Jon Rahm is required to play three more DP World Tour events by the end of the year to ensure he is eligible for selection for next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Jon Rahm has announced he intends to return to the DP World Tour later this month to compete at the Spanish Open, in a bid to keep his hopes of making the 2025 European Ryder Cup team alive – but is not willing to pay fines owed to the European-based Tour.
Rahm’s Ryder Cup future has been up in the air in recent months amid his commitments to LIV Golf. Whilst his loyalties to the LIV setup do not make the Spaniard ineligible to compete for Team Europe, it has led to complications when it comes to his DP World Tour membership.
In order to remain a member of the Wentworth-based circuit and thus eligible to compete on the Ryder Cup stage, Rahm is required to play four DP World Tour events by the end of the year.
As things stand he has played just one Tour sanctioned event, coming at last month’s Olympic Games. There had been concerns that Rahm would struggle to tick off another three tournaments amid the pregnancy of his wife Kelley with their third child.
On Tuesday (September 10), tournament organisers of the Spanish Open confirmed to Mirror Sport that they were unsure as to whether Rahm intended to compete in two weeks, with entry to the event closing on Thursday (September 12). Speaking at LIV Chicago on Wednesday however, the Legion XIII captain confirmed he is set to play his home event in Madrid later this month.
Rahm also revealed he has the intention of also teeing it up at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the beginning of October, before returning to his home country for the Andalucia Masters later that month, if the DP World Tour allows.
Still talking to the DP World Tour. I intend to play in Spain,” Rahm in Chicago “I’m entered to the tournament. We entered a long time ago. Whether they let me play or not is a different thing…
“I also want to play in Sotogrande [Andalucia Masters]. At that point, they would be doing not only me, but Spanish golf a disservice by not letting me play. That’s why we’re trying to talk to them and make that happen.
I would also love to play the Dunhill. I have a good friend who asked me to play and Johann [Rupert, tournament sponsor] has been a great ambassador for the game of golf. I would love to play those events.”
Like a number of other LIV stars, Rahm faces fines and suspensions from the DP World Tour for competing in ‘conflicting events’ on the breakaway circuit. Speaking on Wednesday though, the former PGA Tour star revealed he has no plans to pay up the fines he owes.
I’m not a big fan of the fines. I’ve been outspoken about the fines. 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.” Last month Rahm’s Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton revealed he had appealed his punishment which allowed him to compete at the British Masters, in his own quest to keep hold of his Tour status.
