Luke Donald happy not to have to worry about Jon Rahm’s eligibility for Ryder Cup

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Luke Donald goes into his third term as European captain without having to worry about whether Jon Rahm will be able to play in the Ryder Cup. In that regard, his captaincy is off to a great start.

Rahm had declined a European tour offer — accepted by eight other LIV Golf players — that would have allowed him to compete in the rival league without penalty provided he pay his previous fines, play in stipulated events and drop his appeal.

Rahm, who had accused the European tour of “extortion,” said last week they had reached an agreement that frees him up to be eligible for the 2027 matches in Ireland.

Donald said he had no influence on the European tour’s deal with Rahm, and had no complaints.

“It’s not my job to tell Jon what to do, but obviously very delighted that a resolution has happened and that he’s available as someone that can be a part of the Ryder Cup team,” Donald said. “He’s played four — two under my captaincy — and done extremely well. So to have him available for selection is pretty cool.”

What remains uncertain is the rest of the golf landscape, depending on what happens with LIV Golf next year when it loses the financial backing from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

Team Europe has not announced its qualifying process, which typically doesn’t start until about a year out from the matches.

“We don’t really know what’s going to happen with LIV,” Donald said. “Obviously, you have to think about that in terms of qualification criteria.”

Also uncertain is how well LIV players will be accepted should they return to the tour, especially with Rahm being particularly irritated by European tour policies.

“I like to use the phrase, ‘Even brothers fight sometimes.’ But deep down, they love each other, and the mission is pretty clear when we play a Ryder Cup, and that’s to win,” Donald said. “They understand that putting those feelings — those egos of different personalities, personal things — to one side is important if you’re going to be successful.

“I don’t have any real qualms or issues that the team room won’t be unified.”

Donald is playing in the PGA Championship as a special invitation usually afforded Ryder Cup captains. Jim Furyk, appointed U.S. captain two weeks ago, also was at Aronimink on Wednesday wearing a blazer, not golf shoes.

Asked why he wasn’t playing, Furyk said, “56.” He celebrated his 56th birthday on Tuesday. He also mentioned another number — 7,400 — to reference the length of Aronimink, which is to suggest it’s a bit too long for a regular on the PGA Tour Champions.

Furyk is just getting to work on his second captaincy — his 2018 team lost in France — though it was difficult to identify some weaknesses.

“It’s no secret that foursomes has been a glaring problem,” Furyk said. “Our team play the last two Ryder Cups on Friday and Saturday, we’ve dug massive holes. But foursomes is the glaring problem.”

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Europe had a six-point lead after team play last year at Bethpage Black, and a five-point lead going into Sunday in 2023 at Marco Simone. Europe’s foursomes record both years was 13-3.

“I think there’s a lot of stones to be unturned, our analytics, and just how we grow and how we evolve in all those areas,” Furyk said. “This is something that I quite honestly have been thinking about for years because I’ve been involved with so many teams.”

He was an assistant captain in 2021, 2023 and 2025 after his loss as a captain in France. Furyk also was the winning U.S. captain in the 2024 Presidents Cup.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf