Spanish golfer Jon Rahm welcomed Girona's selection as the host of the 2031 Ryder Cup on Wednesday, noting that it would be a good decision for fellow golfer Sergio García to captain the European team, as Severiano Ballesteros did at Valderrama (Cádiz) in 1997.
Jon Rahm, results
Rahm considered it "a very good decision" for Sergio García to play a prominent role in the team competition that will pit the best American and European players against each other at the Camiral Resort Golf & Wellness course in Caldes de Malavella (Girona) in six years' time.
“The possibility of having a local captain would be fantastic for the public. If history teaches us anything—and it's very difficult to compare someone to Seve, but I've only heard stories about how that Ryder Cup went—I would say that, if possible, it would be a very good decision for Sergio to participate in it,” Rahm argued at a press conference in the English town of Uttoxeter on the occasion of the UK tournament of the LIV, the Saudi-backed tour.
Sergio García, 45, holds the record for Ryder Cup points for a team (28.5) in the ten times he has participated in the tournament between 1999 and 2021.
Rahm, who has participated in three Ryder Cups, said it would be “absolutely incredible to play it on home soil.”
“I don't think I can describe it. Both Paris (2018) and Rome (2023) were so special that thinking about playing one in Spain was impossible for me to put into words. I don't know how to feel. It definitely comes with a certain amount of pressure, but it would be a dream come true,” the Basque golfer emphasized.
He recalled that only four Spaniards participated in the 1997 Ryder Cup, with Ballesteros as captain; Miguel Ángel Jiménez as vice-captain; and José María Olazábal and Nacho Garrido as players.
“So only four people can say they've done that. I don't know how many players can say they've played a Ryder Cup in their countries. Not many, except for the American team, obviously. But it would be incredible. I'm very happy it's happening. I hope to be a part of it in one way or another,” the “Lion of Barrika” added.
