Jon Rahm handed Ryder Cup boost after Rory McIlroy's defiant statement

Jon Rahm is inching closer to securing a spot on Team Europe's 2025 Ryder Cup team after representing Spain at the Olympics .

Rahm was among the 60 golfers vying for gold at Le Golf National, donning Spanish colors alongside his compatriot and fellow LIV golfer, David Puig. With just one round left, Rahm seemed poised for gold, being tied for the lead with Xander Schauffele.

Unfortunately for the former Masters champion, a challenging Sunday in Paris saw him slide down the leaderboard, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler ultimately clinching the gold medal. However, it wasn't all doom and gloom for Rahm, who boosted his chances of participating in next year's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York.

READ MORE: Nelly Korda pokes fun at her own family over little-known Olympics streak
READ MORE: Jon Rahm receives Rory McIlroy criticism after Paris Olympics collapse

Rahm's future in Team Europe was cast into doubt late last year when he chose to make a lucrative switch to LIV Golf. While this didn't render him ineligible to compete under European colors in the future, it did bring about numerous complications. The DP World Tour has penalized and suspended its members for participating in 'conflicting' LIV events, leading to the resignation of memberships by the likes of Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, and Lee Westwood.

According to Team Europe rules, players must be members of the Wentworth-based circuit to participate in the Ryder Cup. Fortunately, Rahm has chosen to maintain his membership for now, but this does not guarantee him a spot on Luke Donald's team.

While Rahm has not resigned his membership, he would automatically lose it if he did not participate in at least four DP World Tour events throughout the year. Despite his ties to LIV, Rahm's name has not appeared on a DP World Tour entry list - except in Paris.

The DP World Tour confirmed to Mirror US Sports that Rahm's participation in last week's Olympics counts as a DP World Tour start, meaning he only needs to play in three more events to retain his membership. Speaking at last month's Open, the Legion XIII captain expressed his intention to return to the DP World Tour once the LIV season concludes in September.

Rahm disclosed his hopes to play in his native Spanish Open, provided the birth of his first child with his wife Kelley proceeds without complications. The Tour will return to Spain a month later for the Andalucia Masters, offering Rahm another opportunity to compete before his home crowd.

Only seven events remain on the DP World Tour calendar after the close of the 2024 LIV Golf season. These include six regular tournaments and the climactic DP World Tour Championship in early November. Rahm, should he desire to add Dubai's finale to his itinerary, will need to secure a top-50 position in the Race to Dubai from his other competitions.

Rory McIlroy, an outspoken LIV critic, has been vouching for Rahm to participate in the 2025 Ryder Cup ever since he jumped to LIV last December. "Jon is going to be in Bethpage in 2025," McIlroy confidently stated post-Rahm's switch, having advocated for eligibility rule amendments to allow his three-time teammate to partake.