When Luke Donald arrives at Bethpage Black next fall, he will attempt to become the first European captain to lead consecutive winning Ryder Cups squads home and away since Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987. However, a lot has changed for the European chief since his side raised the cup at Marco Simone in 2023, including where two of his top players currently play the bulk of their golf.
After winning the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, both Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton transitioned from a schedule predominantly on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to one on LIV Golf. In order to be eligible for the European Ryder Cup team, one must be a member of the DP World Tour, which requires players need to compete in at least four tournaments per year.
“The DP World Tour’s policies have been very consistent,” Donald 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.”
Rahm will officially maintain his DP World Tour membership when he plays at the Andalucia Masters scheduled for Oct. 17-20. Having played at the Spanish Open, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Olympics — which counts towards his DP World Tour total — the two-time major champion will meet the required four starts.
Meanwhile, Hatton has already fulfilled his membership duties and has even made some progress towards automatically qualifying for the team at Bethpage. Winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this past week at St. Andrews, the Englishman rose to 16th in the Race to Dubai standings securing his spot in the season finale where crucial Ryder Cup points will be up for grabs.
“I’ve spoken to Jon,” Donald said. “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. Again, I’m talking to all the players — to him, to Tyrrell. It was great to see Tyrrell win last week at the Dunhill. Good communication between myself and all these players is vital, and I’ve certainly been keeping up with that.”
Thanks to his win at the Old Course, Hatton rose to No. 5 in the European team rankings one year out from the biennial competition. The only way he and Rahm can accrue additional points will be through Official World Golf Rankings-sanctioned events such as DP World Tour tournaments or majors. If the two were to fall outside the top six by the end of the qualifying period, it is widely believed Donald would simply use captain’s picks on both of them, especially if their form remains.
Rahm and Hatton helped usher in a new era of European talent at Marco Simone as a number of former Ryder Cup stalwarts like Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia were ruled ineligible after resigning their DP World Tour memberships in the spring of 2023. According to Donald, Garcia has since had a change of heart and is considering rejoining the European circuit to regain Ryder Cup eligibility.
“He resigned his membership a couple years ago. But we have had some chats. He’s considering rejoining [the DP World Tour],” Donald said. “He’d have to follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else, and if he does that, again, he will be eligible to partake in the Ryder Cup.”
The Spaniard holds the all-time Ryder Cup record with 28.5 points to his name — the last of those which came alongside Rahm at Whistling Straits in 2021. He also possesses the most foursomes points with 13.5 and shares the most four-ball points won with 10.5.
“We chatted on phone a couple weeks ago,” Donald continued. “You know, he’s certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that’s involved, and again, the decision has to go to him, whether he’s prepared to do all that. But certainly, we’ve had that discussion, yes.”
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