Rahm calls it stupid to exclude Sergio Garcia

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Sergio García will not play with the European team in the next Ryder Cup in Rome (October 29-November 1). When he aligned himself with LIV Golf and withdrew from the European Tour he knew what his (harsh) consequences would be, but Jon Rahm in Wentworth made it clear that his friend and partner should at least be on the Marco Simone as one of the five vice-captains to support the team.

García, like the rest of the players who left the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour) for LIV Golf, sponsored by Saudi Arabia, was omitted from captain Luke Donald's list of players. Meanwhile, the American team will only have one LIV player, Brooks Koepka.

Dustin Johnson or Bryson DeChambeau have also been left out. Rahm showed in Wentworth his support for García, who has 25 wins, 13 losses and seven draws in the history of the Ryder. The Englishman Nick Faldo (23 victories) and the American Arnold Palmer (22) follow him on the all-time list.

Jon Rahm, statements

"I think it would be really stupid of anyone not to have Sergio's Ryder Cup experience," Rahm said on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship in Surrey, England. "I mean, he is the best player Europe has ever had, the one who has won the most points and he has proven it time and time again.

If he could at least be vice-captain, I would absolutely rely on him." Regarding the potential Ryder Cup careers of García and England's Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, who also moved to LIV, Rahm said: "I wouldn't know how to answer because we're going to have to see if it's possible or not.

I would like, but unfortunately we have seen some of those players give up their status on the European Tour and that is no longer a possibility. So I would like to, but we don't know what the future will bring. I think that with this agreement or this possible union between "The PGA Tour, DP World and PIF could change things a bit.

Until then, it's hard to give an answer." Rahm also spoke in the press room about the Roman event. The one from Barrika, who arrives rested at Wentworth after two weeks of rest, offered some interesting reflections on last Monday's trip to Marco Simone.

Jon said that in the European team there are no hierarchies. "I agree with what Rory said. You have more experienced players, but there's not exactly a hierarchy. On that team, we're all equal. It's all for one and one for all. It's more or less like that.

We're all there to achieve the same goal. We are all part of the same team, and what you did before and what you can do after that week, it doesn't matter at all." The Basque also responded to the question of what role he will play in Luke Donald's team.

"The same as any other Ryder Cup. Try to get as many points as I can, and hopefully get the win. Like I said, we're all the same. I can talk to the rookies if they need any advice and tell them how I handled my first Ryder and my experiences , but when you have a captain like Luke who has had a lot of success in the Ryder, a vice-captain like Txema (Olazábal) with more experiences and stories than most of us combined, I think there is very little he can say to have a big impact.

"Just be a good teammate. That's all I can do." Finally, regarding whether Europe is a favorite against the US, the Biscayan highlighted that "I think the European players have been quite successful in recent months, so I think that has contributed to some thinking that we are favorites.

But who is and who isn't doesn't really matter. As players, we can't get carried away with that. I can't say if it's right or wrong. For us, it's almost inconsequential. It just means that to the public, the European team has been playing golf, which is obviously a good thing.

But I don't think you should go into a game thinking you're a favorite and you're overconfident, and you don't want to go into a game thinking you're a big loser and have no chance. We have a team with a lot of talent, and we all have enough quality to win our games," he concluded.