Even on Masters week, the story surrounding Jon Rahm isn’t on his on-course endeavours.
Instead, it’s his Ryder Cup eligibility that has stolen the headlines, as he refuses to agree to a deal offered by the DP World Tour that would allow him to play on both LIV and in Europe this season.
To play on Europe’s Ryder Cup team, you must be an active member of the DP World Tour, and Rahm currently is not. His teammate, Tyrrell Hatton, along with a host of other LIV players, agreed to the deal, leaving Rahm out on his own.
Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose have both criticized Rahm for putting himself ahead of the team, and a year removed from Adare Manor, it is still unknown whether the Spaniard will play. Sportswriter Alan Shipnuck thinks he knows the percentage chance he’ll tee off in Ireland, however.
Alan Shipnuck says how likely it is that Jon Rahm will play in the 2027 Ryder Cup
Shipnuck is still incredibly confident that Rahm will be playing at Adare Manor. Speaking to Dan Rapaport on Dan on Golf, he was asked to give a percentage chance he’ll play next year, and Shipnuck answered:
“Very high. 93%! Somebody is going to blink. Either him or the Tour. The European Tour’s entire identity is built around winning the Ryder Cup and you lose Jon Rahm and your chances of winning have plummeted.
“Somebody will cut a deal with either him or the Tour, so it’s a little bit of a tempest in a teapot. But Rahm, until I saw Rory having so much fun and being so carefree this week, Rahm was my pick. I feel like he is a man with immense pride and he has a big chip on his shoulder right now.
“People are not questioning his game so much as his existence and character. There is a self-righteous streak in him. Since he went to LIV he has been a non-factor in the majors and I know that burns him, even though he has been playing at a super high level.
“But nobody knows or cares about that, unless you do it here on a big stage, so this is his opportunity.”
We still have a long time to figure this out, and while there is a temporary fracture in Europe’s camp right now, Shipnuck is confident it will be resolved.
Jon Rahm says if he expects to play at Adare Manor next year
Earlier in the week, Rahm was asked about his ongoing saga with the DP World Tour. He said he is still working everything out with the tour, but is confident they will reach a solution.
He said, “We keep talking about the DP World Tour and trying to figure out a solution that works best. I didn’t think that going the legal route and going to court was good for anybody. So I have faith in us and the DP World Tour we’re going to find a good solution for both of us.”
Rahm was then asked whether he is confident he will be playing at Adare Manor, and he gave a simple, one-word answer: “Yes.”
If Rahm is happy to reach a compromise, then perhaps the ball is in the tour’s court to find it with the LIV star. Until then, this saga will rage on.
