Ever since LIV Golf’s inception, a big question mark has hung over the Ryder Cup eligibility of its European players.
That became clearer in April 2023, when it was confirmed that the DP World Tour had won an arbitration hearing against a number of its members who play on LIV Golf.
That gave the DP World Tour the go-ahead to sanction members who breached the circuit’s conflicting tournament release regulation.
It meant that, for LIV Golfers to remain eligible for the European Ryder Cup team, they must not only be a DP World Tour member, but also pay any fines imposed on them for their LIV Golf participation.
In that year’s match at Marco Simone, the issue was put on hold because no LIV Golfer qualified automatically for the team, while captain Luke Donald opted not to choose any as his wildcards.
At the time, one of Team Europe’s key players, Jon Rahm, hadn’t joined LIV Golf, meaning his name wasn’t even in the equation as a potential stumbling block down the line.
That all changed in December 2023, when Rahm joined the circuit, and very quickly, the question of what it meant for his Ryder Cup future came to the fore.
Rahm, who has retained his DP World Tour membership, has always insisted he will not pay the fines, thought to be around $3m.
However, he was still able to compete in the Bethpage Black match in 2025 because his appeal against his fines, which he lodged a year earlier, had not been heard. The same situation applied to Rahm’s LIV Golf teammate, Tyrrell Hatton.
Further clarity for LIV Golfers came with the DP World Tour’s announcement that it had given eight players, including Hatton, conditional releases, allowing them to play in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the 2026 season.
The conditions include payment of all outstanding fines for breaches of the DP World Tour’s regulations, as well as participation in additional stipulated DP World Tour tournaments and withdrawal of all pending appeals.
Hatton is one of the eight players named, along with Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig and Elvis Smylie, but Rahm’s name was conspicuous by its absence.
So, what does it mean for Rahm’s chances of playing in the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, and his Ryder Cup future beyond that?
That short answer is that it remains in serious doubt. The longer answer appears to rest on the outcome of his appeal hearing against the fines.
So, when will the appeal hearing, which will be conducted by a third-party arbiter, take place? There’s still no confirmation of a date, well over a year after Rahm filed his appeal.
Until it happens, Rahm’s future is as clear as it was in the build-up to the 2025 Ryder Cup: he remains eligible for selection pending the outcome of the appeal.
If Rahm wins the appeal, his eligibility would remain, but if he loses it, the unthinkable – a Team Europe without Rahm in 2027 – would become a very real possibility.
The problem for Rahm is that the arbitration panel is expected to uphold the DP World Tour’s right to impose sanctions on members who play for LIV Golf, particularly in light of the 2023 ruling. If that happens, the stark reality is that he will face suspension from the Ryder Cup.
At the Dubai Desert Classic in January, Rahm’s Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy called on Hatton to pay their fines.
He said: “We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup, and we also said that we would pay to play in Ryder Cups. There's two guys that can prove it.”
Given the list of names in the DP World Tour’s release, it seems Hatton agrees. However, where Rahm is concerned, the impasse appears as wide as ever.
