As Ryder Cup nears, Europe’s divide to the fore again

Two of European golf’s leading lights, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy, have come out on opposite sides of the Ryder Cup divide once again, the former advocating for an inclusive team and McIlroy sticking to the establishment line barring those who had crossed over to the LIV Golf stable.

The 44th edition of the biennial cross-Atlantic showdown between the United States and Europe will be played in Italy later this year and the latter have found themselves severely depleted following the ban on players who have signed up with the Greg Norman-fronted LIV Golf League.

In fact, ever since continental Europe was included in the competition, the US has been made to work for victory. Pre-1979, when the Ryder Cup followed the US versus Britain/Ireland model, it was the former that held sway. Since then, though, it has been a somewhat different ball game so to say, and the last time the US won in Europe was back in 1993, Europe having won 12 of the last 21 Ryder Cups.

A major factor for a wider European participation came from Spanish legend Severiano Ballesteros, and little wonder therefore that his countryman Rahm has been such a fierce advocate for the best teams being put into the field.

Adding spice to the mix was LIV Golf member Brooks Koepka’s victory at the PGA Championship last month, and there are indications that the US will quite possibly include the five-time major winner and may be even a few more from the LIV Golf field in their team for the September 29 to October 1 clash at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome.

Ahead of the Memorial tournament that began in Ohio on Thursday, Rahm and McIlroy were at opposite ends of the scale when asked if LIV Golf personnel should be allowed into this year’s Ryder Cup teams.

Specifically, it was put to McIlroy what of Koepka was included in Team USA?

“I certainly think Brooks deserves to be on the United States team,” the Northern Ireland golfer and world number five said. “I think with how he’s played, I mean, he’s second in the US standings, only played two counting events. I don’t know if there’s anyone else on the, you know, on the LIV roster that would make the team on merit and how they’re playing. But Brooks is definitely a guy that I think deserves to be on the U.S. team.”

“But I have different feelings about the European team and the other side and sort of how that has all transpired,” he added. “And yeah, I don’t think any of those guys should be a part of the European team.”

All-time points scorer Sergio Garcia of Spain is all but out of contention especially after the DP World (European) Tour imposed fines and bans on LIV Golf members, but Rahm, who

has struck up a productive partnership with his countryman said the 2017 Masters champion would be a notable absence.

Earlier in the year, Henrik Stenson was ousted and replaced by Luke Donald as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain after he signed up with the Saudi Arabia-backed league, and it is unlikely there will be any sort of early rapprochement on the matter.

Said world number two Rahm at Muirfield, “I’m going to miss him. We had a great partnership at Whistling Straits. I’m going to mention history again one more time. A Spanish duo in the Ryder Cup … is embedded into the roots of the Ryder Cup. Look what Seve and Ollie (Jose Maria Olazabal) were able to do throughout their partnership, right? 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. It’s whoever is best suited to represent the European side.

“I have a hard time believing 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.”

Interestingly, world number one Scottie Scheffler of the US appeared to support Rahm’s point of view. “I’m not sure if I care about tours or anything like that (the LIV-establishment rift),” he said.