Looking beyond that, Rahm was adamant that his friend, mentor and fellow LIV golfer, Sergio Garcia, 45, should be the captain in 2031 given the impact on Spanish golf felt by five-time major champion Ballesteros skippering the 1997 home team to a 14½-13½ victory over Tom Kite’s U.S. side.

There are more contenders than there are places on the team for both squads, making the next month potentially very interesting.