Editor’s note: “In Case You Missed It” is a GGP+ feature that highlights a story from Global Golf Post’s Monday magazine.
We live in a time in which the airing of grievances is part of the soundtrack of our lives. Golf is not exempt from the noise as Jon Rahm reminded us last week.
Until recently, golf’s grievances tended to be confined to complaints about green speeds, gripes about hole locations and the eternal strife created by slow play.
Since the creation of LIV Golf, however, there has been a sharper edge to the public discourse. The finger pointing and personal attacks have been muted in recent months, and while there is talk of a working agreement being forged between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour, the golf world is still waiting.
Last week, Spain’s Rahm rippled the waters when he reiterated his desire to be part of the 2025 European Ryder Cup team, but he does not intend to pay whatever hefty fines the DP World Tour has imposed upon him that might make that possible.
“But those rules are the rules, and they were certainly in place when he signed with LIV. It wasn’t like they changed (after) the fact.” – Luke Donald
Somewhere, the late Spaniard Seve Ballesteros had to be smiling, given his renowned willfulness.
Rather than risk being turned away from his national open and the subsequent events he intends to play, Rahm bought himself some time by appealing the penalties applied by the DP World Tour. It does not resolve the issue, but it should allow Rahm to play the required number of events to keep him eligible for the time being.
Court rulings have supported the DP World Tour’s ability to institute fines and suspensions, so the appeal gives Rahm time but likely no relief from the financial penalties.
“I’ve been talking to him, and he has his thoughts and he doesn’t agree with the fines and paying fines, especially for events that he would never have played on the DP World Tour,” European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald said. “But those rules are the rules, and they were certainly in place when he signed with LIV. It wasn’t like they changed (after) the fact. You could argue that they softened them a little bit with being able to appeal the process, and that, from what I understand, gives the players more time for things to work out in the world of golf.”
Under the rules, Rahm must play four DP World Tour events (not counting majors), which he intends to do. He checked the first box by playing in the Olympics, and his intention is to play the Spanish Open, the Dunhill Links Championship and the Andalucía Masters.
The other half of the equation is that Rahm must pay the fines imposed by the DP World Tour for playing non-sanctioned (LIV) events. That’s a bridge too far, according to Rahm, who would not have been allowed to participate in the Spanish Open in two weeks if he had not paid the fines or appealed the penalties (a tactic being used by fellow LIV golfer Tyrrell Hatton).
As grievances go, Rahm – who received a reported LIV signing bonus well into nine figures and won millions more this season – looks bad in this situation.
He wants it both ways. He wants to play when and where he wants despite what the DP World Tour told him would happen if he took the Saudi money. Rules are there for a reason, and Rahm should accept them.
He’s not the first LIV golfer to complain about the ramifications of their decision. Joaquín Niemann played the victim last week over his exclusion from the Presidents Cup’s International team that will meet the Americans in Montreal in two weeks, though Niemann was clearly ineligible because of his career choice.
“I’m not a big fan of the fines. I think I’ve been outspoken about that. 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.” – Jon Rahm
The day may come when there is peace between the game’s leading tours – there are rumors of progress being made in their discussions – but that day has not yet come. Therefore, players are forced to live with the consequences of their insanely well-compensated decisions.
Here’s how Rahm explained his stance last week before the LIV event near Chicago:
“I’m entered into the [Spanish Open] tournament. We entered a long time ago. Whether they let me play or not is a different thing. I’m not a big fan of the fines. I think I’ve been outspoken about that. 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.
“I’ve said many times, I don’t go to the Spanish Open for the glory or anything else. I think it’s my duty to Spanish golf to be there, and I also want to play in Sotogrande [site of the Andalucía Masters].
“At that point, it would almost be doing not only me but Spanish golf a disservice by not letting me play, so yeah, that’s why we’re trying to talk to them and make that happen. I would also love to play the Dunhill.”
Whether it’s true or not, Rahm has looked at times this year like a man who knows he made a bad decision. He would never admit it, if it’s true, but that’s the perception.
It’s also possible to believe that Rahm saw his surprising choice as the domino that would force the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and LIV Golf to make a deal. He bet wrong, and now he’s living with the consequences. With his appeal, Rahm may be hoping the two sides reach an agreement before he faces a potential decision to pay up or sit out.
Rahm is one of the game’s biggest stars and best players and the PGA Tour misses him, just as it misses Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith. But why should he not have to pay the fines instituted for the situation he created?
As good as the Ryder Cup is, it will be better if Rahm is part of it, and it’s fair to assume his feelings for the event were enough to help him make the choice he did last week.
Perhaps somewhere down the road, there is at least a peaceful coexistence in professional golf and this becomes a non-issue, but for now, it’s unclear whether Rahm has bought himself anything more than time.
“I know Jon Rahm. Big fan of Jon,” World Golf Hall of Famer Pádraig Harrington said last week. “And if the rules are written down, you’ve got to go about and stick to them. That’s just the way it is. It’s very important for the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is bigger than just the match.”
Still a year away, it feels as if this Ryder Cup has already begun.