Rory McIlroy Addresses LIV Golf-Related Absences at Ryder Cup: 'It's Certainly a Little Strange'

European Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter are among several mainstays missing after joining the rival tour.

ROME — LIV Golf’s impact on golf has been widespread, perhaps no more so than at the Ryder Cup.

U.S. captain Zach Johnson made it clear earlier this week that he only considered players for his picks who were within the top 20 to 25 on the points list, the unspoken part being that LIV players such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Talor Gooch were not even close because they couldn’t earn points playing in LIV Golf League events.

European captain Luke Donald answered a question about Sergio Garcia’s late effort to become part of the team either as a player or an assistant by offering to pay all of his fines and partake it what was asked. Donald said it didn’t matter, that since Garcia was no longer a member of the DP World Tour, he could not be considered.

Rory McIlroy is making his seventh Ryder Cup start, but without many teammates from previous editions.  :: Gregorio Borgia/AP

And then there is the institutional knowledge that is missing, especially on the European Ryder Cup side.

Henrik Stenson was originally named the European captain, replaced by Donald when the Swede joined LIV Golf in July 2022.

Longtime Ryder Cup participants such as Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer and Paul Casey are also not part of the scene this week in Rome and with no chance to be here due to their affiliation with LIV Golf.

"It’s certainly a little strange not having them around," Rory McIlroy said Wednesday during a news conference at Marco Simone Golf Club, where he will take part in his seventh Ryder Cup.

"But I think this week of all weeks, its going to hit home with them that they are not here and I think they are going to miss being here more than we’re missing them.

"It’s just more, I think this week is a realization that the decision that they made has led to not being a part of this week, and that’s tough."

How those players will be impacted in the future is unclear. The June 6 "framework agreement" between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia—which backs LIV Golf—is expected to bring some clarity. If there is a resolution.

Brooks Koepka is the only LIV player competing in the Ryder Cup. He finished seventh in the points for the Americans, having won the PGA Championship after tying for second at the Masters. Johnson said he was an easy pick.

But even Koepka’s participation is due to a technicality. U.S. PGA Tour players are afforded membership in the PGA of America, which makes them eligible for the Ryder Cup. Though the membership expired in June there’s a one-year grace period, under which Koepka fell. How that might be resolved going forward is another point that needs to be clarified.

"The landscape in golf is ever-changing and more dynamic," McIlroy said. "And we’ll see what happens and whether they will be part of it in the future."