Events: 16-19 June Venue: Brookline Country Club, Massachusetts |
Cover: Live radio and text commentary on all four days on the BBC Sport website and Radio 5 Sports Extra |
Jon Rahm hopes the Ryder Cup “doesn’t suffer” as more players join the new Saudi-funded LIV golf series.
The Spaniard is defending his US Open title this week at Brookline, the site of a memorable United States win over Europe in the 1999 Ryder Cup.
The world number two said: “The Ryder Cup is the biggest attraction the game has for bringing new people in.
“I hope we don’t lose the essence and aspect that is the Ryder Cup. That is one of my biggest concerns.”
The 27-year-old added: “It’s an event we all play for free and it’s one of our favorite weeks whether we win or lose. I think that says a lot about the game and where I would like it to be.”
European players must be members of the DP World Tour to attend the biennial event, which will next be held in Rome in September 2023, while Americans must be members of the PGA Tour.
PGA of America Board Chairman Seth Waugh said last year, “If someone wants to compete in a Ryder Cup for the USA, they have to be a member of the PGA of America, and they get that membership by being a member of the (PGA) Trip.”
However, the PGA Tour has suspended all of its members who have attended or registered to attend LIV golf events.
Meanwhile, the DP World Tour issued a memo to its players on Tuesday, stating: “Due to the complexity of the situation, we are still evaluating a general course of action.”
The note, sent by Chief Executive Keith Pelley, said they will “use the next seven days to assess the impact of the two conflicting events (LIV Golf event and Asian Tour event, which took place in Northumberland the week before). to evaluate our tournaments played during these weeks”.
A decision from the DP World Tour – the branded version of the European Tour – is expected on June 23.
Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson, both of whom were involved in a record 19-9 win at Whistling Straits last September, are among those joining LIV Golf.
Patrick Reed, who played in three editions between 2014 and 2018, will play in the second event.
On the European side, Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia have also defected to the starting circuit.
“Will they be able to play the Ryder Cup or not, the players who left?” asked Rahm.
“In my opinion, Sergio, even if he doesn’t go over 90, he’s an easy choice, right? So what will happen?
“You have quite a lot of young Americans. Bryson is gone, someone who will likely be on the team in the future. phils [Mickelson] Captainship is now probably in question.
“I have no idea what’s going on or what’s going on with the European Tour. I don’t know what will happen.”
Rahm played a practice round with LIV Golf defectors Mickelson and Kevin Na on Tuesday but said he had no desire to join them at the new circuit.
“Some of the format doesn’t really appeal to me,” he said. “Shotgun [start] For me, three days is not a golf tournament, not a cut. As simple as that.”
And while he accepted some players would join the £200m eight-event series, which has another £1.6bn pot to turn it into a proper league by 2024, Rahm said, that there is more to the game than money.
“I see some of the, I’ll put it mildly, points or arguments they can make as to why they prefer it,” he said.
“I want to play against the best in the world in a format that has been around for hundreds of years.
“I’ve always had an interest in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that. My heart is with the PGA Tour.
“I could retire now with what I’ve been doing and live a very happy life. When [my wife] Kelley and I started talking about it, we thought if I get $400 million, will our lifestyle change? No, it won’t change a bit.
“I play for the love of the game and want to play against the best in the world.”