Latest news with #SaudiArabian-funded
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
LIV Golf star says 'I certainly hope not' as he quickly shoots down Ryder Cup idea
LIV Golf star Jon Rahm has enjoyed a huge amount of success in the Ryder Cup, but there was one idea the Spaniard could not get behind in any way, shape or form Jon Rahm has confessed he would turn down the chance to lead Team Europe at the Ryder Cup when it arrives in Spain in 2031. Rahm played a crucial role in Rome 2023, remaining undefeated across his four matches as Europe triumphed over the USA with a score of 16.5 to 11.5. The LIV Golf star's spot on Team Europe for this year's tournament is not assured due to his switch to the controversial Saudi Arabian-funded breakaway tour at the end of 2023. His £450million deal means he does not earn any Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points outside of the majors. Those who wish to participate in the event for Team Europe or USA need to be within the top six highest earners in the OWGR table for their respective squads or be handed a Ryder Cup wildcard. Nonetheless, hoping the golfing landscape changes within the next six years, Rahm made it clear he wants to compete in Barcelona - just not as the captain. When queried about the possibility of emulating former Team Europe captain Seve Ballesteros, Rahm appeared shocked, mistaking the question as implying he could be captain in just six years. He quickly dismissed the idea, saying: "I certainly hope I'm not captain in '31. I'd probably be the youngest captain ever in the European team." However, should Rahm become the skipper of Team Europe, he wouldn't hold the record for the youngest captain. That distinction goes to Charles Whitcombe, who was 35 years, nine months and five days old when he captained the team in the 1931 Ryder Cup in Ohio. Arnold Palmer holds the record as the youngest captain in Ryder Cup history, taking the helm for Team USA at just 34 years and 31 days old during the 1963 event in Atlanta, Georgia. Despite his situation, Rahm made it clear he wants to experience the competition on Spanish soil. The 30-year-old golfer said: "It would be absolutely incredible not only to continue Ryder Cups but to be a part of one and play in one at home. I don't think I can describe it. Both Paris and Rome were so incredibly special that to think of playing one in Spain, I really couldn't put it into words. "Knowing that some things smoothed over in the world of golf, that Sergio [Garcia] could possibly be the captain of the Ryder Cup team, that also adds to it. I wouldn't know how to feel. "There's certainly some pressure that comes with it, but it truly would be a dream come true. I think there was only, that I can remember, four Spanish people that were involved in that Ryder Cup with Seve. "Miguel was a vice captain, Ollie playing and then Nacho Garrido playing as well. So only four people can say they have done that. "I don't know how many players can ever say they've played a Ryder Cup in their home countries. Not many, besides the U.S. Team, obviously. "But it would be unbelievable. I'm very happy that it's happening. I'm hoping that somehow or another I can be a part of it." Rahm's chances of being chosen by Luke Donald rest on the wildcard selection. Earlier this year, Donald confessed that he hasn't given any guarantees to the LIV Golf star but would expect him to participate in the event.
