The future of LIV Golf players at the Ryder Cup remains in the air, with some of the world’s best in Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka hoping to head to Bethpage Black
Jon Rahm’s calls to include LIV Golf players at next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black will have only been given a helping hand following Bryson DeChambeau’s victory at the U.S. Open.
Rahm became arguably LIV’s biggest signing at the end of 2023, putting pen to paper on a deal worth a reported $600 million. He did however raise question marks about the future of his career elsewhere, most notably the Ryder Cup, having announced himself as a talisman for the European team in recent years.
Following his Saudi switch, Rahm was immediately banned from the PGA Tour, however, his playing rights in Europe over on the DP World Tour remain slightly more complicated.
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Rahm has not been banned by the European circuit but was issued a fine and a suspension for competing in LIV events whilst tournaments are also being played out on the DP World Tour. Many who have been with LIV since the beginning have opted to resign their memberships on the back of the rising fines.
This in turn made them ineligible to compete on the European Ryder Cup team, hindering the likes of Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter. For now, Rahm remains both a DP World Tour player and eligible to represent Luke Donald’s team next fall, but regardless of the politics, the Spaniard believes players’ loyalties to LIV should not hinder or affect their ability to play the Ryder Cup.
“I hope sooner than later there’s some resolution to where there’s a way for the players here to earn the events like you can pretty much everywhere else and there’s a clear pathway,” Rahm said at LIV Nashville.
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“I know LIV is a bit of a different league, but the talent is there, and that’s in my mind undeniable, so there should be a pathway for all of us to be able to earn certain points or a way into majors, Ryder Cup and so on.” Rahm’s point will no doubt have been helped by DeChambeau’s major victory last Sunday, as he became the second LIV player to win a flagship event in 13 months.
The two-time Ryder Cupper saw off PGA Tour rival Rory McIlroy in an epic final-round battle at Pinehurst No. 2, continuing his hot streak in the 2024 major championships. DeChambeau represented Team USA at the 2018 and 2021 Ryder Cups but missed out on a spot in Zach Johnson’s team last year.
Only one LIV member earned the recognition of captain Johnson, with Brooks Koepka receiving a call-up to compete four months after his PGA Championship victory at Oak Hill. At the time, DeChambeau accepted his snubbing from the team but admitted ‘it would have been nice to at least just have a call,” from the captain, as did a group of PGA Tour players who failed to make the grade.