No "judgement" by Ryder Cup team of LIV renegades, Donald
Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII GC looks on from the driving range during the final round of the LIV Golf Mayakoba at the El Camaleón Golf Course on Sunday, February 04, 2024 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf)
Luke Donald says none of the winning 2023 Ryder Cup winning team is “judging” Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton for moving to LIV Golf.
But the European skipper admitted that players who make the leap to the Saudi-backed circuit are fully aware that such decisions come with “consequences” and that it was too early to say if they’d be in his team in New York next year.
Hatton joined Rahm on the Saudi-backed circuit for last week’s opening event in Mexico and while qualification for Bethpage Black will not start until later this year, Donald hopes they will “hopefully adhere to whatever the rules are that allows them to play in the Ryder Cup."
Speaking ahead of the WM Phoenix Open, where Shane Lowry and Seamus Power are also in action, Donald said he detected no animosity towards Rahm and Hatton on the Ryder Cup WhatsApp group chat.
"Everyone understands each individual wants to do the best for themselves, and I don't think anyone is judging Tyrrell or Jon's decision,” Donald said.
"Do I see them (on the team)? It's really hard for me to answer that question now. What I did so well in my captaincy last year was just control what I can control. We're seven months out probably until qualification starts.
"We have all this talk about being potential deals with the PGA Tour, with DP World Tour, with the PIF. I have no idea what's going to happen, and for the next seven months, I don't really need to know what's going to happen because qualification for the Ryder Cup won't start until then.”
Donald added: “Jon is someone who decided that was the best choice for him. A lot of guys have decided that going to LIV is the choice that they were comfortable with, and they thought it was, again, the right decision for them. I'm not here to judge that.
“Sometimes there are consequences to those decisions. There's been a lot of talks about the World Rankings and should LIV guys get it. Again, I think sometimes there are consequences to certain decisions, and I think a lot of these guys knew that going into it.
“Again, I have a long way since qualification begins, seven months or so. A lot can happen with the game. It's continuing to change. It's continuing to evolve. We don't know what's going to happen over the next few months. Until I know, I'm not going to make any decisions.”
Rahm has no regrets about his decision and hopes to play some of his favourite PGA TOUR stops in the future.
"If there's ever a way back and a way where we can play, even if it's as an invite, I will take it,” Rahm said. “There's certain events that are special to me that I would still love to support."
While Rory McIlroy believes players wishing to support the PGA TOUR should not face punishment, Justin Thomas joined Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth in expressing his misgivings.
"I would say that there's a handful of players on LIV that would make the tour a better place," Thomas said. "But I'm definitely not in the agreement that they should just be able to come back that easily.”
Meanwhile, Tom McKibbin is the lone Irishman teeing it up in the DP World Tour’s $2.5 million Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club.
On the Challenge Tour, Mark Power, Conor Purcell and Jonathan Caldwell make their 2024 debuts alongside Gary Hurley and Dermot McElroy in the Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open at Royal Cape.
On the Ladies European Tour season, Olivia Mehaffey and Lauren Walsh make their first appearances of the new season in the Magical Kenya Ladies Open at Vipingo Ridge.
