Jon Rahm has stated that he intends to take part in three DP World Tour events over the coming weeks but refuses to pay his outstanding fines as his pursuit to compete in the 2025 Ryder Cup remains blurred.
The LIV golfer, who has won once on the Saudi-backed tour in 2024, was a key figure in Europe’s 16½-11½ victory in Rome in 2023. However, the chances of the Spaniard appearing in the 2025 iteration of the event in the United States remain uncertain.
Rahm was fined for competing in the LIV Golf tournaments which clashed with DP World Tour events without gaining permission, an issue he believe will prevent him from playing the three required DP World Tour events, as European players must participate in four events annually to maintain their membership.
The former World No. 1 has already planned to play the three events that he is required to, the Spanish Open, Dunhill Links Championship, and Andalucia Masters, but it is unclear whether he will be allowed to tee off in those events.
Speaking ahead of the LIV Golf Chicago event, Rahm stated that he was “still talking to the DP World Tour.”
“I intend to play in Spain. I’m entered into the tournament. We entered a long time ago. Whether they let me play or not is a different thing.
“I’m not a big fan of the fines. I think I’ve been outspoken about that. I don’t intend to pay the fines and we keep trying to have a discussion with them about how we can make this happen.
“I’ve said many times, I don’t go to the Spanish Open for the glory or anything else. I think it’s my duty to Spanish golf to be there, and I also want to play in Sotogrande [Andalucia Masters]. At that point, it would almost be doing not only me but Spanish golf a disservice by not letting me play.”
Former European Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington believes that the rules that are in place must be upheld.
“You know, we had this situation back in my day where players playing on the US Tour were refusing to come back and play enough events and wanted dispensations and exemptions,” 2021 captain Harrington said.
“If anybody knows me, I’m a stickler for the rules. Whatever the rules say, you know the rules and you stick to them. I’m a big fan of Jon [Rahm], I’m friends with Jon but if the rules are written down, that’s just the way it is.
“The Ryder Cup is bigger than just the match. It is the backbone of the European Tour. The European Tour doesn’t have a lot of leverage to get players to come back across and play here. The Ryder Cup is the carrot that we use to get people to come back.
“It is a very tough situation for Luke Donald and the Ryder Cup in the sense of they really do want to have the best team. There is a case for saying, you know, give ourselves the best chance of winning, that’s as important a factor as anything in keeping the European Tour at the forefront of golf.
“But the 12th guy who qualifies by sticking to the rules gets bumped out, he’s not going to be happy if somebody else has not stuck to the rules. We can’t forget that person, either.”
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