Rory McIlroy calls for change to Ryder Cup guidelines as Jon Rahm joins LIV Golf
Golf celebrity Rory McIlroy has referred to as on Ryder Cup lawmakers to rewrite the rule e-book after Jon Rahm’s LIV defection.
Fans had been shocked this week after Masters titleholder Rahm, 29, confirmed he’ll be the newest addition to the Saudi-owned LIV Golf League in a transfer reportedly price £450million. It makes the Spaniard the largest acquisition by LIV so far, dwarfing the nine-figure charges that reportedly recruited the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.
Team Europe captain Luke Donald could not choose LIV-affiliated gamers for this yr’s Ryder Cup win over Team USA after those that jumped ship forfeited their membership on the DP World Tour. However, McIlroy was adamant that must change earlier than the following event takes place in lower than two years’ time.
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“Jon is going to be in Bethpage [New York] in 2025,” mentioned the Northern Irishman throughout a Sky Sports News interview shortly after Rahm’s transfer was confirmed. “Because of this decision, the European Tour is going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility.
“There’s completely no query about that. I actually need Jon Rahm on the following Ryder Cup workforce.”
Which LIV Golf defector is the largest loss to the PGA and European Tours? Let us know within the feedback part beneath.
(Image: AP)
(Image: Getty Images)
McIlroy, 34, was the one European participant who boasted extra factors than Rahm on both the European and World lists coming into the 2023 Ryder Cup. And each senior members proved essential to Donald’s plans as Europe triumphed in Italy, clinching the cup for the tenth time up to now 14 editions of the event.
“He has got so much talent, he’s so tenacious and he’s a great team-mate in the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy added in his reward of Rahm. “The thing that I’ve realised is that you can’t judge someone for making a decision that they feel is the best thing for them.
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“Is it disappointing to me? Yes, but the landscape of golf changed on June 6, when the framework agreement was announced, and I think because of that it made the jump from the PGA Tour to LIV a little bit easier for guys.”
McIlroy referred to the deal brokered between the PGA, DP World Tour and LIV Golf, which deliberate to unite to kind a brand new organisation. Many gamers decried the choice as hypocrisy after being urged by the PGA and European Tours to reject LIV, solely to merge with the Saudi-owned physique themselves.
It’s since been reported that settlement is not workable, that means the conflict between LIV Golf and its extra established rivals lives on. And Rahm has determined to money in his chips, which might result in a domino impact as one other of the world’s elite jumps ship.