Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie is back on the European team.
He had a 20-9-7 record as a player, and won as captain in 2010, and now Montgomerie has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the European Tour Group. This is the body that administers and oversees the Ryder Cup in Europe.
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Montgomerie replaces Ove Sellberg on the Board, joining fellow Ryder Cup icon Thomas Bjorn and other former pros on the Tournament Committee. The Scotsman’s role means he is involved in the decision-making regarding the DP World Tour’s future and the Ryder Cup in 2027.
His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the DP World Tour and the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor. The tour is currently involved in an ongoing saga with Jon Rahm and LIV Golf.
Rahm was the only LIV player to reject a deal from the tour, which would have allowed him to play on both the DP World Tour and LIV, as it would have forced him to play six events in 2026.
Unfortunately for Rahm, Montgomerie’s appointment doesn’t make it any more likely that the tour will buckle to his demands.
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
What Colin Montgomerie thinks about Jon Rahm’s DP World Tour saga
This ongoing standoff between Rahm and the DP World Tour raises massive questions about Rahm’s availability for the Ryder Cup. To play on Europe’s Ryder Cup team a player must be a member of the DP World Tour, so a deal must be reached if Rahm is to play at Adare Manor.
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So where does Montgomerie stand on this saga? While he wants a deal to be agreed, he doesn’t think Rahm’s absence is an existential threat to Europe’s Ryder Cup success.
He told bunkered on March 11: “We’ve got a year and a half to go sort of thing. So let’s hope they can find a solution to it because we all know that the Ryder Cup team is stronger with Jon Rahm in it than without him. But, at the same time, I think we can beat the Americans without Jon Rahm.
“The Ryder Cup is about 12 players and not one. One person can’t win the Ryder Cup. It needs all 12 to be part of it, you know, and everybody has to pull their own weight and get as many points as possible.
“So, in saying that, yes, if we do lose Jon Rahm, which seems that we’re going to at this stage, OK, well, who’s coming up behind him can get some points at the Ryder Cup? It’s all about the team and not about one person. I think that we’ll all pull together as a European cause.
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“If we do have to play without him, well, we’ll play without him. I think it’ll almost bind us closer together. It’ll bring us closer together to achieve it without one of the world’s great players in Jon Rahm.
“But the Ryder Cup’s never been about one person. It’s always been about the 12 that are competing at the time.”
Europe’s success is predicated on the we being greater than the I, and Rahm’s teammates from 2025, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, have made that clear in their recent comments.
It seems that if Rahm wants to take part at Adare Manor, he’s going to have to make some personal sacrifices. The question now: Is he willing to make them?
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Why Jon Rahm rejected DP World Tour deal
Rahm was the only player of the eight LIV Golfers, which included his teammate Tyrrell Hatton, who rejected the DP World Tour’s deal. The offer asked Rahm to pay his fines, cancel his appeal, and play six DP World Tour events, two of which will be dictated by the tour.
Speaking before LIV Hong Kong, which he won, Rahm explained why he rejected the offer: “My position hasn’t changed in a week. I don’t like what they’re doing currently with the contract they’re having us sign. I don’t like the conditions.
“They’re asking me to play a minimum of six events, and they dictate where two of those have to be, amongst other things that I don’t agree with.
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“I’ve been a dual member my whole career, PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Now with LIV Golf being accepted in the world rankings as part of the ecosystem, you could almost say a three-tour member, even though I’m suspended from the PGA Tour, but I’ve always been a dual member
“Never once have I been asked for a release to play either one of those tours. We’ve never submitted a release. So why is it now that we need to be offering this and there’s all these penalties? I understand why they’re doing it.
“I just don’t like the situation. I think we should be able to freely play where we want and have the choice to play where we want and not be dictated what we do. Especially myself. I can’t speak for others; only myself.
“I don’t know what game they’re trying to play right now. But it just seems like they’re using our impact in tournaments and fining us and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer.
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“It’s just in a way they’re extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game. So I don’t like the situation and I’m not going to agree to that.”
Having said all that, Rahm said his issue isn’t the money, but the events he’d be forced to play.
He continued, “I did tell them, funny enough, lower that to four events, like the minimum says, and I’ll sign tonight. They haven’t agreed to that. I just refuse to play six events. I don’t want to, and that’s not what the rules say.”
It’s hard to imagine that Rahm gets a special offer now that seven other players have agreed, so his choice looks pretty clear. Accept the deal, or miss out on the Ryder Cup.
Read the full article here
