Rory McIlroy: LIV Golf exodus will not impact Europe at Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy is confident that the omission of LIV golfers will not affect Europe’s chances of reclaiming the Ryder Cup.

European stalwarts Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson won’t be making the trip to Rome as players or in leadership roles after resigning their DP World Tour memberships earlier this year.

The quartet made themselves ineligible for the showdown amid mounting suspensions and fines following their defection to the Saudi-backed LIV series.

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World no.2 McIlroy said at the Memorial Tournament back in May that he doesn’t think “any of those guys should be a part of the European team.”

Brooks Koepka is relying on a wildcard pick from Team USA captain Zach Johnson and would likely be the only LIV golfer teeing it up in the showpiece at Marco Simone.

McIlroy, however, does not seem concerned about the lack of LIV players in Luke Donald’s team.

“No, I don’t think it would make a difference for us,” he said when asked on Wednesday if he had a problem with Johnson being able to select LIV players.

McIlroy was speaking to reporters in Atlanta, where he has the chance to win a fourth FedEx Cup at this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake.

The Northern Irishman will start three shots back from leader Scottie Scheffler in the staggered start as he looks to defend his 2022 crown and claim another $18m bonus prize.

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Away from the course, McIlroy recently welcomed the appointment of Tiger Woods onto the PGA Tour policy board as the US circuit aims to rebuild trust and improve transparency after the framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

But while McIlroy is still fully invested in the direction the PGA Tour takes, he is “less emotionally involved” in the outcome of its deal that is being thrashed out with Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund.

He added:”When it comes to governance and investment and all that – not that I don’t care about it – but it doesn’t excite me as much as making the product better and how can we make this the most competitive landscape to play professional golf and how can we get all the best players to play together.

“That’s the stuff that excites me. The stuff that’s going on right now, look, I’m on the board and I have to be involved and whenever something’s brought to the table I’ll vote on it yes or no. Maybe just not as emotionally engaged on all of this other stuff.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.