Nobody is a big fan of paying fines. Even more so when the numbers are in the millions. That is especially the case with Jon Rahm, as he expressed his desire to not pay the European circuit’s penalty fees. The unfortunate fact of the matter, however, is that he will need to do so if the Spaniard is to play in the 2025 European Ryder Cup team. But how much exactly does he need to pay to maintain his DP World Tour eligibility?

As per reports by Jeff Eisenband, a journalist in the sport, the European Tour fines its members a whopping $98,000 (£75,000) if they end up teeing off in a conflicting event on the LIV Golf circuit. And out of the total 14 events in the Saudi-backed league, 12 tournaments have a conflict with various contests on the DP World Tour.

Rahm, as a result of the same, will have to pay a significant figure of $1,176,000 (below $2 million) if he is to continue playing on the European Tour. Or, he will need to appeal his sanctions, just like how his Legion XIII GC teammate Tyrrell Hatton did to compete at the 2024 Belfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.

Seems like a paltry sum when compared to Rahm’s LIV Golf contract exceeding millions. Even so, he was adamant about not paying the penalty. “I’m not a big fan of the fines,” conveyed the Spaniard as he outspokenly added, “I don’t intend to pay the fines, and we keep trying to have a discussion with them about how we can make this happen.”

The Tour’s spokesman, unfortunately, had a different stance. “Jon has outstanding sanctions for breaches of the DP World Tour’s conflicting tournament regulation,” stated a person from the circuit, “Until those outstanding sanctions are resolved, he is ineligible to play in a DP World Tour event.” If so, then the plans that he has cooked up for the immediate future will have cold water thrown all over them.

What has Jon Rahm planned for the immediate future?

The golfer is, unsurprisingly so, set to tee off at the Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago for the Individual Championship title and the final team event in Dallas. However, while doing so, he will miss out on the Irish Open, from September 12 – 15, and the Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, from September 19 – 22. That’s not all. The Spanish athlete has also planned to take part in three other events, all of which are part of the DP World Tour.

The 29-year-old needs to tee off at a total of four events sanctioned by the European circuit to be eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup. Keeping aside his Olympics appearance, he just needs three more which he has planned out as well; the Spanish Open, Dunhill Links, and Andalucía Masters. But will he be able to tee off at the same without paying the fines or appealing the sanctions? For that to happen, the discussions that he is currently having with the European circuit need to come out successful!