Jon Rahm admission over LIV Golf fines he should pay sums it up ahead of wanted return
Jon Rahm has revealed he is handed out to him by the DP World Tour following his move to with the Spaniard keen to make a return to the European-based circuit.
Rahm became the marquee name to join LIV Golf for the 2024 season, signing a deal with the Saudi-backed series worth a reported $600 million last December. In doing so he joined a whole host of DP World Tour players in being issued fines and suspensions for competing in ‘conflicting’ LIV events.
Some of Rahm’s fellow LIV stars opted to resign from the formerly-known European Tour on the back of the punishment, however, the Spaniard remains a member in the hope of competing in next year’s at Bethpage Black.
To be eligible Rahm will also need to pay off any outstanding fines with the Tour, but as things stand it remains unclear where the two-time major winner stands. Quizzed about his Ryder Cup eligibility ahead of this week’s Open Championship, Rahm said: “We’re still in conversations with the Tour.
I haven’t been able to play any Tour events, so yeah, we’re going to have to sort it out… I haven’t paid [fines] yet, but again, I just don’t know when I’m going to play.” Despite his move to LIV, Rahm still has every intention of playing in his home Spanish Open later this year, but this too has a question mark against it with his wife Kelley expecting the birth of their child at around the time of the event.
He went on: “I want to tee it up hopefully at the Spanish Open. At this point, I’m so still waiting on what might happen with my wife and daughter that I don’t know if I’ll be able to play or not. So my fall is still a little bit of a question mark when it comes to playing golf.”
Rahm continued: “I just don’t know when I’m going to play. It could very well be a chance because it hasn’t been the easiest pregnancy, that I just simply don’t have the chance to tee off. My mind is not thinking on that right now.” It remains unknown exactly how much the Spaniard owes to the Tour in sanctions, but the number is expected to be a big one.
His former Ryder Cup teammate and fellow LIV star Lee Westwood revealed he owes over $1 million in fines to the DP World Tour, but is yet to pay his penalty. A similar figure was tallied up by Sergio Garcia too, whose fines bill sat at $906,000, a figure he attempted to pay back last year in a last-ditch attempt to make the 2023 Ryder Cup team.
There is no doubt both Rahm and the DP World Tour will be keen to find some sort of resolution, having been such an instrumental part of Team Europe’s success in recent years. The Spaniard played a key role in his continent’s victory over Team USA in Italy last year, going unbeaten at Marco Simone having clocked up three points across his four matches.
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