Jon Rahm Not Willing to Pay Fines, Leaving His Ryder Cup Eligibility in Jeopardy

Spaniard believes that for the good of the game, he should be able to play for the Europeans in next year’s event, but the European Ryder Cup Committee doesn’t see it that way.

The Ryder Cup is miles away, but the partial makeup of the European side may be determined as early as a couple of weeks.

Jon Rahm, one of the most successful Spaniards to play professional golf, is a Ryder Cup stalwart with a 6-3-3 record, including a 4-0-0 foursomes record in the last three matches.

Team Europe golfer Jon Rahm and Team Europe celebrate with the Ryder Cup after beating Team USA during the final day of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

But the likelihood Rahm will see the fairways of Bethpage Black is extremely low.

The reason is an unstoppable force up against an immovable object.

In this case, the European Ryder Cup Committee and Rahm.

Neither side is willing to give in, and neither is interested in playing nice.

The rules are clear for Rahm: Play four events annually to keep his DP World Tour card and pay any fines the Tour assesses him for playing on LIV.

While the fines are secret, they are not small, so Rahm would have to pony up a substantial sum, which he is clearly unwilling to do.

“Whether they let me play or not is a different thing,” Rahm said on Wednesday at the LIV Chicago event. “I’m not a big fan of the fines, and 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.”

Of course, it’s unclear what to talk about. Play the necessary events and pay the fines, and everything would be excellent.

The other option is what Tyrrell Hatton is doing: Appeal to an arbitration panel and await the outcome.

While his appeal is in process, the fines are stayed, and Rahm can play in the events he plans in Spain and at the Dunhill Cup later this month in Scotland.

“At that point, it would almost be doing not only me but Spanish golf a disservice by not letting me play, so yeah, that’s why we’re trying to talk to them and make that happen,” Rahm said, pleading his case. “I would also love to play the Dunhill. I have a good friend who asked me to play, and Johann (Rupert) has been a great, great ambassador for the game of golf. I would love to be able to play all those events.”

With the Spanish Open deadline at noon on Thursday, Rahm has indicated he has entered the tournament, eliminating one hurdle — but that is only a clerical one. The next hurdle, letting him play, will not be so easy to overcome.

The Ryder Cup Committee could see its way clear to making an exception if it would benefit the European squad and give European captain Luke Donald some much-needed leeway, but don’t hold your breath.

The European Tour has been steadfast with all players on its policy and is unlikely to waver, no matter who benefits.

So, the clock ticks, and soon we will find out if Rahm is eligible for the Ryder Cup.

If it turns out he is not, it will be a blow for the Europeans, but no one player makes or breaks a team, so whether Rahm is on his couch next September or at Bethpage, it will be a footnote and nothing more.