Jon Rahm appealed DP World Tour sanctions for playing on LIV Golf in late 2024, and while he may not know when an independent panel will hear his case, he does know where he intends to be this fall. The Spaniard has every plan to play in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black when the Europeans attempt to claim the cup on United States soil for the first time since 2012.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future,” Rahm said, “but I can tell you my plan is to be on that team at Bethpage.”
Rahm filed an appeal this past fall when the DP World Tour imposed monetary fines against the Spaniard for playing on LIV Golf. The two-time major champion was especially upset with having to pay fines for playing in LIV Golf tournaments across from DP World Tour tournaments he would not normally play. In accordance with DP World Tour regulations, Rahm is eligible for events on the European circuit while the appeal is pending.
This process was crucial for Rahm’s chances to play in the 2025 Ryder Cup as members of the European team must be members of the DP World Tour. The tour requires players to compete in at least four events and thus maintain Ryder Cup eligibility. Rahm played in three DP World Tour tournaments last fall, which fulfilled his duties as his start in the 2024 Paris Olympics also counted towards the minimum.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I’m hoping they don’t try to settle the appeal before the Ryder Cup,” Rahm said. “I don’t think that would be good for anybody, but my plan is to be at Bethpage.”
Rahm is not the only player who is currently going through this process as his fellow LIV golfers Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk are as well. They remain eligible to compete on the DP World Tour during this time — like all three are this week in Dubai — but fines and suspensions could start adding up again whenever the panel decides to set a hearing date and hinder their chances of playing in the biennial match.
Rahm is currently 17th in the European Ryder Cup rankings and sandwiched between teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry. Meanwhile, Hatton has climbed all the way up to third thanks to his win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and a strong finish to the 2024 DP World Tour season.
“He has his thoughts and he doesn’t agree with the fines and paying fines, especially for events that he would never have played on the DP World Tour,” European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald said last fall. “But those rules are the rules, and they were certainly in place when he signed with LIV.”
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