The DP World Tour papered over a wide crack for the purposes of the 2025 Ryder Cup, allowing two European superstars to represent the team again at Bethpage State Park. But surely this can only last so long.
At some stage, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will have to come out and face the music if they want to truly become one of the continent’s greatest pairs in the history of the matches with America.
To refresh your memory, Rahm and Hatton faced fines and suspensions for signing and playing in LIV Golf events, as per the DP World Tour’s conflicting event rules, after their controversial moves to the Saudi-backed tour were complete at the start of 2024.
Their LIV Golf colleagues and fellow Ryder Cup heroes Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia abandoned their longstanding DP World Tour memberships in 2023 to avoid paying these astronomic fines. Something had to give, and it was these legendary stalwarts that wilted.
A cloud hung over Rahm and Hatton, as fans questioned how they could navigate suspensions to play the four DP World Tour events they needed to keep their memberships, and play for Europe at the Ryder Cup we just saw in New York. Europe would quite simply be lost and face a huge battle in beating the USA without them, given their talismanic presence and impeccable matchplay records.
But they appealed their fines, which opened the door to play on the DP World Tour. The appeal process conveniently lasted through the Ryder Cup, and Europe won. The fines might be stacking up, but certainly, as far as Rahm is concerned, he reportedly has no intention of paying a penny of what he owes to his home tour. As of next year, LIV is going to stop footing the fine bill for its players, too.
NCG understands from a source that there is no time/date set for the appeals to be heard, and it is something the respective legal teams are communicating on and working on together. While Hatton competed back on the DP World Tour in Abu Dhabi in the week starting November 3, nothing was discussed with the fiery Englishman at the tournament, and it is something the legal representatives handle.
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“It’ll be interesting to see how the @DPWorldTour handle @JonRahmOfficial and @TyrrellHatton,” Westwood posted on X on November 17. “Their appeal must be due anytime now, and it’ll be interesting to see if their bans, fines, suspensions are consistent with previous one. Tricky time and decisions coming up for the DPWT. Caught between a rock and a hard place.”
There is a hush-hush nature to all of this, but we aren’t totally in the dark.
In April 2024, DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings was quizzed on Rahm, Hatton and fines with reference to the Ryder Cup just gone.
“If you look at the eligibility criteria for 2023, then I think there has been a slight misconception,” he said.
“The reality is, under the current rules, if a player is European, a member of the DP World Tour and abides by the rules – if you don’t get a release (to play in LIV events), there are sanctions and you take those penalties – there is no reason why players who have taken LIV membership could not qualify or be available for selection.”
His words rang true, only at that stage, we didn’t know that abiding by the rules meant taking advantage of a lengthy appeal process. “All suspensions will count, and you have to serve them – We’re not in a position to be changing rules that we’ve had to go to court to defend.”
So the DP World Tour aren’t going to bend for Rahm and Hatton after the appeal process is over. At one stage, it looked as though bending wouldn’t be required, as talks were ongoing between the Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV, and the PGA Tour to bring the game’s ‘civil war’ to a conclusion. A peace deal was made public in June 2023, but i’s needed to be dotted and t’s needed to be crossed.
Rahm’s very move to LIV was a sign that these talks weren’t progressing as planned, given the PGA Tour had just seen another star join LIV’s rebel ranks, with others being Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka.
If that straw tickled the camel’s back, the PGA Tour’s deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) broke it. SSG is a US-based sports investment consortium that has committed billions of dollars to the tour, which will see players access respective chunks of equity based on their performances.
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Once the PGA Tour was financially secure and no longer scrabbling for loose change to compete with LIV, the PIF talks dissolved into a state of non-existence. That image of everyone holding hands, and with the DP World Tour warmly embracing Rahm and Hatton, was gone.
What now? Stenson might have just provided a blueprint. The Swede was removed as European Ryder Cup captain when he moved to LIV in 2022, but now that he has been relegated from the league with nowhere to turn in 2026, he has coughed up his fines and can now compete under the legend’s category.
The bottom line is: Rahm and Hatton’s appeal process cannot last forever, and LIV is closing the bank.
The DP World Tour won’t change its rules, so its fines and suspensions will need to be addressed. If they aren’t addressed, Rahm and Hatton cannot be members and cannot play at the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland. Europe haven’t lost a home Ryder Cup since 1993, but almost certainly will if that pair doesn’t play.
Something has to give. And the inevitable solution would appear to be an undisclosed agreement that allows both sides to save face.
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