European Tour Fined Jon Rahm Over $1M: LIV Colleague’s Confession Hits Months After Spaniard’s 2025 Ryder Cup Eligibility Update

The rivalry between the PGA Tour and the European Tour with LIV Golf is not new. It has always shown a tussle, especially in money matters. Be it a hefty purse amount or a fine, the competitiveness only grows. It could have slowed down when the merger was announced, but that has not happened so far. Can you believe that 11x PGA Tour winner, Jon Rahm, was fined and paid an immense amount of fine to the European Tour?

When LIV Golf initially sprung up in the golf industry, it instantly caught much attention for wanting to pull famous and top-tier golfers into their league. Jon Rahm is one of the biggest names so far. In December 2023, he joined the Saudi-funded league, and his deal is rumored to be worth $500 million. Upon the news, he was suspended from the PGA Tour, but he did not completely cut ties with the European Tour.

When European golfers such as Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia moved to LIV Golf, they were fined heftily by the DPWT because they still had their membership. They were fined because they played in the LIV events without seeking permission from the European Tour, and the Tour later suspended them too after winning the legal battle. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are already members of the DPWT because they filed their membership before defection.

Rahm’s LIV Golf colleague, Lee Westwood had discontinued with DP Tour a year in advance due to the insane amount of money he had to pay to the Ryder Cup.  He mentioned in The Rough Cut Golf Podcast, how the difference of fines is also measured because of the memberships. He stated, “I’ve resigned my membership of the European tour right but they [Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton] haven’t and now they’re getting fined a figure. But it’s nowhere near the figure that myself and Ian Poulter and a few others got fined so there’s no consistency in the fines.”

Lee Westwood explained the amount he needs to pay is about $850,000. He said, “They pander to the European tour and say, you know if we pay our fines with them,” he added, “I have outstanding fines as 850 grand or something like that.” Westwood instantly made it clear that he had no intentions of paying that sum, specifically because he did not agree with “the way they’ve been handed out.” This poses a problem for Westwood and many like him to take part in events that are even half owned by European Tour.

Westwood’s comments insinuate that although Rahm was asked to pay more than him, which could even be more than $1 million. The figures have changed because he kept his membership with the DP World Tour. However, with Westwood and Poulter, the figure remained constant. But this could be the minimum price that the golfer could have paid. Why? Because of the Ryder Cup!

Jon Rahm’s conditioned eligibility for the 2025 Ryder Cup

“The European Tour is going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility. There’s absolutely no question about that,” Rory McIlroy said in December, but it turns out DPWT did not listen.  Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour Chief Executive made it clear that no exception has been made for Jon Rahm. Kinnings tried to suggest that Rahm would certainly be eligible if he fulfills the conditions and abides by the rules.

The current eligibility criteria for the European squad is simple: “The reality is that, under the current system, if a player is European and is a member of the DP World Tour and abides by the rules in place, he is eligible.”

“If you don’t get a release there are sanctions, so a player must accept those sanctions. And if he accepts the penalties, there is no reason why a player who has taken LIV membership and maintained his DP World Tour membership could not a) qualify or b) be available for Ryder Cup selection,” said Kinnings.

According to Kinnings, apart from paying the usual member’s legal fees and fines, Jon Rahm has to serve a suspension to become eligible for the Ryder Cup 2025. Kinnings mentioned that Rahm does not need to participate in the subsequent DP World tour to serve for the suspension. He instead explained, “He would be suspended from an event, even if he hasn’t entered. To be eligible for the Ryder Cup, a player must play in a minimum of four DP World Tour events.” Kinnings suggested that Jon Rahm would be eligible to play in the Ryder Cup as long as he is willing to pay the penalties.

Do you think the rules regarding LIV Golf are widely accepted in the fandom? Let us know in the comments below.