LIV Golf players won’t devalue Ryder Cup if they get thumbs-up, says Justin Rose

England star Justin Rose has insisted that LIV Golfers won’t devalue the Ryder Cup this year in Rome, if they are allowed into the competition.

The final selection of the European team hinges on this week’s arbitration hearing in London, which will establish if LIV golfers can play on the DP World Tour.

If banned they will have limited chances to qualify for the Ryder Cup.

The United States have already said their 12-man team will not feature any players competing on the LIV tour.

Rose, who won his first PGA Tour event in four years on Monday and has featured the Ryder Cup five times, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “There is so much strength in depth I don’t think it will be devalued.

“People like watching Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter [who have all joined the LIV Golf circuit].

“They bring a lot of passion.

“They will be missed for sure but it is what it is.

“You have the powers that be, the traditional people who kind of still have control of golf, and you have an upstart league which is trying to bring in a fresh idea and rival product.

“It’s all good either way, it’s just can both fit together in this scenario.”

If players from the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV tournament are banned from playing on the DP World Tour they will have limited chances to earn qualifying points for the six automatic places in Europe’s 12-man team to face the USA in Rome from September 29 to October 1.

There are 14 LIV Golf events scheduled for 2023 but the Official World Golf Ranking board does not currently award them points.

Rose has admitted that he did contemplate joining LIV, but it was the uncertainty around world ranking points which was a “non-negotiable”.

“There have been moments where it all sounds pretty good on paper,” said the 42-year-old.

“The concept itself has been around for seven years and there are elements where it sounds really, really cool.

“The fact there was never a moment in time when all the top players could get behind it because there were too many unanswered questions, specifically around world ranking points, that was the major hurdle I faced with the decision.

“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 that became a null and void, a non-negotiable from my point of view.”

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