Rory McIlroy has said Europe will have to “rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility” after two-time major winner Jon Rahm confirmed he was joining LIV Golf.
After previously saying he would not quit the PGA Tour, it was announced on Thursday that Rahm had performed a U-turn by switching to the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit in a deal thought to be worth around $500 million.
Rahm's former Ryder Cup teammates Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood were ineligible for Europe's win over the US in the biennial team competition this year after joining LIV Golf and resigning from the Europe-based DP World Tour.
The next Ryder Cup takes place in 2025 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, and McIlroy was in no doubt that Rahm would be there.
“Jon is going to be in Bethpage in 2025,” McIlroy told Sky Sports after the Spaniard's move was confirmed.
“Because of this decision, the European tour is going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility.
“There's absolutely no question about that – I certainly want Jon Rahm on the next Ryder Cup team.”
McIlroy had previously said that no LIV players should be able to play for Europe at the Ryder Cup but the Northern Irishman admitted “the landscape of golf changed” when it was announced in June that PGA Tour, European Tour and LIV Golf had agreed a merger.
Under current rules, European players must be members of the DP World Tour – previously known as the European Tour – to be eligible to play.
But the threat of losing the skills of Rahm, who is the reigning Masters champion, has resulted in McIlroy performing his own U-turn.
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“He has got so much talent, he's so tenacious and he's a great teammate in the Ryder Cup," he said.
“The thing that I've realised is that you can't judge someone for making a decision that they feel is the best thing for them.
“Is it disappointing to me? Yes, but the landscape of golf changed on 6 June, when the framework agreement was announced, and I think because of that it made the jump from the PGA Tour to LIV a little bit easier for guys.”
McIlroy also voiced his concerns over the future of golf with tours competing to sign elite players.
“You're basically cannibalising yourself as a sport, sort of the same as what boxing has done with all the different organisations and a few other sports have as well,” he said.
“To me, having all the best golfers under the one umbrella is the best way forward because I think that's really what the public wants.”
Rahm has said that he wants “to maintain my PGA Tour and DP World status”, adding: “I will not give that up and hopefully with the freedom that LIV Golf gives me I can play in both of those tours as well.
“I've expressed how important the Spanish Open is to me in the past, and if we ever reached that point [to play in] certain PGA Tour events, I still want to go and play as long as my schedule allows. So if possible, we'll see what we can make happen.”
