Jon Rahm already has thoughts on which golfer should captain Team Europe at the 2031 Ryder Cup.
With Ryder Cup officials announcing last Tuesday that Spain’s Camiral resort will host the 2031 matches, Rahm believes countryman Sergio García makes sense as Europe’s captain. The only other time the country hosted the Ryder Cup, Spain’s Seve Ballesteros captained his side to victory in 1997 at Valderrama.
“I think there’s something to say about possibly having, obviously, a local captain,” Rahm said last Wednesday in advance of LIV Golf’s United Kingdom tournament.
“I think it would do wonders for the crowd. If history shows us anything, and it’s very hard to compare anybody to Seve, but I’ve only heard stories about what that Ryder Cup was like. I would say, if possible, I think that’s a very obvious good choice to have Sergio be a part of that one.”
The 45-year-old García ranks among the greatest performers in Ryder Cup annals. In 10 competitions from 1999 to 2021, he delivered a 25-13-7 record in singles matches, and no one has equaled his 28.5 points earned. READ MORE
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While the Ryder Cup in Spain is six years off, an LIV Golf development revealed last week may have ramifications for the European team starting in 2027.
LIV informed its players that it will not continue paying DP World Tour fines after this year, The Telegraph reported. Up to now, the Saudi-backed league has paid the penalties imposed on players for competing in conflicting events, to the tune of more than $20 million, the report said.
For players such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who have appealed the fines, it could mean paying seven-figure sums out of their own pockets to remain Ryder Cup eligible in 2027, should the appeals prove unsuccessful. Their hearings are scheduled to take place after this year’s Ryder Cup. READ MORE
The PGA Tour’s Procore Championship in Napa, California, is shaping up to be a training camp for the U.S. Ryder Cup team ahead of the Sept. 26-28 matches.
“I know I’ll be there,” Scottie Scheffler said.
Ditto for Xander Schauffele, who suggested the world’s No. 1 player was a strong voice in urging whoever is on the U.S. team to be at Silverado Resort on Sept. 11-14.
A lack of competitive warm-up was a big concern for the Americans at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. The PGA Tour season that year ended Aug. 27 with the Tour Championship, and most of the team had a full month away from tournament golf before the start of the Ryder Cup, which Europe won 16½-11½. READ MORE
Tap-Ins
Two-time DP World Tour winner Victor Dubuisson of France, who retired at 33 in 2023, won the 54-hole Biarritz Cup on the developmental Alps Tour in a playoff on Sunday. He declined to accept the €7,600 winner’s check “as a gesture of personal principle,” according to a report on the Bunkered website. READ MORE
With his victory in the Korn Ferry Tour’s NV5 Invitational on Sunday, Johnny Keefer earned PGA Tour membership for the 2026 season, effectively securing one of the 20 tour cards available through the Korn Ferry Tour points list. READ MORE
Scottie Scheffler’s victory at the Open Championship delivered NBC Sports some big audience gains, including the best final round since 2022. NBC averaged 4.1 million viewers on Sunday, up 21 percent from last year, with the final round peaking at 6.1 million viewers from 1:30-1:45 p.m. ET. READ MORE
The PGA Tour and media partners CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf Channel and NBC Sports have introduced “Rapid Rounds,” select rapid-fire versions of full player rounds featured within each day’s telecasts and streams and available to fans in the hours after play has been completed for the day. The feature debuted last week with videos from the 3M Open. READ MORE
LIV Golf will stage a tournament in South Africa for the first time next March, announcing a multiyear commitment Saturday. READ MORE
PGA Tour Champions will stage a new tournament in Portugal next July, the Portugal Invitational at the Els Club Vilamoura. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity