- Jon Rahm has blasted the decision to omit Sergio Garcia from the Ryder Cup
- Europe captain Luke Donald named no LIV golfers, but USA have Brooks Koepka
- Garcia is a legendary Ryder Cup figure with a record 25 match wins
Jon Rahm has blasted Luke Donald’s decision to omit Sergio Garcia from the Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, branding it ‘stupid’ to leave out ‘the best player Europe has ever had’.
Garcia was left out of the European team like other players who defected to the divisive, Saudi-funded LIV Golf tour.
Whereas European captain Donald chose not to include any LIV Golf players, Team USA captain Zach Johnson integrated LIV runaway Brooks Koepka into his six picks for this month’s competition.
‘I think it would be really stupid of anybody not to lean on Sergio Garcia’s experience in the Ryder Cup,’ Rahm told Sky Sports. ‘I mean, he is the best player Europe has ever had, won the most points and has shown it time and time again.
‘If he were able to be a vice-captain, I absolutely would lean on him. Same as we are going to lean on [Jose Maria Olazabal] this coming Ryder Cup, right.’
Jon Rahm said Luke Donald’s decision to leave Sergio Garcia out of the Ryder Cup is ‘stupid’
Legendary Ryder Cup figure Garcia was barred from Team Europe after defecting to LIV Golf
Luke Donald’s 12-man team for the cup starting later this month includes no LIV players
The Ryder Cup begins in Italy on September 29 and ends on October 1, with Team Europe looking to wrestle back the trophy after losing the last edition in 2021.
Speaking of players who left for LIV Golf such as Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood, Rahm said: ‘When it comes to the game and all those players being able to be back, it’s been a difficult time.
‘Obviously things have changed a little bit. I wouldn’t know how to answer because we are going to have to see if it’s possible or not, right?
‘I would like to see it [them included], but unfortunately we’ve seen some of those players give up their [DP World] Tour status where that’s no longer a possibility. So I would like to see it but we don’t know what the future holds, right? I think with this agreement or this possible union between the PGA Tour, DP World and PIF might change things a little bit.’
Team USA will field Brooks Koepka in their line-up, despite him being a LIV Golf defector
Garcia is a legendary figure in Ryder Cup history, having been a member of every European side since 1999 bar that of 2010.
The 43-year-old has been on the victorious side on six occasions and in 2021 surpassed Nick Faldo in claiming a record 25 match wins.
He had hoped that the merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour would allow him to take part in the historic rivalry between Europe and the USA.
Alongside Donald, fellow Brits Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry, and Tyrell Hatton are on the European team this year.
They join other players from around Europe in the form of Viktor Hovland, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Aberg, and Nicolai Hojgaard in the 12-man squad.
Aberg is an intriguing selection, having only turned professional a few months ago.
