Pebble Beach Winner Justin Rose: Ryder Cup Won’t Be ‘Devalued’ Without LIV Golfers

We already know that the U.S. Ryder Cup team will not have the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and others who have joined LIV Golf in the past year.

The fate of European players like Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter is in the hands of a British independent panel that’s meeting this week to determine if LIV golfers can still play on the DP World Tour.

But even if they aren’t allowed, Justin Rose—who might automatically qualify for his sixth Ryder Cup after winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Monday—said that the event wouldn’t be devalued without those longtime Ryder Cup players.

An illustrious career 🏆@JustinRose99 is no stranger to the spotlight. pic.twitter.com/jgUhDYQx8P

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 7, 2023

Rose told BBC Radio 5 Live:

“People like watching Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter. They bring a lot of passion. They will be missed, for sure, but it is what it is. Poults and [Henrik] Stenson have been partners of mine in many Ryder Cup matches and we’ve won an awful lot of points together so, from that point of view, I’ll miss them out there. …It’s all good either way.”

The resident of England said that he was courted by LIV Golf, but ultimately, the ability to remain in good standing via the Official World Golf Ranking was the determining factor in staying on the PGA Tour.

Rose explained:

“I couldn’t get away from the fact I wanted to play major championship golf. I don’t have exemptions down the line so my clean way into the majors is maintaining a good world ranking. So [joining LIV Golf] became a null and void, a non-negotiable from my point of view.”

Rose, who snapped a four-year win drought with his 11^th PGA Tour title, is also the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in golf. He lost his automatic qualification for the Masters, putting a 12-year majors streak in jeopardy, but his win at Pebble Beach means he will be playing in Augusta in April.

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