Jon Rahm will see the Ryder Cup return to his home country of Spain in 2031, and the LIV Golf star believes his fellow Spaniard, Sergio Garcia, would make the perfect captain
Jon Rahm has put Sergio Garcia forward for captaincy(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Jon Rahm believes Sergio Garcia would make the perfect fit to captain the European Ryder Cup team when the event makes the trip to Spain in 2031.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Camiral in Costa Brava, near Barcelona, will host the event in six years, with the Ryder Cup heading back to Spain for the first time since 1997. Spain has a rich history in the event thanks to the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, and Garcia.
Both Ballesteros and Olazabal have captained the Europeans previously, with Ballesteros the man in charge the last time the Ryder Cup was hosted in Spain.
And Spain’s latest big star, Rahm, believes it is only right that Garcia is given the role in 2031. “I think there’s something to say about possibly having a local captain,” the Spaniard replied when asked at LIV Golf UK whether Garcia should be given the captaincy.
“I think it would do wonders for the crowd. If history shows us anything, and it’s very hard to compare anybody to Seve, but I’ve only heard stories about what that Ryder Cup was like.
“I would say, if possible, I think that’s a very obvious good choice to have Sergio be a part of that one.”
Garcia had seemingly cut all ties with the European setup, having resigned his DP World Tour membership in 2023 on the back of his move to LIV. He has since paid off a reported $1 million in fines and has been able to make a return to his home circuit, making him eligible to feature at the Ryder Cup.
🇪🇺 2031 VENUE CONFIRMED 🇪🇺
The Ryder Cup will head to @camiral_ in 2031. pic.twitter.com/yH0FN20rE5
— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) July 22, 2025
While captaining the team will definitely be on his radar, especially in Spain, the Fireballs captain still has his sights set on featuring as a player this year.
“Obviously that’s something that — I don’t want to think about it yet,” Garcia explained at The Open Championship last week.
“But it’s something that obviously would be a nice thing, a nice honor to have. I really don’t want to think about that right now. I’ve got my mind on other things.” Those other things will include featuring as a player in European colors later this year at Bethpage Black.
“Yeah, we’ve been talking. It’s no secret that we have been talking,”
Garcia explained when asked about conversations with current captain Luke Donald: “It would mean the world to me to be there. Obviously, if I can help the team, that’s my main goal; I’ve always said it.
“I think that I can bring things to the team that — to any team that would probably need it. Obviously at the end of the day, he’s going to make whatever he thinks is the best decision for him and his team, at the end of the day. So we’ll see.”