Jon Rahm verdict given by Ryder Cup icon after LIV | Golf News

Jon Rahm’s eligibility for the 2027 Ryder Cup stays unsure, and Padraig Harrington had some observations about the two-time major champion.

Former world No. 1 Rahm was not among the eight gamers granted conditional standing on the DP World Tour, while Tyrrell Hatton, Thomas Detry, and Tom McKibbin have been included on the listing.

Harrington mentioned the Rahm state of affairs at the launch of Ireland’s International Sports Diplomacy Strategy, and said he’d do whatever it takes to get Rahm at Adare Manor.

“It’s quite complicated. I’m not involved, I’m just not on the ground [to know] why it’s happened that way. I don’t know the politics of it. But if you’re the Ryder Cup captain, you’d be doing everything you can get him on your team.

“I do not know where the rank and file sit. I do not know where the match committee [of the DP World Tour] is sitting. I do not know where the administration is sitting … the problem proper now is, what’s the European Tour’s next step? They’ve included these guys. How do they are saying to those guys, now we’re doing one thing different? I do not know if there’s other choices. Was that the last option?

“But there’s no way the captain and the team will want to go into a Ryder Cup without Jon Rahm and you know, maybe he’s relying on that, and he can rely on it right now. There’s no doubt about that. I have a very good relationship with Jon, as I do with all my team-mates of 2021. He will be forever my team-mate, and I will do everything I can to support and help him going forward.”

Beyond discussing Rahm’s Ryder Cup standing, Harrington also addressed the prospect of Tiger Woods serving as captain for the U.S. squad following their defeat to Europe at Bethpage Black in New York. “I think the Ryder Cup in Adare is going to be a great success,” Harrington remarked during the disclosing of the International Sports Diplomacy Strategy.

“Tiger being there would make it even bigger. It’s hard to believe that you could make it even bigger and more exciting,” Harrington added.

When pressed on whether or not Woods would excel as captain, he replied: “The obvious answer is yes. But the other answer is we don’t really know. He could be intimidating for all I know. He could be the opposite. He could be inspiring.

“To be a great captain, you do not essentially have to be a great participant. I’d recommend he’d need to be a great captain and need to do a great job.

“You would think the players would love to play for him. A great individual player, it’s a different thing being the captain for sure. No doubt it would certainly bring the attention. It would be a huge spectacle in golf for sure.

“Golfing-wise, it appears to be like prefer it’s going to be a very attention-grabbing Ryder Cup. The US have a lot to show. With the ebbs and flows of golf, you’ve got acquired to suppose they are going to come with a better crew in 2027 than perhaps they’d in 2025.”