Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, both members of Marco Simone’s victorious European Ryder Cup team last fall, are still eligible for the 2025 team at Bethpage Black under current DP World Tour guidelines. The duo left for LIV Golf earlier this year, but have a path to making the team, DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said. told reporters.
The newly appointed Kinnings allayed previous concerns – which had even been raised by Rory McIlroy – that the defections of Rahm and Hatton to LIV Golf could prevent them from representing Europe in Long Island, New York, next year.
Rahm and Hatton simply need to remain members of the DP World Tour to be eligible for the Ryder Cup, Kinnings said. This means that both men will face fines every time they participate in a LIV Golf event, but if they pay these penalties and participate in the minimum number of DP World Tour events each calendar year to maintain their membership (four) , they can still be on the team.
“I think there has been a slight misconception because the reality is that under the current rules, if a player is European, is a member of the DP World Tour and plays by the rules as they currently are, so if you don’t, get a release and you accept the sanctions – there is no reason why players who have joined the LIV and maintained their DP World Tour membership cannot a) qualify and/or b ) be available for selection,” the CEO said.
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The change from 2022
Rahm and Hatton’s eligibility situation stands in direct contrast to several other LIV players who chose to withdraw their DP World Tour memberships last year. Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia resigned from the tour last year, ending their Ryder Cup careers to avoid paying hefty fines. Meanwhile, Rahm and Hatton (and other European LIV members such as Adrian Meronk and Thomas Pieters) retained their membership.
According to James Corrigan of the Telegraph, Kinnings consulted with the DP World Tour rules department to ensure that Rahm and Hatton could play in the four required events while also serving their LIV-related penalties. Since LIV Golf plays 14 events each year, Rahm and Hatton must serve a 14-week ban to enforce their suspensions. But instead of serving these suspensions at the end of the LIV season, Rahm and Hatton can serve them whenever LIV has an off week, but not the DP World Tour, as Kinnings revealed. As long as both players pay the appropriate fines – which will likely total more than $1 million each – they will either qualify or be selected to the European Ryder Cup team.
“It’s not a flaw,” Kinnings said. “The rules apply to all members and it is important that people know how they apply and that they apply to each member.
What are the future implications?
Not every player will want to battle constant fines and suspensions to maintain their Ryder Cup eligibility, but the news reveals that joining LIV Golf doesn’t necessarily prevent pros from participating in the biennial match-play event on both sides – LIV’s Brooks Koepka made Team USA last year.
Although the Ryder Cup requirements were not changed, Kinnings was willing to read between the lines of the DP World Tour rules to ensure Rahm and Hatton had a path to Luke Donald’s 2025 team. This effort is remarkable as professional football continues to operate in a fractured system and the path to unification remains murky.
Rahm and Hatton were vital parts of Donald’s plan against Marco Simone – Hatton was 3-0-1 and Rahm 2-0-2. The duo played together as a quartet twice, winning the Ryder Cup opener and halving their match on Saturday.
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(Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)