The DP World Tour announced Saturday that eight LIV Golf players have paid fines and been granted conditional release for the 2026 season, meeting certain requirements to remain eligible to compete in DP World Tour events and the Ryder Cup. But LIV Golf’s biggest star in Europe, Jon Rahm, was not included in that group.
Tyrrell Hatton, Rory Canter, Thomas Detley, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Mellonk, Victor Perez, David Puig, and Elvis Smiley agreed to pay fines, drop their appeals against DP World Tour, and participate in certain events, media activities, and promotions for the Tour. As such, they were given the opportunity to participate in LIV golf events that compete with DP World Tour tournaments.
Rahm was not part of that group, and his spot on the DP World Tour and then the 2027 European Ryder Cup team remained in doubt. DP World Tour noted that the conditional release agreement does not set a precedent. They only applied to the 2026 season.
Rahm refused to pay a fine (reportedly over $3 million) for playing in a LIV golf event against a DP World Tour event. He and Hatton qualified for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black after appealing sanctions in September. No timeline has been established for when a third-party arbitrator will hear the appeal, but the new agreement eliminates the need for Hutton (and Mr. Melonk, who participated in the appeal) to become involved.
Rahm still has 18 months before he needs a ruling in his favor to compete in the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland. However, he along with eight of his LIV Golf compatriots failed to reach an agreement with the DP World Tour, meaning he missed out on a clear opportunity to regain status, at least this year.
Given the nature of the contract, which is only valid for the 2026 season when the Ryder Cup will not be held, Rahm may have felt no need to cave in with the legal battle. If Rahm’s appeal is successful, he may be able to avoid any financial penalty, and with LIV Golf earning world ranking points this year, if Rahm can maintain his top-10 finish rate from last season, plus his strong finishes at majors, he will have a good chance of qualifying without having to start multiple times on the DP World Tour.
Still, Rahm’s European Ryder Cup teammates would have probably hoped that he would have taken the opportunity to pay the fine, like Hatton, and return to good standing, given the positive atmosphere among the European teams from the victory in New York.
