The Jon Rahm saga took an important turn toward reconciliation Tuesday with the announcement that he and the DP World Tour have settled their differences, assuring Rahm’s eligibility for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland.
On the same day LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil insisted the league will aggressively move forward, Rahm also said he intends to honor his contract, which stretches beyond 2027.
Rahm’s standoff with the DP World Tour – related to paying fines he has accrued since joining LIV Golf in December 2023 and a disagreement over how many tour events he would be required to play to maintain membership on the European-based tour – had shadowed the two-time major champion in recent months and taken on more significance in light of recent news regarding LIV Golf’s changing business model.
Speaking before the LIV event in Virginia on Tuesday, Rahm confirmed an agreement with the DP World Tour that removes any potential obstacles to his Ryder Cup eligibility.
“There’s no longer a standoff. We were able to reach an agreement. There was some concessions on both sides. I offered some; they extended an olive branch. Obviously we’ve reached an agreement. That will not be a stress anymore,” Rahm said.
“There was some things I believed in that I wanted them to agree with me, and I knew it was a matter of time. I also understand they have their bylaws and their way to go about things and they have to follow certain procedures, and things are never as easy or as fast as you would think they would be, or at least I would have liked, but I was never worried.
“The Ryder Cup is still really, really far away, but I’m happy that hopefully I won’t have to think about any worries or any predicaments [ahead of] Adare Manor then or hopefully ever.
The agreement is similar to one signed by eight other LIV players including Ryder Cup regular Tyrrell Hatton in which the players pay all outstanding fines, agree to play a set number of tour events and drop any pending appeals.
“The DP World Tour and Jon Rahm have come to an agreement on conditional releases to play in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the remainder of its 2026 season. This involves payment of all outstanding fines accrued from 2024 to date, along with participation in agreed DP World Tour tournaments (outside the majors) in the remainder of the 2026 season,” the tour said in a statement.
“As of right now, I have several years on my [LIV] contract left, and I’m pretty sure they did a pretty good job when they drafted that. So I don’t see many ways out, and as of right now, I’m not really thinking about it since we still have a season to play and majors to compete for. So it’s not something I want to think about just yet.” – Jon Rahm
With LIV Golf’s future seemingly uncertain with the decision by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to withdraw its funding after this season, questions have swirled about the potential impact on players, particularly Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
Rahm indicated he intends to honor his contract with LIV Golf.
“As of right now, I have several years on my contract left, and I’m pretty sure they did a pretty good job when they drafted that. So I don’t see many ways out, and as of right now, I’m not really thinking about it since we still have a season to play and majors to compete for. So it’s not something I want to think about just yet,” Rahm said.
Speaking at the LIV Virginia event, O’Neil didn’t offer many specifics but said he is already working on a new business plan that will keep LIV going into the future.
“I won’t speak to specific timing other than to say that you’ll find urgency here, you’ll find pace, you’ll find less sleep, more action, and our first step is what we have to do to lock this plan down because, once we lock this plan down, we go to market, and that’s when the fun starts,” O’Neil said.