Jon Rahm refuses to pay fines – but has Ryder Cup plan

Jon Rahm has revealed he intends to play the three DP World Tour events that would make him eligible for the Ryder Cup – but he still isn’t sure whether he will be allowed. 

Rahm has committed to the Spanish Open on September 26-29, while he also plans to tee it up in next month’s Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland and at the Andalucia Masters.

It seems that, with concern growing over his Ryder Cup eligibility, Rahm has mapped out a path to keeping his DP World Tour card despite sanctions mounting up to remain available for Luke Donald’s team for next September’s showdown at Bethpage Black.

But there is still a big stumbling block in his way.

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The Spaniard is refusing to pay the outstanding fines issued by the DP World Tour for competing in conflicting LIV events and admitted that he is still not fully convinced he will be allowed to return to play his chosen events on his old domain.

“Still talking to the DP World Tour. I intend to play in Spain,” Rahm said ahead of his $18million showdown with Joaquin Niemann for LIV’s individual title 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’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.

“I’ve said many times – I don’t go to the Spanish Open for the glory or anything else. I think it’s my duty to Spanish golf to be there. 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.”

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In a statement sent to bunkered.co.uk, a DP World Tour spokesperson responded to Rahm’s comments regarding his fines and his DP World Tour status.

“Jon has outstanding sanctions for breaches of the DP World Tour’s conflicting tournament regulation,” the statement read. “Until those outstanding sanctions are resolved, he is ineligible to play in a DP World Tour event.”

The deadline for Rahm’s entry into the Spanish Open is Thursday but it is still uncertain whether he will be teeing it up at the tournament he has won on three occasions.

Last month, Rahm’s LIV teammate Tyrrell Hatton made his own return to the DP World Tour at the British Masters and revealed he had begun an appeal process with the European circuit against his fines.

It would appear that Rahm will have to follow Hatton’s lead and appeal or indeed pay the outstanding fines to be make himself eligible again to play on the DP World Tour.

Rahm’s plan to return to Europe to fulfil his quota, meanwhile, has been complicated by the pregnancy of his wife Kelley, who is due to give birth to the couple’s third child in the coming weeks.

“We’re towards the end,” Rahm said, revealing Kelley is doing ‘really good.’

“Because of the issues we’ve had, they probably won’t let her go a lot past 38 weeks, but she keeps doing better and better, so they keep changing what her deadline is.”

Rahm said that there is a possibility that he could rush home for the birth of his daughter in between LIV’s Team Championship in Dallas and the Spanish Open.

“I think right now, most likely if the baby doesn’t come early, we might try to induce right after Dallas,” he suggested. “It could be a case where I go home, deliver the baby, and then fly Tuesday or Wednesday to Madrid.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.