Jon Rahm warned by Ryder Cup captain at PGA Championship in unexpected turn

was outperformed by Luke Donald during the first round of the in a slight concern for the Spaniard. Donald exceeded all expectations by hitting four under par at Quail Hollow.

Rahm is desperate to be included in Donald's European team for the . The LIV Golf star is still battling to be made eligible for the tournament due to his participation on the Saudi-backed rebel tour. Team Europe's captain hopes Rahm can be available but a place in the 12-man team. Rahm, who is 29th in the Ryder Cup rankings, will likely rely on being selected by Donald.

So the 30-year-old's relative struggle in the first round at the PGA Championship will have been a disappointment. He hit one under par during a tough round in North Carolina.

The man who will decide Rahm's fate fared far better. Donald was the story of the day as he hit four under par. As non-playing captain of the Ryder Cup team whose very best days are behind him, it was a spectacular achievement that might have left Rahm feeling a tinge of embarrassment.

Donald would ideally like Rahm as part of his Ryder Cup team. However, he wants the two-time major champion to earn his selection.

The 47-year-old said this week: "I certainly think it's a little too early to be giving anyone firm assurances right now. We have three majors, elevated events, plenty of other events, (DP World Tour) Rolex Series events to play. I want them to go out and feel like they go and earn it.

"I would love for them to be eligible. But again, I'm not involved in that process. That is not my role. I'll leave that up to [DP World Tour CEO] Guy [Kinnings]. I think he can answer that one better than me.

"We do have a lot of stats. In terms of Jon, he's one of the best players in the world, and I would expect him to be on that team, but I certainly haven't given him those assurances. He still needs to keep going and playing just like everyone else. Again, no assurances have been given right now."

In eight previous starts at Quail Hollow, Donald has missed the cut five times and withdrawn once. He had been cut in all five of his starts this year. He joked afterwards: "Obviously, I've been trending with all the missed cuts coming into this week."