Rory McIlroy has told Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to put their money where their mouths are (Image: Getty)
Rory McIlroy has been told “it’s not same” after he encouraged Ryder Cup colleagues Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to settle fines totalling more than £4million. The duo were penalised for competing in LIV Golf tournaments while still members of the DP World Tour, although they lodged appeals and their cases remain unresolved.
This permitted them to remain eligible for Europe’s Ryder Cup squad, where both delivered impressive performances as Luke Donald’s team secured a memorable triumph at Bethpage Black last year. During that tournament, a passionate European side declared they would pay to compete, rather than receive payment like their United States counterparts, who earned £373,000 each. England’s Hatton and Spain’s Rahm, who are colleagues on the Legion XIII team in LIV, need their cases to be settled in their favour to be considered for the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland.
McIlroy believes there’s a straightforward solution. When questioned at a press conference before the Hero Dubai Desert Classic about whether matters would be simpler if the pair simply settled their fines, he 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.”
However, Sky Sports golf pundit, presenter and former professional Rob Lee has maintained that Ryder Cup appearance fees and DP World Tour fines are separate issues and should not be conflated. Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, he said: “It’s a slightly different thing because the Americans got paid for being in the Ryder Cup. This is a fines situation, trying to clear the decks.
Rahm and Hatton have big decisions to make (Image: Getty)
Lee agreed that Hatton and Rahm should to settle their fines to prevent the issue from lingering. He continued: “I think the way out of it is Jon and Tyrrell settle themselves, square themselves off and we go from there.
“I don’t think that’s the same thing as the Americans getting paid. It’s a completely different thing. But it would seem the time has come to take care of this thing.
“They must be sick of it, they must be fed up of it, Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton, this thing hanging over them. It’s been in arbitration, it’s sitting there like the elephant in the room.
McIlroy and Rahm are long-time Ryder Cup colleagues (Image: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
“Surely you just want to get past that and move forward. That has to happen somewhere, unless there’s a mechanism for kicking the can down the road even further.”
However, Rahm, whose fines amount to around £2.6m, has suggested he has no plans to pay up. Hatton is understood to be more receptive to resolving matters financially, though he provided no clarification on the situation when questioned last week.
Earlier this week, Patrick Reed confirmed he was departing LIV Golf to rejoin the PGA Tour. The 35-year-old, who signed with LIV Golf in 2022, becomes the second big name, after Brooks Koepka, to leave the lucrative Saudi Arabia-backed series.
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