Jon Rahm rejects European tour compromise for LIV golfers. His Ryder Cup status now in question
Two-time major champion Jon Rahm has turned down a deal from the European tour that would have allowed him to compete on LIV Golf events without penalty provided he pay his previous fines, play in stipulated European tour events and drop his appeal.
The Spaniard’s decision puts at risk his eligibility for the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland, pending his appeal of previous fines for playing the Saudi-funded league without a conflicting event release.
The DP World Tour said Saturday that eight LIV players, including four-time Ryder Cup player Tyrrell Hatton, have agreed to the conditions. The others are Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig and Elvis Smylie. All but Smylie, who is from Australia, are eligible for the Ryder Cup.
Rahm’s former manager, Jeff Koski, who now serves as general manager of his Legion XIII team on LIV, did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
The tour said it has granted conditional releases for those eight players to compete on the LIV Golf League in 2026 because they agreed to pay all outstanding fines for not getting releases, to play in events designated by the tour and drop any pending appeals.
The deal was not offered to Sergio Garcia and others because they have resigned as members.
The conditions were specific to each of the eight players, though it would require players to compete in more than the bare minimum to keep European tour membership. They also would be included in media and promotional activities.
Rahm has been bullish about not paying fines for playing LIV without a release from the European tour. He has appealed those fines, a case that has not been heard. That enabled him to play in the Ryder Cup last year at Bethpage Black that Europe won.
An arbitrational panel in the U.K., Sports Resolution, ruled in April 2023 the tour had the right to penalize players as a membership organization. If the panel rules in favor of the tour again, Rahm would be required to settle his fines or lose his membership, which would keep him off the Ryder Cup team next year.
Rahm was the reigning Masters champion when he bolted for LIV Golf for the 2024 season, at a time when the PGA Tour and European tour were negotiating with the Saudi wealth fund that provides the financial muscle for the rival league. Those negotiations have fizzled, and the tours are now going their separate ways.
Rahm has played six times on the European tour the last two years, three of them in Spain. He said ahead of the Spanish Open in 2024, “I am not a fan of the fines and don’t intend to pay them.”
Rory McIlroy said in Dubai earlier this year about the outstanding fines for Rahm and Hatton, “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’s two guys that can prove it.”
The European tour’s position is having those players compete in additional tournaments ultimately would add value, though Rahm and Hatton as Ryder Cup veterans would provide the biggest boost to some of the fields. Rahm is a former world No. 1 with major wins at the Masters and U.S. Open.
The tour said Hatton and the other seven players would not face any penalties and would retain their membership for the rest of 2026 if they abide by the conditions.
“The releases apply for the 2026 season only and they are not precedent-setting,” the tour said in a statement. “Requests for releases will continue to be considered on their individual merits in accordance with the regulations that all members agree to abide by.”
The PGA Tour, which has an alliance with the European tour, recently created a “returning members” program when Brooks Koepka came back after four years on LIV Golf. It was offered to players who had won majors since the launch of LIV Golf in 2022 — Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith. They chose to stay with LIV.
Meanwhile, former Masters champion Patrick Reed chose not to renew his deal with LIV and is playing a European tour schedule. Already with two wins, he is virtually a lock to be back on the PGA Tour next year.
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