Spanish golfer Jon Rahm appealed against outstanding fines to the DP World Tour on Thursday which had thrown his hopes of competing at next year’s Ryder Cup into jeopardy.
The two-time major winner originally insisted Wednesday that he had no intention of paying the penalty fees incurred due to his participation in LIV Golf events, escalating the possibility of Team Europe heading into next year’s Ryder Cup without one of its biggest stars.
Rahm played a pivotal role in routing the United States in Rome last October, but to be eligible to return to captain Luke Donald’s team for New York, the 29-year-old needs to be a member of the DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour.
To retain his membership, he must play in three further events on the circuit before its season concludes with the Tour Championship in Dubai on November 17.
Yet Rahm faced being unable to tee up at any DP World Tour tournament until he resolved or appealed fines issued to him by the circuit for not being released from competing at events on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf schedule that clashed with its own calendar.
Rahm had until midday BST (7 a.m. EST) to contest the sanctions in time to play the Spanish Open in Madrid on September 26 and lodged his appeal just hours before the deadline.
“Jon Rahm has a pending appeal against sanctions imposed on him and in accordance with the DP World Tour’s Regulations, he is eligible to participate in the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid later this month,” a spokesperson for the DP World Tour said in a statement to CNN.
It sees him follow in the footsteps of fellow LIV Golf member and former Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton, who appealed his sanctions in order to play August’s British Masters and boost his hopes of making Donald’s team.
‘I’m not a big fan of the fines’
Speaking ahead of LIV Golf’s regular season-ending event in Chicago on Wednesday, Rahm said he intended to play his home tournament.
“I’m entered into the tournament … Whether they let me play or not is a different thing,” he told reporters.
“I’m not a big fan of the fines. I think I’ve been outspoken about that. 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.”
Rahm added that he wishes to compete at the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Andalucia Masters, staged in Scotland and Spain, respectively, in October.
Were he to compete at the Spanish Open, those outings would take him to the four appearances needed to retain his membership, with his featuring at the Paris Olympics counting as one.
Yet Rahm has little room for leeway. LIV Golf’s Team Championship finale in Dallas rules him out of the BMW PGA Championship, while his 118th ranking in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings leaves him well short of the top-50 placing needed to compete at the two season-ending playoff events in the United Arab Emirates.
That would leave just the French Open and South Korea’s Genesis Invitational as the only other two DP World Tour events that Rahm could feature in this season.
‘Rahmbo in the Ryder Cup is an absolute animal’
As Rahm’s teammate for two of his three Ryder Cups appearances, Ireland’s Shane Lowry is well aware of the Spaniard’s pedigree.
Rahm was instrumental in Rome, with two eagles during one stunning three-hole closing stretch the highlight of a three point contribution to Europe’s 16.5 - 11.5 victory.
“Do I want Jon Rahm on the Ryder Cup Team? Yes. Should there be exemptions made? I’m not sure,” Lowry told reporters ahead of the Irish Open, the DP World Tour’s latest tournament, on Wednesday.
“I’m not going to make those decisions,” he added. “I want to be there on myself. Rahmbo in the Ryder Cup is an absolute animal. I’ve seen him in two Ryder Cups and he’s unbelievable. If there’s only one person bigger than the Ryder Cup, I’m not sure. We’ll see.”
Rahm and Lowry were both captained by Pádraig Harrington during the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Harrington, joining Lowry in competing in his home Open this week, does not envy returning captain Donald facing an awkward situation in the lead up to next September’s tee off at Bethpage Black.
“If anybody knows me, I’m a stickler for the rules. You know what the rules say and you stick to them,” Harrington told reporters Wednesday.
“I know Jon Rahm. Big fan of Jon. And if the rules are written down, you’ve got to go about and stick to them. That’s just the way it is. It’s very important for the Ryder Cup … it’s bigger than just the match.”