Jon Rahm could win £14m this week – but bigger question remains

The fate of Jon Rahm’s first season at LIV Golf will be determined this weekend – but a big clue about his Ryder Cup intentions could come even sooner.

Rahm pitches up in Chicago this week with £14million on the line as he closes in on LIV’s individual title.

Only Joaquin Niemann can stop the Spaniard – who has not finished outside the top ten in a LIV event he has played in – winning that eye-watering bonus as the Saudi-backed breakaway’s best player in 2024.

But the uncertainty over Rahm’s eligibility for next year’s Ryder Cup is in even sharper focus.

Before teeing it up in Illinois, the deadline for Rahm to submit entry for the upcoming Spanish Open on the DP World Tour ends.

And twelve months ago, the prospect of Rahm committing to his home Open in Madrid was hardly newsworthy information.

Yet such is the bizarre position Rahm has found himself in since joining LIV, time is running out for the two-time major champion to remain available for Luke Donald’s side for the 2025 match at Bethpage.

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Rahm still needs to play three DP World Tour events before the end of the season in November to fulfil the minimum quota required to remain a member on the European circuit.

If he doesn’t, he won’t even be eligible for one of Donald’s six wildcard picks and the chances of Europe winning on US soil would suffer a major blow.

Which is why the entry list into the £2.9m Spanish Open feels so unusually important.

Should he play in the Spanish capital, Rahm would be two events down after the Olympics counted as a DP World Tour start. That tournament precedes the Dunhill Links, the Andalucia Masters, the French Open and the Genesis Championship which takes place in South Korea.

And if Rahm only plays in one of these events, he may struggle to qualify for the DP World Tour playoffs comprising of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Championship and DP World Tour Championship.

Speaking to bunkered.co.uk and a handful of other reporters at the British Masters last month, captain Donald made it clear that Rahm’s fate is very much in his own hands.

“I’ve had many conversations with Jon,” Donald explained at The Belfry. “He knows what the deal is. Nothing has changed from last year. He knew when he signed for LIV what the policies were on the DP World Tour. You have to play your four per all the policies you can pay the fines or appeal like some of the guys have. He knows that. It’s up to him to do that.

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“He certainly mentioned at the PGA Championship he was willing to do whatever it took to commit to me and the team. I hope that happens.”

The situation for Tyrrell Hatton, Rahm’s LIV teammate and inspirational partner from the 2023 match, is less precarious.

Hatton competed at The Belfry last month and is one event away from meeting his quota after making two DP World Tour starts in the Middle East before his LIV switch. The Englishman’s entry into the British Masters came with a pending appeal against the sanctions imposed against him for playing in the conflicting LIV events.

Crucially, Hatton has also already signalled his plans to appear in Spain and will then play in the Dunhill Links alongside his father.

On Hatton, Donald added: “I hope he can be one of the guys that I can look for next year as someone that’s eligible.”

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.