Jon Rahm’s strange Ryder Cup silence raises questions at PGA

The 2025 Ryder Cup is only a few months away, but big questions still remain about the makeup of the teams. Team Europe, in particular, has decisions to make about including LIV stars like Jon Rahm. But on Tuesday at the 2025 PGA Championship, both Rahm and European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald stonewalled reporters about Rahm’s spot on the team, raising big questions about what’s to come at Bethpage Black.

LIV Golf players and the Ryder Cup

Ever since LIV Golf was founded in 2022, difficulties have emerged for LIV players qualifying for golf’s four major championships. But Ryder Cup eligibility has also been an issue.

The governing bodies involved in making those decision have recently tried to solve the issue. Last year, the PGA of America announced that LIV players would be eligible for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

As for the Europeans, LIV players are permitted to qualify for the Ryder Cup team as long as they haven’t surrendered their DP World Tour memberships. But, additionally, players receive a £100,000 fine and a temporary suspension if they play a LIV Golf event the same week as a DP World Tour event.

It’s that wrinkle that threatens Rahm’s Ryder Cup eligibility.

Rahm refuses to answer Ryder Cup question

Rahm joined LIV Golf in 2024, just a few months after helping the European team to a victory at the 2023 Ryder Cup. The two-time major winner is currently enduring a slow appeals process over the DP World Tour suspension and fines he’s accrued since joining LIV.

While the appeals process plays out, Rahm and a few other LIV players in a similar position have continued to play in some DP World Tour events.

Which brings us to this week’s PGA Championship. Not long into his Tuesday press conference at Quail Hollow, Rahm was asked if European captain Luke Donald had told Rahm that he would be on the 2025 Ryder Cup team.

But Rahm stonewalled the reporter, refusing to give any insight into the process and passing the question on to Donald.

“That’s a question for Luke [Donald]. It’s his team. Hopefully I can qualify, and we don’t have to question it,” Rahm said on Tuesday. “I would like to think that personally I am, but it’s not up to me.”

As No. 4 on datagolf’s world ranking, Rahm will almost certainly be on the European team come September if he is eligible.

But his comments raised fresh questions about when the appeals process would end, and if it’s possible Rahm could be left off the team.

Donald stays silent in PGA Championship presser

But if we were hoping to get further insight into the Rahm’s situation from Donald, those hopes were dashed in the European captain’s own PGA Championship press conference on Wednesday.

“I have had zero conversations,” Donald said when asked about Rahm’s spot on the Ryder Cup team.”

Following Rahm’s lead, Donald then similarly referred the question to someone else, DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings.

“That’s a question for Guy Kinnings,” Donald said. “I do not get involved with the politics of that. So my concentration is to get the best 12 players to New York, and hopefully everyone is eligible.”

Given both Rahm and Donald’s comments, it seems Rahm’s Ryder Cup eligibility is still very much up in the air.