Jon Rahm concluded the LIV Adelaide tournament in a shared third position, bringing him closer to a victory that has still eluded him on the 54-hole circuit. As the “Lion of Barrika” has mentioned before, three rounds do not favor players of higher quality, and Rahm likely needed another 18 holes to stage a comeback.
Jon Rahm, Ryder
Meanwhile, far from Australia, Guy Kinnings, the newly appointed CEO of the DP World Tour (DPWT), shed light on Jon Rahm’s situation regarding the upcoming Ryder Cup, scheduled for September 2025 at the Bethpage course in New York. Currently, negotiations between the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and the PGA Tour/DPWT are ongoing to bring true peace to the golf world and potentially pave the way for LIV’s inclusion in the world rankings. Such inclusion would open doors for LIV members to compete in the majors and the Ryder Cup.
However, in case this door remains closed, Kinnings explained that Rahm still has the same avenues to qualify for the Ryder Cup as before joining LIV: “If we look at the eligibility criteria for 2023, I think there has been a slight misunderstanding. The reality is that, under the current system, if a player is European and is a member of the DP World Tour and complies with the current rules, they are eligible.”
So, what is needed for Rahm, Sergio García, or Tyrrell Hatton to potentially qualify for the upcoming Ryder Cup? If they do not earn points to qualify via rankings, which is challenging without playing Asian Tour events, their path is to become captain’s picks after meeting the European Tour requirements: remaining a member, playing at least four events, and requesting release for each LIV event they play.
The CEO of the DP World Tour emphasized the financial aspect: “If he doesn’t get that release, there will be penalties (financial and sporting), so the player has to accept those penalties. And if he accepts the penalties, there’s no reason why a player who has become a member of LIV and maintained his membership of the DP World Tour can’t either qualify [like Koepka did last year for the US team], or be available for selection,” stated the DPWT leader.
It’s worth noting, as reported by Golf Digest, that Rahm has requested release for every LIV event he has played, but his requests have always been denied, resulting in penalties for each tournament. This doesn’t occur if a DPWT member requests to play a PGA Tour event since the latter are investors and business partners.
Kinnings specifically addressed Rahm’s case: “It’s a mistake to think that Jon Rahm has been excluded from the Ryder Cup. People [Rory McIlroy] immediately thought we would have to change the rules, but we don’t actually have to. If Jon follows the current procedures, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup.”
Kinnings also mentioned that Rahm may have to serve a suspension, but this issue seems minor: “Jon will likely have to serve a suspension. And if he does, he will be eligible to play in the next Ryder Cup. He doesn’t actually have to participate in a subsequent DP World Tour event to serve that suspension. He would be suspended from one event, even if he’s not going to participate.” While Kinnings’ words may sound lenient, the reality is different, as the financial penalty for LIV players wanting to play in the Ryder Cup will be astronomical if an agreement isn’t reached before the Ryder Cup.
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