Luke Donald now has clarity as he works out his options for the Ryder Cup. Credit: Getty Images/Naomi Baker
Luke Donald got it right here about his former Ryder Cup teammates who dropped out of the DP World Tour. The Europa captain opined that «it's a pity it has come to this» and noting that «it was their decision», he «wishes them all the best».
But then came the eloquent quote. “It gives me clarity for the next five months,” he said.
Donald won't admit it, but he's relieved after Wednesday's unprecedented turn in the LIV Golf controversy and the fact that he played at the Marco Simone golf course where the United States will try in September. win in the foreign market. soil for the first time in 30 years — made his blissful state of mind even more sonorous.
Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have made his job a lot easier, and after a bizarre twist that surprised the European circuit, the LIV elephant is now in Zack Johnson's team room.
With Brooks Kepka finishing second at the Masters with Phil Mickelson and another LIV rebel in Patrick Reed finishing fourth, Johnson was suddenly faced with questions he never thought would ever be asked.
«I wouldn't say I was shocked when Brooks and Dustin [Johnson] suddenly appeared on the US qualifiers because I'm determined to just focus on my team,» Donald said. «But my guess is that the fact that the rule was found in their qualifying fine print added new intrigue, especially after some of the Augusta performances.»
Late last year, Johnson announced that he was only allowed to consider PGA Tour competitors, and all LIV golfers were and remain suspended from racing in the US, regardless of the ongoing court case. But then the PGA of America — the separate organization that oversees the Ryder Cup case in the US — noticed an inaccuracy in its own set of rules that changed everything.
In short, anyone who has paid their annual PGA dues by June 30, 2022 is effectively eligible to play in the Italian capital due to an unclear «grace period» that will run until June next year. So, Koepka re-entered the standings and takes 17th place, Dustin Johnson — 33rd, Mickelson — 23rd, and Reed — 39th.
Dustin Johnson could shock Team USA. Photo: Getty Images/Suhaimi Abdullah
If anyone in that quartet wins the US PGA two weeks from now, they'll be in the top six in the race for one of those automatic spots. They could then cement their position in that half-dozen anointed at the US Open and Open, and the eternal city received the great elixir of LIV at its biggest golf party in history. Imagine the speculation, the wringing of hands, the furor.
At the very least, the rebels can prevent Johnson from resisting their candidacy. If Cap was to make another top three or two at Oak Hill, Los Angeles Country Club or Hoylake, then who would deny the four-time major tournament winner's status as one of the top 12 players in the US? Johnson? He will have enough opportunities, because questions will pour in at every press conference.
Donald no longer needs to worry about such investigations, knowing that LIV lawyers analyze his every statement. Of course, there remains the possibility that one of the European LIV players who has not yet retired will make his important announcement, but this is so unrealistic that it is not worth losing sleep over this.
Trust me, while Donald would certainly have considered it a sad demise for the touring careers of these brass-bottomed stalwarts, from the match's point of view, the massive renunciations were the right outcome.
«That's funny,» Donald told me before all the trios came out in unison on Wednesday. “A few weeks ago I was on a Q&A with Zach and he was asked about three LIV players from the USA who were in the top five in Augusta. I leaned back in my chair and said, «That's not my problem — we just had a winner.» It was nice to be someone who didn't deal with the LIV issues.»
Many will no doubt claim that the Ryder Cup playing careers of Westwood, Poulter and Garcia are already over, and all this is irrelevant. Maybe. But John Ram, world number 1, spoke of his special bond with Garcia and expressed his desire to repeat their successful couple in 2021.
Garcia is starting to play well again in this new green jacket. , Ram offers an increasingly powerful voice in a blue and gold corner. And, as Rory McIlroy and Garcia had a very public and bitter split, there was the potential for huge awkwardness and rift in this legendary camaraderie. But Garcia scratched himself, and Donald is clean.
Somehow the unassuming Englishman forged a hospital pass thrown by Henrik Stenson when the Swede stepped down as captain eight months ago, and now the quiet Iowan is uncomfortable with the ball.
“In a month, everything turned upside down,” said an insider. “Our guys started winning again and this is Zach under the LIV cloud. It was supposed to be about brilliant young Americans, but that could change.”
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