial pairing for the European side. They have won all four matches they have played together in foursomes.