Let the best players play! It is as simple as that! Why should fines and suspensions lessen the quality of the Ryder Cup?
Would you watch the Ryder Cup if the likes of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton weren’t eligible. Would that make Team Europe, and the event as a whole, worse? Of course it would!
People from all around the world watch the Ryder Cup because they want to see the best Americans taking on the best Europeans for one of the most coveted prizes in the sport.
So again, I ask.. Why might we be letting fines and tour suspensions get in the way of that happening?
Prior to the emergence of LIV Golf, the DP World Tour had become a feeder tour for the PGA Tour, with the big guns all making the move over to play Stateside.
That has become even more apparent in the last 12 months, with the top ten players at the end of the 2023 Race to Dubai – those not already members of the PGA Tour – being given PGA Tour cards for the 2024 campaign.
With LIV Golf in the picture, and with the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and more, surely the DP World Tour is now the third-string tour when it comes to the ‘big three’ in men’s professional golf.
Is it a matter of pride from the DP World Tour? If it is, then they need to quickly put it behind them, because a European team without two of its talisman will get beaten, and beaten badly on away soil.
These players, namely Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and even Sergio Garcia with his current form, might be crucial to a European victory.
These three made the right decision for themselves and their families at the time. Yes, it was not seen as the right choice by some, but who cares? I certainly don’t.
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If they have remained members of the DP World Tour, and they play the necessary four events, then why do they need to pay fines? Why make the fans miss out on watching Jon Rahm take on Brooks Koepka for a huge point on ‘Singles Sunday’?
Who could possibly miss out?
With LIV Golf events not eligible for points on the Official World Golf Rankings, we have to look elsewhere for a more complete guide on who the best players in the world are right now.
Obviously, following a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship and a win at the US Open, Bryson DeChambeau is one of the best players in world golf right now.
He is not the only LIV Golf player who would make it, if things stayed as they are right now.
According to The Universal Golf Rankings, there are several LIV Golf players that would currently be inside their respective top 12s for the Ryder Cup.
Team USA
1 – Scottie Scheffler
2 – Xander Schauffele
3 – Collin Morikawa
4 – Bryson DeChambeau (LIV Golf)
5 – Patrick Cantlay
6 – Wyndham Clark
7 – Russell Henley
8 – Sahith Theegala
9 – Tony Finau
10 – Brian Harman
11 – Justin Thomas
12 – Sam Burns
Team Europe
1 – Rory McIlroy
2 – Ludvig Aberg
3 – Jon Rahm (LIV Golf)
4 – Tyrrell Hatton (LIV Golf)
5 – Viktor Hovland
6 – Tommy Fleetwood
7 – Shane Lowry
8 – Matt Fitzpatrick
9 – Aaron Rai
10 – Sepp Straka
11 – Alex Noren
12 – Sergio Garcia (LIV Golf)
Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio Garcia all play on LIV Golf, and all would have to pay fines if they wanted to play in the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in 2025.
Bryson DeChambeau, on the other hand, remains a member of the PGA of America, and therefore he is able to play for Team USA without any issues.
Jon Rahm: “I haven’t paid yet”
The Spaniard, who has been high quality for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup ever since his debut at Le Golf National in 2018, still has fines to pay.
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He believes that he can work in those necessary events into his schedule, and he especially wants to play in his national open, an event he has won on three occasions.
“We’re still in conversations with the [DP World] Tour. I haven’t been able to play any Tour events, so yeah, we’re going to have to sort it out before I want to tee it up hopefully at the Spanish Open,” Rahm said ahead of the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
“At this point, I’m so still waiting on what might happen with my wife and daughter that I don’t know if I’ll be able to play [the Spanish Open] or not. So my fall [autumn] is still a little bit of a question mark when it comes to playing golf.”
The Spaniard has remained a member of the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, with the former being important as to his chances of playing at Bethpage Black in 2025.
But, Rahm is yet to pay any of the fines incurred following his move to the LIV Golf League. Will those fines be the sticking point?
“Well, I haven’t paid yet, but again, I just don’t know when I’m going to play,” he continued.
“It could very well be a chance because it hasn’t been the easiest pregnancy, that I just simply don’t have the chance to tee off. My mind is not thinking on that right now.”
As I said earlier, why should it matter? To all those making the decisions at DPWT HQ, let it go and let them bloody play!
What do you make of the issue? So the quality of the Ryder Cup be lessened due to some fines and suspensions? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
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