Luke Donald is breathing a little easier as he steps into his third term as European Ryder Cup captain. For the first time in a while, he doesn't have to lose sleep over whether Jon Rahm will be wearing the blue and gold at the matches.

And honestly, that alone makes this captaincy off to a flying start.

The drama surrounding Rahm’s eligibility has been one of the biggest storylines in European golf. The Spanish superstar had previously turned down a European tour offer—one that eight other LIV Golf players accepted—which would have allowed him to compete in the rival league without penalty. All he had to do was pay his outstanding fines, play in a set number of tour events, and drop his appeal.

Rahm, who had previously accused the European tour of "extortion," announced last week that the two sides had finally reached an agreement. The deal clears the way for him to be eligible for the 2027 matches in Ireland.

Donald, for his part, says he had no hand in brokering the peace. But he’s certainly not complaining about the outcome.

"It’s not my job to tell Jon what to do," Donald said. "But obviously, I’m very delighted that a resolution has happened and that he’s available as someone that can be a part of the Ryder Cup team. He’s played in four—two under my captaincy—and done extremely well. So to have him available for selection is pretty cool."

Still, the bigger picture remains hazy. The golf world is waiting to see what happens with LIV Golf next year, especially as it loses the financial backing of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Team Europe hasn’t even announced its qualifying process yet—that usually doesn’t kick off until about a year out from the matches.

"We don’t really know what’s going to happen with LIV," Donald admitted. "Obviously, you have to think about that in terms of qualification criteria."

There’s also the question of how well LIV players will be welcomed back to the European tour fold, particularly Rahm, who has been vocal about his frustrations with the tour’s policies.

Donald, ever the diplomat, has a simple philosophy for keeping the team united.

"I like to use the phrase, ‘Even brothers fight sometimes.’ But deep down, they love each other, and the mission is pretty clear when we play a Ryder Cup, and that’s to win," he said. "They understand that putting those feelings—those egos of different personalities, personal things—to one side is important if you’re going to win."

For now, the captain can focus on building a winning team, with one of his biggest stars firmly back in the picture.