Jon Rahm effectively 'bans himself' from Ryder Cup as staggering fine revealed
Jon Rahm has effectively barred himself from Ryder Cup contention over an ongoing row with the DP World Tour.
Rahm, who is a two-time major championship winner, has been playing in LIV Golf since 2024 and has therefore been ineligible to play on the PGA Tour - with notable exceptions.
Those exceptions are all four PGA Tour majors, including the upcoming Masters Tournament, and the Ryder Cup as part of Team Europe.
Earlier in March, Rahm's name did not feature on a list of eight players given conditional releases by the DP World Tour - the PGA Tour's European equivalent - to play in LIV Golf events that conflicted with its schedule.
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Rahm did not agree to the conditions, which included 'payment in full of all outstanding fines for breaches of the DP World Tour's regulations', and 'participation in additional stipulated DP World Tour tournaments, associated media activity and promotion'.
The Spaniard publicly disagreed on both of those points, telling reporters that he would sign the release contract if the DP World Tour removed the stipulation which required him to play in two events of their choosing.
He accused the tour of 'in a way ... extorting players'.
As a result of not signing the release agreement, Rahm put his chances of being selected for the 2027 Ryder Cup, due to be hosted at Adare Manor, at serious risk.
The Telegraph now report that not only is Rahm's stance unchanged but that he is still refusing to pay fines relating to his LIV Golf participation said to be worth around $3million.
His main issue does not centre around the minimum number of four events that the DP World Tour wants him to play in but rather the two extra events that they would choose and mandate him to play in as part of the release agreement.
"Apparently me playing those two extra events is where they're drawing the line, and I told them I'm not willing to play," he told reporters at a LIV event in Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday.
"I've never played more than four events [a year] for the DP World Tour. I think the most I played one year was five, and that was for special circumstances.
"I don't plan to play in Europe, the DP World Tour, until the end of the year, and I'll most likely play my four in that stretch. And I want to be there.
"I don't feel like I'm asking for too much. If they just reduce it to four events, a lot of this gets cleared up."
Rahm has won first LIV event in 18 months
Rahm, a former PGA Tour world number one for a staggering 52 weeks between 2020 and 2021, hadn't entered the winning circle since September 2024 in LIV Golf.
He recorded top 10 finishes at the PGA Championship and US Open in 2025, but didn't have a major impact on Europe's Ryder Cup success and had gone 18 months without a tournament victory on LIV.
That changed when he won the individual event at LIV Golf Hong Kong earlier this month, taking home a total prize of $20 million.
He secured a three-shot victory over Sergio Garcia and Joaquin Niemann, who were among some of the earliest defectors from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.
Rahm is the reigning two-time individual champion in LIV Golf, but finally got his hands on a winners' trophy.
"Very relieving," he told the league's official website.
"That's the only way I can describe it. I've been very ecstatic for wins in the past. This one just feels like a big weight off my shoulder. That's all I can say."
Forbes ranked Rahm at number one of their highest-paid golfers list for 2025, with the Spaniard taking home $218 million in prize money and endorsements across the year.
Ryan Smart