Rory McIlroy makes it clear he doesn’t think LIV golfers should be on the European Ryder Cup team
As the LIV Golf League makes every effort to integrate with other leading golf tournaments and organizations around the globe, it continues to receive support from the most powerful in golf. The PGA Tour has banned all LIV Golf players and is now embroiled in a lawsuit against a handful of them (including the tournament) to allow them to return to the Tournament. On the European side, the DP World Tour has allowed golfers to compete, although it is unclear what the long-term solution there will be.
That sparked some bitterness last week at the BMW PGA Championship from players like Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy, who don’t believe LIV Golf players should take the place of DP players. Regular World Tour. McIlroy reiterated his stance on LIV golfers when he was asked whether they should attend next year’s Ryder Cup in Rome at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, where he will play at the Italian Open. this week or not.
“I said it once,” McIlroy said.
The DP World Tour is in a difficult situation. It is legally binding to allow LIV golfers to participate in its events this summer, but given the exhaustion and the fact that it’s not nearly as strong as the PGA Tour, some of the big-name LIV golfers playing may actually be entice tournament participation to garner interest and participation (even if it’s based on a bit of drama).
Then there’s the issue of the Ryder Cup, which McIlroy has mentioned several times over the past few weeks. At the players-commissioner meeting at the BMW PGA Championship last week, Sergio Garcia, a LIV defector, asked DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley if he and the others would get allowed to play in the 2023 Ryder Cup or not. This is how it goes down, According to Golf Digest.
“Pelley’s answer is that they can definitely earn points starting this week, but we don’t know what will happen in the next 12 months. Any other questions? You can hear the slump. pin. I was laughing at the time. I was expecting this to last at least 90 minutes and maybe a bit hostile. But no. Just nothing happened to all.”
Golfers can only earn Ryder Cup points at OWGR approved events, currently excluding the LIV Golf League. Of course, all of this may not be the start as most former Ryder Cuppers who worry about their future with the event aren’t golfing well enough to make it through. It can be doubted whether Lee Westwood or Ian Poulter would qualify, and although Garcia or Paul Casey could have been selected as captain, the former has not played well and the latter has been injured quite often.
“I won’t say that I have many relationships with [the Europeans who moved over to LIV Golf] “McIlroy said.” But again, if you’re just talking about the Ryder Cup, that’s not the future of the Ryder Cup team. They’ve probably played in a total of 25 Ryder Cups, 30 Ryder Cups, whatever that is. But the future of the Ryder Cup is Hojgaards [Nicolai and Rasmus]Bobby Mac [Robert MacIntyre] and anyone else will come. They are what we should think about and talk about. ”
That’s a great point and the point that makes up most of this debate. Euro has a new core of McIlroy, Rahm, Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton, and they won’t rely on their old lions anymore.
McIlroy added: “I think Team Europe has a core of six or seven guys that I think we all know are going to be on that team, and then some younger players can get promoted. . … But I think we need to rebuild anyway. We’ve done well with the same people for a very long time but then again like I just said, everything will come to an end at some point. Whistling Strait is a good kind of demarcation, I guess.
“It’s all behind us. We have a core group of men but let’s rebuild that, and instead of filling those three or four positions with older veterans, take some rookie blood and bring them in and build towards the future. I think that’s important.”
A hearing is set in early 2023 on whether LIV golfers can play the DP World Tour. It would be important if they were allowed as it involves players getting OWGR points so they can qualify for the majors, but for any of them to make it to the Rome Ryder Cup team? Whether they are granted the ability to play the DP World Tour full-time or not, it certainly won’t matter anymore.
