Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are two of the best players in professional golf, and both are expected to make the European Ryder Cup team this year.
The issue is that LIV Golf results don’t earn points towards qualification, which puts more emphasis on the four major championships and few DP World Tour events they play.
Luke Donald can still select them as two of his six captain’s picks for Bethpage, but he might be reluctant to do so if they’re not at least in the frame to qualify.
Rahm and Hatton were asked after the second round at The Masters whether the Ryder Cup is on their minds this week, and they gave very different answers.
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have different outlooks on qualifying for the Ryder Cup
Rahm downplayed the importance of playing well at The Masters – and the other majors – to qualify for Donald’s European team.
The Spaniard explained: “No. No. I think I’ve said it before. Good golf takes care of everything. Qualifying for the Ryder Cup is the result of good golf, period.
“Now, I understand I have less weeks that count, but I can’t be out there thinking on the Ryder Cup. This week is big enough as it is. It would be a bad frame of mind to be thinking that many months in advance.”
Whereas, Hatton admitted that it’s very much on his mind, especially because he’s “proud” to have qualified for the last three Ryder Cups.
“Yeah, the majors this year are the only opportunities that I have to earn points. One thing that I’m proud of for the last three Ryder Cups that I’ve been a part of is that I’ve qualified automatically, and I’ve made it a bit harder for myself now.
“I would love to qualify without needing a pick. Yeah, hopefully, I can play really well in the majors this year. I’d love to be on that team again in Bethpage.”
The Englishman did say that he hasn’t checked the qualification standings yet and was surprised to hear that he’s in second place behind Rory McIlroy, thanks to his win at the Dubai Desert Classic in January.
“I haven’t even looked,” he added. “Yeah, that’s a nice place to be, but I’d love to be in the top six come August.”
How are Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton playing at The Masters this week?
Rahm only just made the cut at The Masters with a one-under-par 71 on Friday, improving his overall score to two over.
Hatton, on the other hand, is firmly in contention to win the tournament. He’s only three shots behind 36-hole leader Justin Rose (-8) before play starts on Saturday.
The 33-year-old really should be one stroke closer to his compatriot, having missed a par putt on the 17th hole from about a foot.
Still, there’s no reason why the former Arnold Palmer Invitational winner can’t secure the biggest victory of his career at Augusta.
He plays alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler on Saturday afternoon.
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