One of the main blows to the established tours from Jon Rahm deciding to join LIV Golf was the fact that it was suddenly going to be much less likely for the Spaniard to be involved in the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Jon Rahm has been a key player for Europe in the last three Ryder Cups, proving to be a standout in their record defeat at Whistling Straits in 2021. Rahm led the way for the visitors with 3.5 points, while Sergio Garcia was the only other European to win more than 1.5 points across the week.
The 29-year-old won another three points in Rome last year. But he would soon stun the golfing world by deciding to join LIV Golf, with Tyrrell Hatton following him to the breakaway tour. Of course, no LIV players were involved in Luke Donald‘s team at Marco Simone.
Qualification for 2025 has now started, but there appears to be a question mark over whether Rahm will be available to Donald ahead of Bethpage. The two-time major champion will be ineligible for selection should he not play in the four DP World Tour events which allow him to remain a member of the tour.
Shane Lowry discusses whether Jon Rahm should be on Europe’s Ryder Cup team
Time is running out for Rahm to get those events in – though he does indeed still have enough options. And it seems that his potential teammates are hoping to see Rahm make sure that he can be picked, with Shane Lowry insisting that Europe will be better off with Rahm in the team.
He did however, stop short of suggesting that the qualification rules should be changed to ensure Rahm is available no matter what.
“Obviously I know what you’re alluding to, and I know that – do I want Jon Rahm on the Ryder Cup Team? Yes. You know, show he be allowed to break the rules and make the Ryder Cup Team? Should there be exemptions made? I’m not sure. That’s not for me to decide,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, we want to try to have the 12 best players we can next year in Bethpage and if he’s one of them we probably do want him.
“I’m not going to make those decisions. I want to be there on myself. Rahmbo in the Ryder Cup is an absolute animal. I’ve seen him in two Ryder Cups and he’s unbelievable. If there’s any one person bigger than the Ryder Cup, I’m not sure. We’ll see.”
What Rahm may have expected to happen after LIV move
It would not have been a surprise if Rahm felt that the rules would have been changed by the time that Ryder Cup qualification became a talking point again.
Obviously, on that front, he left at the best possible time, with Europe barely finishing their celebrations from what happened in Rome when his move to LIV was announced. And given his status in the game, he probably felt that he was going to be the needle-mover which brought the tours back together.
That has not exactly proved to be the case. While Rahm has had an impressive year on LIV, LIV has not seen a huge rise in audience numbers, and Rahm has not stolen the show in any of the major championships.
It is vital that Europe have their best possible team in New York, with winning an away Ryder Cup becoming one of the hardest tasks in elite golf, and thus, Rahm should be involved if it is simply a case of picking the best team.
However, clearly some are concerned about setting a dangerous precedent while golf’s civil war continues.
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