Jon Rahm Ryder Cup Concern Addressed by Team Europe Captain
Like his American counterpart Keegan Bradley, Luke Donald could not avoid talking about the Ryder Cup during his pre-PGA Championship press conference. The European captain will play in the event after receiving one of 34 special invitations from the organizers.
Among the many topics related to the biennial event discussed by Donald was the case of Jon Rahm. The Spaniard's chances of making the team have been a hot topic since he signed with LIV Golf in December 2023.
When discussing the matter, Donald avoided giving any definitive answers:
"I haven't given anyone the nod," he said. "I think it's a little bit too early for that. Again, I have...we have very in-depth stats. We know exactly how these players are playing. We have a great idea of where they stack up against each other and against the U.S. But I certainly think it's a little too early to be giving anyone like firm assurances right now."
"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. He still needs to keep going and playing just like everyone else. Again, no assurances have been given right now."
The Englishman made it clear that aspirants will have to work hard to be worthy of the call, and that they still have many opportunities to do so:
"We have three majors, elevated events, plenty of other events, Rolex Series events to play. I want them to go out and feel like they go and earn it. Let's go in and play well. But again, we do have a lot of stats."
Luke Donald, Captain of Team Europe and Jon Rahm of Team Europe celebrate on the 18th green during the Friday afternoon fourball matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September...
Luke Donald, Captain of Team Europe and Jon Rahm of Team Europe celebrate on the 18th green during the Friday afternoon fourball matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 29, 2023 in Rome, Italy. MoreDonald also reflected on the importance of major championships in assessing player form:
"I think majors are important for everyone," he said. "But it's important for me, the majors, because personally I don't see the Jons, the Tyrrells, Sergios, etcetera, as much these days. In terms of just talking with them and seeing them face to face, that's important for me."
The European team for the Ryder Cup will be selected using a points system to rank the players. The top 6 players will qualify directly for the team, while the other 6 will be selected by the captain with the help of his vice-captains.
Importantly, the European Ryder Cup team members must also be members of the DP World Tour. Rahm was in danger of losing his card, but managed to play the minimum number of events required in 2024 to remain eligible for the biennial event.
However, the Spaniard is still far from the top of the rankings (currently ranked 29th). The list is led by Rory McIlroy, with Tyrrell Hatton the only LIV player currently in the top 6 (4th).
More Golf: Aaron Rodgers' saga with Steelers takes a twist amid country club statement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
LIV Golf trio confirmed for Irish Open
Former winner Sergio Garcia has been confirmed as one of three LIV Golf participants who will take part in next month's Irish Open at the K Club. Joining the Spaniard at the tournament in County Kildare from 4-7 September will be five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka and Tyrrell Hatton Garcia, the Masters champion in 2017, won the competition in 1999 by three shots over Angel Cabrera at Druids Glen in what was just his sixth start as a professional. The 45-year-old had 11 PGA Tour victories before the switch to LIV where he is eighth in the 2025 standings and enjoyed his second victory on the tour in Hong Kong in March. Koepka has had a difficult 2025 but the 35-year-old American is a three-time winner of the US PGA Championship, most recently in 2023, and has twice triumphed at the US Open. Englishman Hatton has no major victories to his name, but has helped Europe to two Ryder Cup wins with the latest instalment of the Europe vs USA rivalry to take place in New York three weeks after the Irish Open. Last year, Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard claimed victory at the Irish Open in Royal County Down, finishing one shot ahead of Rory McIlroy after a late surge. Both are already confirmed to be playing next month. Ireland's Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington and Seamus Power will also be in the field for the DP World Tour event which has a prize fund of $6m (£4.42m).
