"I don't think it will be devalued" - Justin Rose on Ryder Cup competition without LIV players
There is a very good chance that LIV Golf players won't be allowed to participate in the Ryder Cup in the future, but Justin Rose isn't concerned about it. In fact, he doesn't think it changes much at all.
He said this about the issue via the BBC:
"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."
He continued:
"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?"
Justin Rose also mentioned that he does miss his old partners, as he knows that they made their decisions:
"Poults and Stenson have been partners of mine in many Ryder Cup matches and we've won an awful lot of points together so from that point of view, I'll miss them out there. I have seen them socially. I still text and call guys. Everyone can make their own decision, I do not think badly of them for doing that and they are still my mates."
To Rose's credit, he seems to be one of the most neutral PGA Tour stars towards LIV Golf. He also understands that choices have consequences and he's not worried about what might happen to his old friends.
Justin Rose considered joining LIV Golf
Justin Rose's neutrality may be because he very nearly joined LIV himself. He said he considered it and that it sounded pretty good on paper:
"There have been moments where it all sounds pretty good on paper. The concept itself has been around for seven years and there are elements where it sounds really, really cool."
He said one key thing stopped him:
"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."
The Englishman added that playing majors was important to him, so he couldn't walk away:
"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."
Many stars have joined the LIV Golf league for a variety of reasons. These include player control, money (a big one for a lot of players), or the particular schedule and location of some events.
It was all very appealing for Justin Rose, but he cares too much about playing the majors and being able to rank up on the OWGR leaderboard.