Jon Rahm has been unable to maintain some of his top golf from recent years, but Luke Donald is OK with that.
"Jon is a member of the European Tour, he’s eligible to be picked and still one of our best players. Unless his form drastically takes off, I expect him to be there for us," Donald told Fox News Digital in an interview earlier this year.
Donald's expectations became reality when Rahm got the call to compete in his fourth Ryder Cup.
Jon Rahm reacts after making his putt during the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The two-time major champion was one of the best golfers on the PGA Tour before he made a highly controversial move to LIV Golf.
At one point, Rahm said his "heart" was with the PGA Tour, and "$400 million ... would not" change his lifestyle one bit.
However, after earning $51,546,651 on the PGA Tour (he has since won another $2,002,117 in majors), Rahm defected to LIV for a deal reportedly worth more than $300 million, with some outlets reporting it could be $450 million.
Jon Rahm celebrates after beating the United States in the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN)
He has also won a reported $88 million in prize money, including an individual title last year.
Rahm's best finishes in the majors this year were T7 at the U.S. Open and T8 at the PGA Championship. Those two finishes alone earned him more than $1 million.
Jon Rahm reacts as he walks up the 18th hole during the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. (Adam Cairns/USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN)
While Rahm's best golf has been hard to come by, Donald made it clear he wanted to keep as close to the same roster as he could from 2023.