Dust was yet to settle on Luke Donald’s commitment to a third successive stint as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain when Rory McIlroy highlighted the elephant in the locker room.
McIlroy, in a sentiment shared by other European players, finds it hard to fathom why Jon Rahm has not reached agreement to make his participation at Adare Manor next September straightforward. Rahm’s Ryder Cup involvement sits in serious jeopardy amid a dispute with the DP World Tour. McIlroy calmly warned that the biennial contest matters more than any single individual.
In news first revealed by the Guardian on Wednesday morning, Donald will seek to back up successful captaincies in Rome and New York with Europe’s Adare defence in 2027. The Englishman’s continuation has been broadly and warmly welcomed by his playing cohort.
Far more troublesome is the scenario involving Rahm. Unlike eight other players – including Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton – the Spaniard has not shaken hands with the DP World Tour on an arrangement which would see fines for participation on the LIV circuit eliminated in future and outstanding moneys paid. Rahm claimed this week the DP World Tour is “extorting” players in this situation.
McIlroy firmly disagrees. “In my opinion, it’s a really generous deal,” he said. “It’s a much softer deal than what Brooks [Koepka] took to come back and play on the PGA Tour.
“There’s a reason eight of the nine guys took that deal. I think it’s a really good deal. Obviously Jon doesn’t think so and he’s well within his rights to think that way. I just don’t see what more the Tour can do to accommodate these guys to retain their membership.
“The DP World Tour is well within its rights to protect itself as a members’ organisation and a business. And if you asked any DP World Tour member about the deal that they have cut with the LIV guys, I think they would all say that it was pretty generous.”
Pressed on whether Rahm’s non-participation in the Ryder Cup is feasible, the Masters champion added: “The Ryder Cup is bigger than any one person. It’s bigger than all of us. We come and go. Players pass through the system. I think we should all be grateful that we have a platform like the Ryder Cup that we can play on and that we can showcase our skills and be a part of something that’s way bigger than ourselves. It’s about the team and no one player is bigger than the team.”
Luke Donald was lauded for his approach in last year’s victory at Bethpage. Photograph: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News
McIlroy could not resist a semi-joke at Rahm’s expense. Rahm has stated he is unwilling to play six tournaments stipulated by the DP World Tour to preserve his status. “OK maybe the Tour gets to have a say in where those events are,” McIlroy said. “But I mean, I’m sure Jon doesn’t want to go to South Africa [for LIV] in a couple of weeks but he is going there.”
Guy Kinnings, the chief executive of the European Tour Group, had already shrugged off Rahm’s criticism by the time McIlroy met the media on the eve of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “My job is very straightforward, we are just administering the rules that we have in place,” Kinnings said. “It’s our job to deal with those rules that are in place, have been tested and proven to be fair. That’s what we’re doing.”
Donald said he is yet to speak to Rahm but clearly wants the issue to be resolved in his favour. “Obviously my plan and my hope is that Jon is available for that team,” Donald explained. “He has been a tremendous teammate, a tremendous player and has given us so much.”
Donald admitted McIlroy and Shane Lowry – the trio are neighbours in Florida – were quick to assert he should try to become the first captain in Ryder Cup history to win the competition three times in a row.
“We were having a few glasses of wine celebrating the win in New York and they were already in my ear,” said Donald. “I was trying to bat them away and enjoy the moment. They were very supportive and obviously that means a great deal to me, as well as many of the other teammates that I had in New York and in Rome. I am excited to go again and continue the story.”
