Team US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and his European counterpart Luke Donald have confirmed that LIV golfers will be considered for their respective 12-man teams.
The pair took part in a Year to Go Media Event in New York to discuss their plans for the Bethpage Black match.
Like the build-up to the 2023 edition at Marco Simone, there was uncertainty over the potential involvement of LIV Golf players, although they were both clear that players will be considered on their merits regardless of which circuit they belong to.
Bradley said: “For us, I’m going to take the 12 best players. So if we feel like there’s a few guys there, one guy, two guys, whatever it is, then we’re going to do that. But we’re too far out to figure out how this is all going to play out. But we’re definitely going to take the 12 best players however that shakes out.”
In the 2023 match, the US team had one LIV golfer, Brooks Koepka, who was one of captain Zach Johnson’s wildcards, but things are more complex for European players as they need to be DP World Tour members to be considered. Despite that, Donald insisted that, as long as the criteria for eligibility is met, he’ll have no issues considering the players.
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“The DP World Tour’s policies have been very consistent,” he said. “There’s been a lot of clarity around that. It’s really the same as it was in Rome. You have to be a member of the European Tour and born in Europe.
“If you fulfill the regulations and the rules that the DP World Tour set, then you’re eligible. There’s a bunch of LIV guys that play on LIV that they are eligible now; so I can pick them at will.”
One of the obvious names from the circuit who would ordinarily be a shoo-in for a place on Team Europe is two-time Major winner Jon Rahm. The Spaniard is one DP World Tour start away this year from fulfiling his eligibility requirements and Donald admitted the pair had discussed his potential involvement.
“Oh, I’ve spoken to Jon,” he revealed. “I’ve spoken to everyone that is a possibility for being on that team. It was great to see Jon do what he needed to do to remain eligible and to see him in Spain, and last week he played very well at the Dunhill. We’re in constant communication.”
Luke Donald says he’s spoken to Jon Rahm about…
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