Jon Rahm can be eligible for Ryder Cup after late decision to appeal LIV fines

Presence of World No 14, who took three points as Europe won in Rome last year, will be a huge boost to captain Luke Donald

Luke Donald breathed a huge sigh of relief on Thursday after Jon Rahm finally relented and agreed to appeal his LIV fines and in doing so removing the threat of being ruled out of next year’s Ryder Cup in New York.
It had been a long game of high-stakes brinkmanship as Rahm refused to honour the sanctions for appearing without Wentworth’s permission on the Saudi breakaway league.
However, after weeks of behind-the-scenes discussion between the DP World Tour and Rahm’s management, the two-time major winner realised that the circuit would not buckle and change their regulations for a single golfer, albeit one as seemingly vital to Europe’s cause of winning an away match for the first time in 13 years.
On Thursday morning, before the noon deadline to fulfil the requirements to enter the Spanish Open – which takes place in three weeks’ time – Rahm’s team at last appealed the fines and seeing as the process will take months, it leaves him clear to appear in Madrid and then in the next week’s Dunhill Links in Scotland and, after that, the Andalucia Masters in Sotogrande.
That will take Rahm up to the minimum quota of four events needed to satisfy the Tour’s membership regulations and keep him eligible to tee it up at Bethpage Black in 12 months’ time – either as an automatic qualifier or as one of Donald’s six wildcards.
A Tour spokesperson said: “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.”
Donald will, of course, welcome what appears to be the end of a big headache caused by the ongoing split in the professional male game. With peace negotiations between the Saudis and the PGA Tour showing no sign of resolution – although, apparently, a meeting was held between the previously warring parties in New York on Monday – and with Rahm digging in his heels, insiders told Telegraph Sport that the Europe captain was “almost resigned” to being without one of his strike assets on Long Island.
The Englishman could have been forgiven for being confused because as recently as May, Rahm assured him that he would do everything he could to make it. “I said I would do whatever I can do get in that Ryder Cup team,” Rahm annnounced four months ago. “I made that commitment to Luke.” And then he bizarrely switched narrative.
Last month, Donald spoke out in public about the issue, urging the Spaniard to use the appeal mechanism available, just like his Ryder Cup partner and LIV team-mate Tyrrell Hatton has, and at the very least delay the necessity to pay up.
However, still the 29-year-old declined and there was a mixture of astonishment and anger in the Ryder Cup backroom that he was basically insisting on having the rules altered just for him. On Wednesday – as he prepared for the LIV individual final where he is in line to pocket the $18 million first prize – the 29-year-old stubbornly declared: “I have no intention of paying the fines.”
It will be interesting if he ever does and what that could mean for his membership and Ryder Cup eligibility, although as an influential figure who is close to Donald told Telegraph Sport, it might not be a problem before Bethpage.
“Who knows when the appeals will be heard as it’s a proper judicial process,” they said. “Although it smells of the Tour being played, it’s the world we live in where things move very slowly.
“Look, the Tour just couldn’t back down on this and to my mind, none of Rahm’s Ryder Cup team-mates wanted them to. Pledging loyalty is only important when you really need it and the Tour need the top players’ loyalty now more than ever. If they back down on not fining Jon what happens with the fine that Bernd [Wiesberger] paid or what’s to stop any other player from joining LIV?”
Wiesberger has already handed over a six-figure sum to ensure he could be a member and he was not the only one. The incredulity only increased as the clock counted down by the fact that LIV handed Rahm a reported £400 million signing-on fee late last year and these financial penalties are understood to be below £1 million in total.
Inevitably, there is suspicion on Tour that Rahm was encouraged to take the saga right to the wire and so highlight the continued divisions as LIV fights for a place on the top table.