Jon Rahm ‘sad’ politics is blocking Sergio Garcia from Ryder Cup

OHIO – Jon Rahm does not care which tour players compete on when it comes to the Ryder Cup. He wants the best players from Europe and the United States going toe-to-toe in what he calls a “beautiful” event.

The Europeans were routed two years ago at Whistling Straits, but Rahm teamed up with Spanish countryman Sergio Garcia to earn three of the team’s nine points.

That partnership will not be rekindled in Italy in autumn, with Team Europe captain Luke Donald of England telling Garcia he will not be considered.

Garcia left for LIV Golf in 2022 and recently resigned from the DP World Tour along with Englishmen Richard Bland, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood as well as Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who was removed as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain when he joined the Saudi-backed league.

“I’m going to miss him,” Rahm said of Garcia on Tuesday, ahead of the Memorial Tournament.

“We had a great partnership at Whistling Straits... So it’s a little sad to me that politics have gotten in the way of such a beautiful event. It’s the best Europeans against the best Americans, period.

“And whatever is going on, who is playing LIV and who is not playing LIV, to me shouldn’t matter.”

US captain Zach Johnson said last week that it would be “irresponsible” for him to talk about LIV players making his team yet, as Brooks Koepka went on to win the PGA Championship – vaulting him to second in the United States’ Ryder Cup standings.

The US will attempt to win on European soil for the first time since 1993, and Rahm believes Garcia, Europe’s all-time leading Ryder Cup points scorer, should be playing in Rome come September.

Fellow Spaniards Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal scored 12 points while being paired together a record 15 times, and Rahm envisioned playing at least one more Ryder Cup with Garcia, who owns a record 28.5 career points for Europe.

Rahm is second in the world golf rankings. The next Spaniard is Pablo Larrazabal at No. 53, followed by Adrian Otaegui at No. 81 and Adri Arnaus at No. 92. Garcia has tumbled to No. 218 as LIV continues to wait for the outcome of its application to earn Official World Golf Ranking points for its events.

“A Spanish duo in the Ryder Cup to me is embedded into the roots of the Ryder Cup,” Rahm said.

“It’s whoever is best suited to represent the European side. And I have a hard time to believe that the best player Europe has ever had, the most successful player Europe has had on the Ryder Cup, isn’t fit to be on the team. It’s unfortunate. I will miss him. But with that said, I want to be hopeful, there’s a couple of Spanish guys playing really good right now, so hopefully they can join me on the team.”

Sitting one spot below Rahm in the world rankings is fellow Team Europe star Rory McIlroy.

Golfing great Jack Nicklaus, 83, speaking on Tuesday ahead of the Memorial Tournament which he hosts in Dublin, Ohio, was at a loss to explain how McIlroy has not celebrated a Major since winning his fourth at the 2014 PGA Championship.

“I mean, he is, as far as talent, he’s as talented a player as there is in the game of golf,” said Nicklaus. “Why he hasn’t won in nine years? Kind of a mystery to a lot of people because he is so good.”

McIlroy, 34, missed the cut at the 2023 US Masters and then took a break to focus on his mental well-being following a taxing year in which he served as an unofficial spokesman for the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf.

Nicklaus, who won a record 18 Majors, said he spoke with McIlroy earlier on Tuesday and was unsure how to explain why the golfer is stuck at four Majors.

“I don’t really know what to make of it. Because he’s very confident. He works very hard at it. He’s a good student of the game. He practises a lot,” said Nicklaus.

“I don’t know whether his is a constant lack of being able to keep that concentration for the whole thing or not, because sometimes he is the par, par, par, double, eight. He does that sometimes.

“And I said, ‘Why, Rory? Why does that happen?’ And... he doesn’t know.” REUTERS