Rory McIlroy has urged LIV Golf pair and Ryder Cup teammates Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to cement their Ryder Cup futures by paying their DP World Tour fines worth millions of dollars.
Spain’s Rahm and England’s Hatton were part of Team Europe’s memorable 15-13 victory over Team USA at Bethpage Black last September which saw them collect the title away from home for the first time since the ‘Miracle in Medinah’ in 2012.
The pair defected to the Saudi-backed circuit and were only able to take part in the biennial team contest after they lodged appeals against their fines in 2024 which they received for taking part in LIV Golf events despite still being members of the DP World Tour. Their cases are yet to be heard leaving doubt on whether they will be able to line up as part of Team Europe’s squad for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland.
However, McIlroy has pleaded on the pair to “prove” their loyalty to the Ryder Cup by paying their fines.
Speaking ahead of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, when asked if it would be easier if Rahm and Hatton paid their fines, the Northern Irishman responded: “Absolutely, yeah.
“We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup and we also said that we would pay to play in Ryder Cups. There are two guys that can prove it.”
McIlroy has been one of the biggest critics of LIV Golf and over the years has denounced the circuit. The Masters champion believes it is right for the DP World Tour to stand firm on their rules of delivering sanctions to those competing in LIV Golf events without permission.
“I think any organisation or any members’ organisation like this has a right to uphold its rules and regulations,” McIlroy added.
“What the DP World Tour is doing is upholding its rules and regulations. We, as members, sign a document at the start of every year, which has you agree to these rules and regulations.
“The people that made the option to go to LIV knew what they were. So I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”
Additionally, McIlroy believes both the PGA TOUR and LIV Golf have grown ‘too far apart’ to reunify.
“I just don’t see a world where it can happen at this point. I don’t see a world where the two or three sides or whoever it is will give up enough.
“For reunification to happen, every side is going to feel like they will have lost, where you really want every side to feel like they have won. I think they are just too far apart for that to happen.”