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Bernd Wiesberger is uniquely placed to talk about Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton’s return to the DP World Tour under appeal of their fines.
And he’s not happy about it.
Wiesberger played on the breakaway LIV Golf league during its inaugural two seasons but returned to his old domain in Europe in 2024. To make the full-time switch back, the eight-time Tour winner served a lengthy ban and LIV settled his fines that totalled a rumoured £1.5million.
Just like Rahm and Hatton, Wiesberger appealed against his own penalties in the summer of 2022, with his sanctions stayed until the appeal in April last year.
Rahm and Hatton are both now allowed to compete on the DP World Tour having appealed the sanctions imposed against them for playing in conflicting LIV events without permission.
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The duo – so crucial for Europe in last year’s Ryder Cup – are eligible for selection for Luke Donald’s side at Bethpage Black in 2025 as they can tick off the events they need to retain their Tour memberships under appeal.
But Wiesberger isn’t convinced by what can be deemed a temporary stay of execution.
“I don’t really like the look of it, purely for the reason that I’ve done all my fines and my sanctions and I wasn’t able to play tournaments on this Tour as a full member,” the Austrian told reporters at the Irish Open at Royal County Down.
“I was going to play the Barracuda Championship and this Tour was unable to get me in the field because it was a co-sanctioned event (with the PGA Tour), which left a pretty sour taste in my mouth.”
For clarity, the event Wiesberger was denied from played in was solely run by the PGA Tour and not a co-sanctioned event. He was ineligible under the American circuit’s rules having competed on LIV in the previous year.
“This ‘going around corners’ now, I don’t really like it, but I like that we have the best players possible playing our tournaments,” he added. “It’s a little bit of a conundrum in that sense for me.
“It opens a lot of, I’m not saying loopholes, but a lot of question marks. It will be a process.
“I will most likely attend the AGM on Monday in Wentworth and hear if there’s some kind of statement from the Tour there towards its members and stakeholders. It will be interesting to hear. For me, having to go through all the fines and sanctions that I had – I’m not getting any money back I’m sure.”
Rahm and Hatton both plan to play in the upcoming Spanish Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but as of yet no date has been set for their appeal.
Regardless, it still appears likely that the Legion XII teammates will eventually need to pay their fines. The DP World Tour’s decision to suspend and fine LIV players was upheld at a Sports Resolutions hearing last April, meaning a precedent has been set.
“That side of it is a little bit messy,” Hatton admitted, addressing the fines at the British Masters. “But from my point of view, I want to play in DP World Tour events and I am hoping there is something that can get worked out so that becomes a little bit easier.”
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