Jon Rahm wouldn't necessarily exclude LIV Golf defectors from this year's Ryder Cup if the choice were his—but he does believe that's the judgement that's already been made.
The 2021 U.S. Open champion has spoken in the past of his desire to see Spanish compatriot Sergio Garcia and other PGA pariahs given a reprieve for the Ryder Cup. However, a recent piece of activity on social media (or lack thereof) has him convinced "the decision has been made."
"I think the Ryder Cup posted a video of [Francesco] Molinari on his birthday, right? Like they were doing that," said Rahm during a recent appearance on the No Laying Up podcast. "The day before I knew it was Sergio’s birthday and they didn't do it, so I think the decision has been made for me."
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This year's golf landscape will reach a critical juncture in February, when a hearing is set to decide whether the DP World Tour has the right to sanction LIV players and exclude them from competitions. Although Rahm's logic is far from conclusive, there's a chance fans may look back at his comments in months to come with a different perspective.
"But yeah, I think with that post, that decision was made already and they just haven't announced it," he continued. "Both sides need to make a unanimous decision, right?
"You can't have one team allowing LIV and the other one not. I don't think that the PGA is going to allow LIV players to play but if they decided to do it, I think the European team should open that possibility."
Team Europe has won seven of the last 10 editions of the Ryder Cup, but captain Luke Donald risks seeing his options cut considerably if LIV-contracted players are not permitted to compete. Team USA would suffer some big losses, too, with the likes of defending LIV champion Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson out of the running.
Rahm—who was a member of the European team that defeated the United States in 2018—recently explained the potential positives to be gained from excluding those who have flown the PGA coop for LIV. Namely, the former Arizona State University star believes it's a significant opportunity to blood some of the sport's up-and-coming talent on one of golf's biggest stages.
As he sees it, the Ryder Cup is about "Europe against the US; it’s not the PGA Tour against LIV." For that reason, he believes the cross-continental contest should outrank whatever squabbles are happening in the domestic scene at present.
