- Concerns raised that Jon Rahm will not be eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup
- Rory McIlroy subsequently called for the eligibility rules to be changed.
- Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton earned 2.5 points for Europe as a couple in 2023
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will face no substantial barriers to competing in next year’s Ryder Cup after the DP World Tour moved to clear up confusion over their eligibility after joining the LIV series.
Rory McIlroy was among the players who called for a rewrite of the rules following Rahm’s £400m defection, with the world No 2 fearing the Spaniard would fail to meet the European team selection criteria due to suspensions and fines accumulated every time you play a LIV. event.
It was a widely held belief within professional football that such suspensions would only come into effect at the conclusion of the 14-tournament LIV season, which effectively meant a 14-week ban and therefore there was no realistic chance of playing the required four tournaments. of the DP World Tour. to maintain eligibility for Donald’s side in New York in 2025.
However, new DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings clarified that this is not the case, as suspensions can be served during the LIV season. In what could therefore be interpreted as a meaningless sanction, it turns out that the rebels will serve suspensions from tournaments that they would not have intended to play in anyway, such as this week’s Korean Championship, which is held the same week as the LIV event in Adelaide.
Kinnings said: ‘There has been a slight misunderstanding. There is no reason why players who have joined LIV and maintain their membership in the DP World Tour cannot qualify or be available for selection. It is not a legal loophole. They are the rules we have always had.
Jon Rahm (left) and Tyrrell Hatton (right) will have no barriers to playing the 2025 Ryder Cup
Rory McIlroy had previously urged organizers to change the rules on Ryder Cup eligibility.
Concerns were raised that Rahm and Hatton could miss the next Ryder Cup due to their LIV defection
‘Those are the rules that we are going to continue applying. They have been tested. I don’t think it requires a change.
‘He (Rahm) has to play four tournaments. When those suspensions are served, he will still allow you to play in certain events.
Scoring four tournaments after the LIV season closes in the autumn will be easy for Rahm and others, leaving only the payment of fines potentially in excess of £1 million to clear the path to the Ryder Cup.
Compared to his signing bonuses, those fees will seem insignificant.
Meanwhile, Kinnings also believes unification of the game will not be seen until 2026 amid frosty merger negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which backs LIV.
He said: “We have to find a product that works for everyone and it probably won’t be until 2026.”
DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings (left) has since clarified the eligibility criteria for the event.
As a pair, Rahm and Hatton earned 2.5 points for Europe and were key to their success in 2023.
Both players will have to play four DP World Tour events to be eligible to play at Bethpage.
‘Everyone will have to do things they don’t want to and compromise. I don’t see any changes to the tour schedule in 2025.
‘The reality is that season 26 has to be the one where there are significant changes. If you’re going to have a new product (by then), you have to have done a lot this year. We have to act fast.’