Rory McIlroy is one of the authoritative voices in world golf. His opinion regarding everything surrounding the competition always carries a lot of weight. More than enough reason for his press conference this Wednesday at Bay Hill, ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational of the PGA Tour, to be one of the most anticipated of the week. Even more so after it was announced today that Luke Donald will be the captain of the European team for the Ryder in next year’s edition… in which the presence of Jon Rahm in the European team is in doubt due to ongoing negotiations with the DP World Tour that have yet to come to fruition.
The Northern Irishman ‘dives in’ when talking about these discussions that have yet to find common ground: “In my opinion, it’s a very generous deal. It’s a much softer deal than the one Brooks (Koepka) accepted to return to the PGA Tour. The European Tour can only do so much to accommodate these players. If you want to play the Ryder Cup, you have to be a member of the DP World Tour and comply with its rules. And the rules were that if you broke the media rights agreement and played a conflicting tournament without permission, you were subject to fines. The players didn’t want to pay those fines, which is fine.”
“So the European Tour said: let’s find a solution so you don’t have to pay those fines and thus relieve that burden while maintaining your membership. And there’s a reason why eight out of the nine players accepted that deal. I think it’s a very good deal. Obviously, Jon doesn’t think so and he’s entitled to that. But I don’t see what more the European Tour can do to accommodate these players and maintain their membership,” explained McIlroy to the media.
The controversy centers on the two extra events that the DP World Tour is asking Jon Rahm to play, chosen by the circuit itself. For Rory, however, it’s not something serious enough to reject: “It’s not a heavy lift. I mean, to retain your membership it’s four events on the DP World Tour outside of the majors. And to me that doesn’t seem… yes, okay, maybe the European Tour gets to have a say in which two events those are, but I mean, I’m sure Jon doesn’t want to go to South Africa next week, but he’s going there. So, you know, I don’t… again, I…”
With the reference to South Africa, McIlroy was talking about the LIV event: “Yeah, he signed a contract with LIV and he plays 14 events and the whole thing. Like, I get all that. But the DP World Tour is well within its rights to protect itself as a members organization and as a business. And if you asked any DP World Tour member about the deal they’ve cut with the LIV guys, I think they would all say it was pretty generous. And again, there’s a reason eight of the nine took it, because they probably think the same thing, and one guy thinks a little differently, and that’s a shame.”
This refusal by the golfer from Barrika to sign the deal offered by the European circuit would leave him out of the Ryder. Something that Rory also values in his own way: “The Ryder Cup is bigger than any individual. It’s bigger than all of us. Players come and go, we pass through the system. The platform is what’s important. I think we should all be grateful to have a platform like the Ryder Cup to showcase our skills and be part of something much bigger than ourselves. At the end of the day, it’s about the team, and no player is bigger than the team.”
Clear as day. From there, the current Masters winner shared his thoughts on the official announcement that makes Luke Donald the European captain for the third consecutive edition of the Ryder: “It’s incredible. I think it’s a great advantage for the European team to have that continuity and consistency. I was already advocating for that before Bethpage. And now we’ll have it even more. Maybe the team will be a bit different, or maybe very similar to the one in Rome. I imagine some new player might come in. But it’s fantastic to have Luke back. There’s not a single player or anyone behind Ryder Cup Europe who isn’t thrilled that Luke has agreed to return.”
McIlroy was clear that Donald would be the captain again: “Yes, of course. Luke and I are neighbours, we live on the same street, so we see each other quite a bit. We had several conversations before New Year. I know he was talking with the DP World Tour and Ryder Cup Europe to finalise the details. It’s a huge commitment. He’s put his career on hold for six years to do this. He has to make sure everything else is fine, that his family is also in agreement. It’s not just his decision.”
“When we talked, we analysed the pros and cons. And in the end, we all see the opportunity for him to become the best Ryder Cup captain in history if we win in Ireland. I’m very excited for him and want to be part of that team to try to make history,” concluded Rory, one of those with a secure spot on the team for Adare Manor… unlike Jon, who will still have to resolve his tug-of-war with the DP.
