Jon Rahm opens up on Sergio Garcia’s Ryder Cup snub
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Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia were the main positive of a miserable 2021 Ryder Cup for Team Europe.
Jon Rahm admits his fellow Spaniard and friend Sergio Garcia didn’t “help himself” in his bid to earn a captain’s pick for this year’s Ryder Cup.
Garcia is the biennial contest’s record points-scorer but now plays on LIV Golf, meaning his ability to earn points in the race for qualification is severely limited.
But that didn’t stop the 10-time Ryder Cupper from dreaming he could sway European skipper Luke Donald into picking him.
His form in the early part of the year was particularly strong – he won the LIV event in Hong Kong in March and finished third in Miami in April – but it tailed off from there.
His performances in the majors did little to boost his cause, either. Garcia missed the cut at The Masters before finishing in a tie for 67th at the PGA Championship and a tie for 34th at The Open.
Ahead of this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Rahm, who played the 2018 and 2021 Ryder Cups alongside Garcia, was asked if he thought Garcia had a realistic shot at making the team.
“My heart is always going to say yes,” Rahm said. “He’s a good friend of mine, he’s a Spanish player, and the moments we shared in Whistling [Straits] and Paris, personally I’m always going to want him around.”
Rahm added: “He did play good early on in the year, very, very good. He was playing incredible golf, maybe in some parts of the world that you weren’t watching. It seemed like from April on, he didn’t keep that level.
“So I don’t think he helped himself.
“I understand that while we are not earning points or the rankings, we need to make a really strong case to be picked. Had he kept that level he might have been on the team but he didn’t play as good as he could have.
“Subjectively, I’m always going to root for him.”
Europe are going into the lion’s den at Bethpage Black to try and pull off a rare away victory in front of what is likely to be a hostile New York crowd.
Amazingly, they will go over there with 11 of the 12 players who reclaimed the cup in 2023 at Marco Simone Golf Club.
But before all that, most of the team are at Wentworth for the DP World Tour’s flagship event, where they will spend time together as anticipation ramps up for the battle ahead.
“There’s a dinner tonight,” Rahm added. “But we still have an event to play for. So you don’t want to add too much into the schedule in the week, and then once Thursday and Friday come and the tee times on the week, it’s difficult.
“Obviously I want to do well in the event and prepare, but obviously we need time to get together in the afternoon and dinner during the week; the earlier, the better. I wouldn’t be surprised if like in the past, Ryder Cup team-mates played together this week and spent some more time together on the golf course, as well.”
Rahm gives update on LIV fines
Despite joining LIV, Rahm retained his membership on the DP World Tour, meaning he is still eligible for the Ryder Cup.
However, as a consequence of his shock move to the breakaway circuit, the Spaniard has been racking up fines for playing in conflicting events without permission.
Rahm is in the process of appealing his fines with the DP World Tour and was asked if he had been given an update on his situation.
“You know as much as I do,” he replied.
“I have no idea. I have no clue. To be fair, I completely forgot about, which is a good thing. I hope I forget about it until it happens.”
So far, LIV bosses have agreed to pay all the charges the players on their roster have accumulated, but that is set to stop as of next year.
Should Rahm lose his appeal and refuse to pay his way going forward, it could put his future participation in the Ryder Cup in doubt. That is an eventuality he is desperate to avoid.
So, is he confident he’ll always be in position to be, at the very least, a captain’s pick going forward?
“I hope so. That’s my goal. I want to be part of that team.”
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Jon Rahm had hoped Sergio Garcia would return to the Ryder Cup team.
