LA JOLLA, Calif. — To the shock of no one, Rory McIlroy opposes LIV Golf gamers changing into European Ryder Cup captains sooner or later.
McIlroy, who will make his eighth straight look on the group at Bethpage Black in September, indicated as such forward of this week’s Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines.
“I must be satisfied,” McIlroy stated when requested a couple of potential Ryder Cup captain coming from LIV.
“It will take them treating it as if Luke Donald’s handled it for the final three years, that’s what it will take to persuade me.”
Donald is beloved by the European contingent, a lot in order that the DP World Tour chosen him to return as captain in 2025 after he led his group to victory two years in the past in Rome. Neither facet has picked a returning captain in 30 years, reinforcing Workforce Europe’s admiration for Donald. Bernard Gallacher led the Europeans in 1991, 1993, and 1995. The latter was his solely victory, which got here on U.S. soil at Oak Hill in Rochester.
Ought to a participant wish to symbolize Europe within the Ryder Cup, they have to meet two standards. First, they should be from Europe, and second, they will need to have DP World Tour membership. Many LIV golfers, corresponding to Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, and Martin Kaymer, forfeited their DP World Tour standing after they joined LIV. Due to this fact, they can not play on the European Workforce. Sergio Garcia additionally fell into this class, though he’s at the moment working issues out with the DP World Tour to regain his membership. Garcia is the winningest Ryder Cupper within the historical past of the competitors and desperately needs to rejoin the group on Lengthy Island after lacking out in Rome.
“Should you don’t have entry, it will be fairly exhausting to deal with it that means. Should you’re Lee Westwood or Ian Poulter, it’s fairly exhausting should you don’t have some sort of entry,” McIlroy pressed.
“They gave up their European Tour membership, proper? Different guys have entry to the DP World Tour, Tyrrell [Hatton], Jon [Rahm], they’ve entry.”
To retain DP World Tour membership yr after yr, a participant should compete in 4 occasions exterior the foremost championships. Since becoming a member of LIV, each Rahm and Hatton have completed so to maintain their Ryder Cup prospects alive. Hatton even gained the Hero Dubai Desert Traditional final month, thus incomes worthwhile Ryder Cup factors.
For the others, McIlroy insists they must return to the DP World Tour to be thought-about.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.