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Salvador Perez's solo home run (22)
Salvador Perez hits a solo home run, with a custom bat of all five of his American League Gold Glove Awards, to give the Royals' a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
LIV Golf Indy 2025 preview: Standings, where to watch, what to know as LIV heads to Indiana
There are just two events left on LIV Golf's 2025 calendar. LIV Golf Indy will be played this weekend, Aug. 15-17, at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Indiana, a suburb on the northern edge of the Indianapolis metro area. It's the penultimate tournament of the of the season for LIV, but it's also the final individual event of the year. Next week, LIV Golf Michigan will serve as the league's 2025 team championship event, where 13 teams will compete for the crown. But first, Indianapolis beckons. Here's what you should know ahead of LIV Golf Indy 2025. Joaquin Niemann, Jon Rahm vying for season-long individual title at LIV Golf Indy An individual for the 2025 LIV Golf season will be crowned in Indianapolis this weekend, and it will be one of two players. Joaquin Niemann is No. 1 in the season-long standings with 208.43 points, followed closely by two-time major champion Jon Rahm, who has 196.16 points. Bryson DeChambeau is in third but way behind the top two with 140.74 points. So, Niemann and Rahm will do battle this week and are set to play together in Friday's first round at Chatham Hills. Rahm is the reigning LIV Golf individual champion, with Niemann finishing second in 2024. But this year, Niemann looks to flip the script and he's the favorite to do so not only because of his points advantage entering the week, but the fact that he's won a whopping five times this season. The 26-year-old nicknamed Joaco was victorious at LIV Golf Adelaide, LIV Golf Singapore, LIV Golf Mexico City, LIV Golf Virginia and LIV Golf UK. A banner year for the Chilean, to say the least. While Niemann has five wins, he also has five tournaments where he failed to crack the top 20. Rahm, meanwhile, has had somewhat of a polar opposite season to that of Niemann's. The 2023 Masters champ does not have a single win on LIV Golf, but he's finished inside the top 10 in all but one event this season. That event was LIV Golf Dallas, where he finished T-11. Just last week he finished T-2 at LIV Golf Chicago. "I still believe I need to win this week, being a 12-point gap. If I win, I think that basically takes care of things, unless he finishes solo second. I also think for my personal gratification, right, getting that win would definitely close out the year very, very nicely, and in a weird way, I wouldn't like to leave much up to chance. Had I won last week, this week would be basically who finishes higher on the leaderboard." Needless to say, Rahm has been a beacon of consistency and LIV Golf has seen these two men take entirely different paths to becoming the top two in the standings entering Indy, where one of them will walk away as individual champion. "I feel like playing against Jon — I've been playing with him for probably 60, 70 percent of my pairings this year, so yeah, he's a great competitor," Niemann said. "He's always there. He never gives a shot away. It's fun to play with someone like that that pushes you to be better and to go back home and try to get better and come back here and try to beat him." How much does the season-long LIV champion win? There is a prize of $18 million awaiting the season-long points champ on LIV Golf. Rahm won that amount a year when he held off Niemann and Sergio Garcia for the title. What golf course is hosting LIV Golf Indy? Located in Westfield on the northern edge of the Indianapolis metro area, The Club at Chatham Hills is a Pete Dye design, so it features a lot of challenging shots over water and sand traps. The par-72 championship track opened in 2014 and measures 7,334 yards from the back tees with a 73.3 rating and a slope of 144. LIV Golf team standings Here's a look at the team standings heading into LIV Golf Indy. The team championship will be determined next week at LIV Golf Michigan in an elimination tournament culminating in a winner-take-all round next Sunday. Position Team Captain Points 1 Legion XIII Jon Rahm 224.66 2 Crushers GC Bryson DeChambeau 178.00 3 Fireballs GC Sergio Garcia 169.00 4 Torque GC Joaquin Niemann 128.00 5 4Aces GC Dustin Johnson 126.66 6 Ripper GC Cameron Smith 104.66 7 Stinger GC Louis Oosthuizen 102.16 8 Smash GC Brooks Koepka 59.50 9 RangeGoats GC Bubba Watson 44.00 10 HyFlyers GC Phil Mickelson 34.66 11 Cleeks Golf Club Martin Kaymer 10.50 12 Majesticks GC Henrik Stenson 5.16 13 Iron Heads GC Kevin Na 1.00 How does LIV Golf relegation work? This week is also the final opportunity for players in danger of being relegated from the league to prove themselves worthy of a spot in the league. The top 24 players in the standings after this week will be guaranteed a contract on their current team next season. Those who finish places 25-48 are safe from forced relegation, but their team isn't obligated to renew their contract if it's expiring. The rest of them — Nos. 49-61 — are in what LIV Golf calls the "Drop Zone," which means they'll be booted from the league. Entering LIV Golf Indy this week, there are two team captains in danger of being relegated. Kevin Na, the captain of Iron Heads GC, sits at No. 44 in the standings while Majesticks GC Captain Henrik Stenson is right on the cutoff line at No. 48. Where to watch LIV Golf Indy 2025 Here's the TV schedule for LIV Golf Indy. First round, Friday, August 15 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. on FS1 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. on Fox Second round, Saturday, August 15 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. on FS1 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. on Fox Final round, Sunday, August 16 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on FS1 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. on Fox What is the prize money at LIV Golf Indy? There is a $20 million purse with $4 million going to the winner. The winning team in Indy splits $3 million. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: LIV Golf Indy 2025: Individual, team standings, where to watch
