CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Europe captain Luke Donald expects Jon Rahm to be a member of the team for this fall’s Ryder Cup if he’s deemed eligible for the biennial matches against the United States.
However, Donald stopped short of saying he has personally assured anyone they’re on the team at this point, explaining there’s too much golf to be played before the late September clash with the Americans on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York.
“In terms of Jon, he’s one of the best players in the world, and I would expect him to be on that team, but I certainly haven’t given him those assurances,” Donald said Wednesday at Quail Hollow Club, where the 107th PGA Championship tees off Thursday morning. “He still needs to keep going and playing just like everyone else.
“Again, no assurances have been given right now.”
Rahm, a 30-year-old Spaniard, won the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters and played for Europe in the past three editions of the Ryder Cup in 2018, 2021 and 2023. However, that was before Rahm joined the LIV Golf League in December 2023.
Donald said he hasn’t spoke with Guy Kinnings, CEO of the Europe-based DP World Tour, about the eligibility surrounding LIV players for the Ryder Cup.
“I do not get involved with the politics of that,” Donald said.
When pressed on whether he plans to advocate for their eligibility, Donald replied: “Well, I think Guy knows that I want my best 12; let’s put it that way. But I haven’t talked to him about that.”
Rahm, who boasts a 6-3-3 record in his three Ryder Cup appearances, was asked Tuesday about playing on the European team, but he referred all such inquiries to Donald.
“That’s a question for Luke,” said Rahm, who is currently 29th in Europe’s Ryder Cup standings. “It’s his team. Hopefully I can qualify, and we don’t have to question it. I would like to think that personally I am, but it’s not up to me.”
Rahm has yet to win an LIV tournament this year, but he has finished in the top 10 in every tourney he has completed since joining the Saudi-funded circuit that exclusively uses 54-player, 54-hole, no-cut competition. He tied for 14th last month at the Masters, with the year’s first major championship tournament one of the rare opportunities to see players from the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf League compete against one another.
Donald said he will rely heavily on data analytics, including those from LIV Golf, before making any decisions on the 12-man team, but that’s not all that will go into his final choices.
“I think statistics and data is really important, but gut instinct and personality matchups is equally as important,” Donald said. “Then you have to sort of match it to the golf course, and then you have to look at golf balls, as well, which is another headache that we have to think about, especially the week before when we’re trying to figure out those kind of ideal partnerships.”
He also pointed to a player’s experience in big tournaments such as the majors and past Ryder Cup matches.
Donald could have some tough decisions to make over the summer regarding his team. The Europeans are currently playing extremely well.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy won the Masters a month ago, beating England’s Justin Rose in a playoff. This past Sunday, Austria’s Sepp Straka outdueled Ireland’s Shane Lowry to win the Truist Championship, a signature event for the PGA Tour — where the tournament winners this year include Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, Belgium’s Thomas Detry and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
“There’s always going to be one loser, as well, which is the tough part because I’m texting the guys hard luck,” Donald said of informing players of his final decisions. “But inside I’m thinking this is great, because I’ve got a few potential guys all playing really well. It’s a great problem to have.
“I love the momentum that we have so far. The players always seem to elevate their games in Ryder Cup years, and it’s good to see.”