Banned LIV Golf pair's secret role in Ryder Cup as Europeans offer olive branch
LIV Golf stars Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia have been advising Team Europe's Jon Rahm ahead of the Ryder Cup in Rome.
Poulter and Garcia are ineligible to play in this weekend's tournament after leaving the DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour, for LIV Golf. It will be the first time Team Europe have been without either Poulter or Garcia since 1997.
The pair and other notable golfers were persuaded to join LIV Golf last year, causing a civil war in golf. The crisis was resolved when the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour went into partnership with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV Golf.
Despite the agreement, LIV stars are still ineligible to play in the Ryder Cup due to the competition's existing rules. Yet the fact Garcia and Poulter are advising one of Team Europe's biggest stars suggests the exiled golfers could return to the fold for 2025.
Two-time major winner Rahm revealed his chats with Poulter and Garcia at a press conference on Tuesday. He said: "He (Garcia) showed me a lot of what to do at Whistling (Straits in 2021) and in Paris (in 2018).
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"I did have a little bit of a chat with him, as recently as yesterday (Monday) and with Poulter, as well. It's not going to be easy to take on the role that those two had both on and off the golf course, but (I) just (wanted) to hear them talk about what they thought and what they felt is invaluable information."
Garcia, a six-time winner, is the most successful Ryder Cup player of all time after winning a record 28.5 points in previous events. Poulter is best known for his performances in the Ryder Cup and has enjoyed five victories with Team Europe.
Both players were selected by captain Padraig Harrington for the previous Ryder Cup at Whistling Straights two years ago. They aren't the only LIV stars to be snubbed this time around, with Americans Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau also absent.
Jon Rahm has spoken to Garcia and Poulter ahead of the 2023 tournament (Getty Images)Do you think LIV golfers should be allowed to play in the Ryder Cup? Let us know in the comments below!
The only LIV golfer to get the nod is Brooks Koepka, who won the USPGA Championship at Oak Hill in May. Koepka didn't qualify due to his LIV membership but was selected by Team USA captain Zach Johnson. Luke Donald is Team Europe's skipper.
Although Rahm has offered an olive branch to Poulter and Garcia, Rory McIlroy was much more dismissive in his pre-tournament press conference. The four-time major winner said: "It's certainly a little strange not having them around.
"But I think this week of all weeks, it's going to hit home with them that they are not here. I think they are going to miss being here more than we're missing them, so it's just more I think this week is a realisation that the decision that they made has led to not being a part of this week, and that's tough.
"The landscape in golf is ever-changing and more dynamic, and we'll see what happens and whether they will be part of it in the future. I always thought leading up to this week is when it's going to hit home that they are not going to be here."
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