Jon Rahm’s Ryder Cup plan hinges on slow appeals process

Jon Rahm didn’t mince words Tuesday when he spoke at Emirates Golf Club ahead of the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic. He intends to be a member of the European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black this September.

Of course, Rahm’s intentions and desires could hit a roadblock given the 30-year-old Spaniard’s DP World Tour membership and Ryder Cup eligibility hinge his appeal against fines and suspension he’s received in the last year. As a reminder, LIV golfers receive a one-tournament suspension and a £100,000 fine for every LIV tournament they play at the same time as DP World Tour events. But in the meantime, Rahm, Tyrell Hatton, and Adrian Meronk all remain eligible to play on the DP World Tour until a third-party arbiter renders a verdict on the legality of those sanctions. As such, all three will be eligible for European captain Luke Donald to select this fall. If the case is heard before September, their Ryder Cup chances could evaporate.

On Tuesday, Rahm, who does not intend to pay the fines, made a plea for the appeal not to be heard before the Ryder Cup.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I can tell you my plan is to be on that team at Bethpage,” Rahm said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I’m hoping they don’t try to settle the appeal before the Ryder Cup. I don’t think that would be good for anybody. But my plan is to be at Bethpage.”

Since this appeal is similar to a 2023 ruling, which decreed the DP World Tour could fine and suspend LIV players, it’s reasonable to believe that Rahm’s appeal will eventually meet the same fate.

DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said in November he doesn’t know when the hearing will occur, and the league will not try to move it to accommodate Ryder Cup decisions.

The two-time major winner also took time on Tuesday to campaign for Sergio Garcia to be a member of the 2025 Ryder Cup team. Garcia paid his DP World Tour fines in November and plans to return to the European circuit at the Bahrain Championship at the end of the month.

Garcia will likely have to rely on a captain’s pick from Donald to make his 11th Ryder Cup. Given LIV’s 14-week schedule and Garcia’s uncertain major status outside of the Masters, it’s unlikely there will be enough opportunities for Europe’s all-time points leader to qualify. But even if Garcia needs a captain’s pick, Rahm is adamant he should have a place on the team.

“Sergio Garcia can hit it tee-to-green better than anybody on the planet,” Rahm said Tuesday. “It’s that simple. He’s still that good and he’s still very valuable.

“I believe there’s a place for Sergio there. I think there will be a place for Sergio on the Ryder Cup any given time. It’s just a matter of time now, letting the clubs do the talking.”

While Garcia is eligible to compete in the Ryder Cup, he cannot be a captain or vice-captain unless the DP World Tour changes a rule it instituted in 2018 that stops any player who resigned their membership from having a leadership role in the team room.

Rahm’s 2025 Ryder Cup fate awaiting the hearing of a third-party arbiter is the perfect encapsulation of the fractured state of men’s pro golf. Despite that, the former world no. 1 remains hopeful that the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) can come to an agreement that will unify the game.

“It’s hard to tell at this point,” Rahm said when asked about the state of pro golf. “I think a lot of us would say that when that framework agreement was done over a year and a half ago, things would be further along at this point. And it’s real hard to know what goes on behind closed doors, right? It’s up to people much higher up than me.

“I don’t know what their vision is or what they are expecting out of it, right? I think so many of us want some kind of resolution to come together and get the best product possible for the consumer, which is what I think we’re still in a position to do. … But we are in that position nowadays to put golf in a higher level, and I hope that happens.”