Justin Rose insists the Ryder Cup will not be "devalued" if LIV Golf rebels miss out on this September's showdown in Rome.
Ryder Cup stalwart Rose shot back into European contention for this autumn's biennial joust against the USA with a three-shot victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Monday. The resurgent 42-year-old will now fancy his chances of getting into Luke Donald's European team and making a sixth appearance in the biggest team event in golf.
But the make up of captain Donald's 12-man team will also be determined by a Sport Resolutions arbitration hearing in London this week. A three-person panel will decide whether LIV players can compete on the DP World Tour.
And the European players signed to the contentious Saudi-Arabian backed series will effectively be ruled out of playing in the event if the panel rules against them. But Rose is adamant the famous duel would not be cheapened without the involvement of LIV rebels.
"There is so much strength in depth I don't think it will be devalued, Rose told BBC Radio 5 Live. "People like watching Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter. They bring a lot of passion. They will be missed for sure but it is what it is.
"You have the powers that be, the traditional people who kind of still have control of golf, and you have an upstart league which is trying to bring in a fresh idea and rival product. It's all good either way, it's just can both fit together in this scenario."
Rose, meanwhile, has admitted that he did consider signing for LIV during the disruptive emergence of Greg Norman's mega-money breakaway. But the enterprise has still not been rewarded Official World Ranking status for its 14-event expanded calendar in 2023, with big name players continuing to slide down the rankings.
And Rose has opened up on why he chose to prioritise his professional ambitions of qualifying for major championships rather than take the guaranteed millions offered up by the rival tour bankrolled by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
"There have been moments where it all sounds pretty good on paper," he said. "The concept itself has been around for seven years and there are elements where it sounds really, really cool.
"The fact there was never a moment in time when all the top players could get behind it because there were too many unanswered questions, specifically around world ranking points, that was the major hurdle I faced with the decision.
"I couldn't get away from the fact I wanted to play major championship golf. I don't have exemptions down the line so my clean way into the majors is maintaining a good world ranking. So that became a null and void, a non-negotiable from my point of view."
