Justin Rose believes there could be a possible pathway for I an Poulter to return to the DP World Tour and captain Team Europe at a future Ryder Cup.
Having announced himself as a staple of the European setup throughout his career, Poutler was a near-guarantee to captain his continent further down the line – until his move to LIV Golf. Whilst his decision to join the LIV setup did not make the Englishman ineligible, his decision to resign from the DP World Tour did.
This has left Poulter – and the likes of Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia – exiled from the Ryder Cup camp, having played no part in Europe’s thumping victory over their American rivals at Marco Simone last October.
Amid the fallout, talks between the sport’s leading tours remain ongoing to forge some sort of peace deal, with the PGA Tour currently in negotiation with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, it was revealed by Sports Illustrated this week that LIV had reached out to the DP World Tour over ending their dispute – an offer the Wentworth-based circuit turned down.
Whilst a deal is yet to be struck, it appears some progress has been made, and if this continues Rose does see a scenario where Poulter could return to the fold. “I think the world of golf does need to start resolving itself quickly,” the former world No. 1 said at this week’s BMW PGA Championship.
“There is still a little bit of a divide between us and them. I think it’s hard to make those admissions back into the fray unless we’re all on the same path pretty quickly. I think for that to happen for Poults [becoming Ryder Cup captain], I can definitely see that pathway.”
Rose’s comments came a day after Poulter announced that he would like to make a return to the Ryder Cup setup, before resignation himself to the likelihood of never representing the European team again. Speaking to the captaincy position, Poulter urged the continued acrimony at the apex of men’s professional golf to come to an end.
As far as the Ryder Cup is concerned, it has been a massive component of my golfing life, some of the most satisfying moments of my career,” Poulter opined to Al Arabiya English. “I would like to think that at some stage there will be a convergence that could allow the likes of myself…the chance to become captain.
We will have to wait and watch the result, there must be some kind of bargaining to be made. As much as I wish, I have not seen it happen. Poulter is however not oblivious of the present challenges that has dampened the peace between LIV players and the DP World Tour. “The rules that has them are very hard – there’s no middle ground,” he said further.
I believe players are fully alert of the fact that they must feature their minimum volume on the European tour to qualify to play. I think it is quite hard for me specifically – in fact, I am kind of caught in a slightly awkward position; I can no longer be a member therefore, I can, in any way, virtually be a Vice Captain or Captain of the team unless I decide to join it again.
“It is, by no means, ideal, but it is the situation in which the tour is committed.” Both the LIV setup and DP World Tour will hold their flagship events this week; the Team Championship will be held in Dallas while the BMW PGA Championship will be at Wentworth.