Rory McIlroy Happy Jon Rahm Signed DP World Tour Deal

Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm — (Image credit: Getty Images)

They may not have seen eye-to-eye on the topic, but Rory McIlroy is glad Jon Rahm finally got his deal sorted with the DP World Tour.

McIlroy is especially happy Rahm has secured his Ryder Cup eligibility for next year, to ensure he'll be available for Luke Donald's European side at Adare Manor.

The news of LIV Golf's impending loss of Saudi PIF funding led to Rahm and the DP World Tour striking a deal.

And that's a relief for McIlroy who hopes they can now put the matter to bed.

“I think it's good that we have it all behind us,” McIlroy said on Golf Channel ahead of the Truist Championship.

“I think as a European Ryder Cup player, we all know that having Jon on the team is better than not having him on the team.

Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship

“So look, I'm glad that they came to an agreement. It took him a little longer to get there than some of the other guys, but he got there in the end, thankfully.

“It's good that we can put that behind us and move forward.”

Although the two had kept things pretty cordial, the disagreement could have led to some awkwardness if the matter dragged on any longer.

Having Rahm back in the fold well over a year before the Ryder Cup heads to Ireland will also be a relief for captain Donald.

Europe's success has always been built on the bond between the players, and as Donald bids for a historic hat-trick of wins he will need his big dogs to be on the same page.

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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.