Jon Rahm has revealed exactly why he turned down a deal to end his feud with the DP World Tour last month despite it throwing his Ryder Cup eligibility into doubt and accused the organisation of “extorting players”.
Eight LIV Golf rebels, including Tyrrell Hatton came to an agreement with the DP World Tour which will grant them conditional releases to continue playing in the LIV series for 2026 without further punishment.
All have agreed to pay in full outstanding fines for breaches of tour regulations, participate in additional stipulated DP World Tour tournaments and withdraw all pending appeals.
The same deal was available to Rahm but instead the Spaniard has chosen to pursue his appeal against the sanctions imposed on him and that appeal is scheduled to be heard in the next few months.
He opted not to follow in the footsteps of Hatton, Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig and Elvis Smylie in settling the dispute and, while he has previously cited an unwillingness to pay the outstanding fines for competing in unsanctioned events, the two-time major champion has now taken umbrage with the requirement to play six DP World Tour events, rather than the usual minimum requirement of four to retain membership rights.
“My position hasn’t changed in a week,” said Rahm, speaking at LIV Hong Kong. “I don’t like what they’re doing currently with the contract they’re having us sign. I don’t like the conditions.
“They’re asking me to play a minimum of six events, and they dictate where two of those have to be, amongst other things that I don’t agree with.
“I’ve been a dual member my whole career, PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Now with LIV Golf being accepted in the world rankings as part of the ecosystem, you could almost say a three-tour member, even though I’m suspended from the PGA Tour, but I’ve always been a dual member.
“Never once have I been asked for a release to play either one of those tours. We’ve never submitted a release. So why is it now that we need to be offering this and there’s all these penalties? I understand why they’re doing it.
“I just don’t like the situation. I think we should be able to freely play where we want and have the choice to play where we want and not be dictated what we do. Especially myself. I can’t speak for others; only myself.”
Warming to his theme, Rahm hit out at the Wentworth-based tour’s demands, which he sees as unreasonable, and even accused them of extorting their members.
“I don’t know what game they’re trying to play right now,” added Rahm. “But it just seems like they’re using our impact in tournaments and fining us and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer,
“It’s just in a way they’re extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game. So I don’t like the situation and I’m not going to agree to that.”
Disciplinary action will continue to be taken against all tour members who play in conflicting LIV events without release, which Rahm looks set to continue his appeal against.
If the Spaniard were to lose that appeal and not abide by the result, he would be suspended, thus making him ineligible for next year’s Ryder Cup, where he has been an ever-present, key member of Team Europe since 2018.
He brilliantly combined with Hatton to help inspire Europe to a shock away victory over the United States at Bethpage last September as the appeal process was, conveniently in many observers’ eyes, regularly pushed back.
Rahm has not closed the door on an agreement with the DP World Tour however, stating that he would sign the deal if he was only required to play the minimum four events instead of six, but claims the circuit are yet to agree to his counter offer.
“I did tell them, funny enough, lower that to four events, like the minimum says, and I’ll sign tonight,” he added. “They haven’t agreed to that. I just refuse to play six events. I don’t want to, and that’s not what the rules say.”