Perth Now
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Portrush crawl felt like 12-hour ordeal for Leishman
Marc Leishman has been left bemoaning a British Open ordeal, the Australian feeling as if he was out on the Royal Portrush Dunluce links "for about 12 hours" amid frustrating delays caused by slow play. The 41-year-old Australian, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit with his great pal Cameron Smith, reckoned he was used to much speedier rounds on the Saudi Arabian-funded tour than Thursday's seemingly eternal slog in ever changing weather conditions. The three-ball groups were actually taking about six hours to get round but Leishman was among those getting frustrated at frequent, long waits at the tee. For instance, there were hold-ups of nearly 10 minutes on the par-five seventh. Leishman was unlucky to get caught up with some of the worst weather around lunchtime as the rain careered down. "It felt like we were on the golf course for about 12 hours. We'd been on the course for three hours through eight holes," he said after his two-over-par round of 73. "That was tough to deal with, especially coming from somewhere (LIV Golf) where we play a round in under four-and-a-half hours. "You have to deal with all that sort of stuff and I felt like I dealt with it decently well. Just got a little frustrated there." Asked if he'd been told what was causing the delays, he just shrugged: "No, just everyone takes their time." The Victorian didn't blame the build-up of the dawdling pace, as he went round with former champ Stewart Cink and Italian Matteo Manassero, as a factor in his final-hole bogey, but Leishman was "pissed off" his round should end so anti-climactically. The high-powered group of newly crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun, Spanish superstar Jon Rahm and defending champion Xander Schauffele, was put on the clock. They took five-and-a-half hours to reach the 18th fairway, with Spaun warned after exceeding his allotted 50-second time limit on his approach to the previous hole. United States Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley reckoned the snail's pace was to be expected. "Major championships are long and when you get out here on these blind tee shots with the wind, and you're going to have guys hitting it in the junk, then it's going to take a while to find it," he said. With agencies
Sky News
31-03-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Trump's Scotland course will not host Open Championship because of commercial 'challenges'
Donald Trump's dreams of hosting golf's Open Championship at his Turnberry course in Scotland will not be realised until the course is logistically and commercially viable, the game's governing body has said. Mark Darbon, chief executive of the R&A, told Sky News Turnberry is a "challenging" venue and, despite suggestions of diplomatic pressure from London and Washington, it has no immediate plans to schedule a championship at the Ayrshire venue. Mr Trump has made no secret of his desire to return the Open to a course he bought in 2014, with his son Eric Trump leading efforts for it to stage a first championship since 2009. Sources close to Mr Trump's golf interests have told Sky News the Open would be a valuable bargaining tool in the UK's trade negotiations with the US, and the King went as far as to mention Turnberry in the invitation for a state visit hand delivered by the prime minister last month. In his first broadcast interview since becoming chief executive last November, Mr Darbon said logistics and finances currently rule out a course that may have been outgrown by the demands of a modern Open. "The area where there's a bit of challenge is around the logistical and commercial side. The last time we were at Turnbury in 2009 we had 120,000 people there," he said. "These days a modern Open caters for 250,000 people-plus, and so we need the road and rail infrastructure to get our fan base there. We need hotel accommodation for the 60,000 bed nights we need to stage our championship and it's challenging at that venue." Mr Darbon did not deny there was pressure to consider Turnberry, and indicated that politics, and the prospect of Mr Trump overshadowing any event, would also be a factor. "We need to be confident that the focus will be on the sport and we need to ensure that the venue works for our requirement," he added. Competition for Turnberry is likely to increase from larger, less remote facilities. The R&A draws Open venues from a rota of courses, with Royal Portrush staging this year's championship following a sellout return after almost 70 years in 2019. Mr Darbon confirmed Portmarnock near Dublin is being actively considered for the first-ever Open outside the UK. Maximising income from the Open matters because the R&A, which governs the game everywhere save the US, uses the revenue to fund a grassroots game still enjoying a post-COVID boom. "We work with over 140 countries around the world, and in those markets there are now more than 62 million golfers, more than ever before," Mr Darbon said. "Some 40-odd million are playing golf regularly on nine and 18-hole golf courses, another 20 million are playing what we would call non-traditional formats like driving ranges, adventure golf, simulator golf. So the game is actually in rude health and our job is to continue to foster that and support it over time." He is optimistic too that an end may be in sight for golf's own trade war, between the US PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf league, a multi-billion dollar schism in the men's professional game that has enriched scores of players while alienating many fans. "There's been too much talk about cash and not enough talk about competition and courses and all the other wonderful things that underpin our sport. So we're optimistic for some positive change on that front. We're not a negotiating table, but our job is to try and influence those discussions," he said. The Open and golf's other major championships, including next month's Masters, have benefitted from the dispute as the only platforms for all of the best male players, and Mr Darbon says the game retains its lucrative appeal to business & sponsors. "I think golf is maintaining its commercial appeal and I think there are a number of things that support that," he said. "The game has a really rich history and heritage, the values of the sport are really strong, and brands of businesses can continue to tell really rich stories about the game of golf that links to their own products and services. On top of that, golf has a genuinely global audience." Among them is the world's most powerful man, his ambitions to host the Open still unfulfilled.
