Why Jon Rahm is walking Ryder Cup tightrope with European fans
Deal offered by DP World Tour was only for current members and rightly so but bridges can be rebuilt
It used to be all about birdies and bogeys - but now there’s lots of bitching and bickering. Welcome to the world of golf these days and, frankly, it’s all very sad.
On Saturday morning, the DP World Tour issued a statement saying it had granted conditional releases to eight members to play in LIV Golf events this season.
It’s not normal for any golf body to issue statements on a Saturday unless it relates to a live event, but it is understood this one was deemed necessary due to a deadline having passed on Friday. In fairness, it was a pretty significant announcement because it related to fines that had been imposed and what had been agreed upon in an attempt to try and move forward.
The eight players - and we will come to who they are - have agreed to the payment in full of all outstanding fines and will participate in “additional stipulated” DP World Tour events. In addition, all pending appeals will be withdrawn.
The Scotsman is led to believe that we are talking about players teeing up in two or three more tournaments at the most and that’s clearly not an issue for Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig and Elvis Smylie. Apart from Puig, these are all players who benefited from playing on the DP World Tour before being offered Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf contracts and they still enjoy that opportunity whenever it becomes available.
Rahm has said he had ‘no intention’ of paying fines
The missing name that jumped out straight away, of course, was two-time major winner Jon Rahm and that’s simply because he’s decided not to accept the exact same terms offered to him. Probably because he’d previously said he had “no intention” of paying any fines.
That’s his prerogative and, as one of LIV Golf’s highest-profile players, perhaps the Spaniard feels he has to try and make a point by having his case heard. It should be noted, of course, the fines and punishments handed out to him by the DP World Tour are in accordance with the Sports Resolutions judgement in favour of the circuit back in 2023, so he could well be fighting a losing battle.
If Rahm is pushing ahead with his appeal and it seems that he is, then it won’t be in the hands of Sports Resolutions. It will be an independent panel and, if Rahm loses, then he will need to abide by that decision.
Which, of course, is where it reaches a crossroads for him as far as the Ryder Cup is concerned. Agree to pay his fines and, presumably the other terms in the deal, and he’ll be eligible for the event’s centenary edition at Adare Manor next September.
Continue to take a stand and he’ll almost certainly be unavailable and, let’s not kid ourselves here, because we all know that Jon Rahm would hate to sit out any match against the Americans and that, of course, is perfectly understandable.
What Rahm needs to be very careful about is alienating proper golf fans and, with all due respect to someone who is a damned good player, it’s debatable about where he actually stands as far as being universally popular is concerned
Not that it’s the be all and end all, of course, but it seems rather stupid that he seems as though he is prepared to do something that could come back to bite him. Again, though, that’s his prerogative and we won’t know exactly why he didn’t decide to join the eight others until he speaks about it, which probably won’t be until LIV Golf’s third event of the new season in Hong Kong next week.
The reaction from some people about Saturday’s announcement has been to ask why the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell weren’t made the same offer, with a section of people clearly being unhappy about how they seem to be treated by the Wentworth-based organisation compared to others.
First and foremost, the offer was only made to LIV Golf players who are still DP World Tour members, with none of those mentioned currently being members of the circuit that provided them with a platform to become the global stars they turned out to be and, in most cases, major winners.
It really does stick in this correspondent’s throat - and others, too, I hasten, to add - that all these players try to make out that they are the ones who are being treated badly, yet they are the ones who joined a breakaway circuit and knew all along that there had to be consequences.
More appreciation of actions is required
Sorry lads, but you all need to be showing a little bit more appreciation of the actions you took in the first place and, by doing that, then maybe some progress might be made in re-building bridges. Deep down, that is something that we all want to see in the European game.
Personally, I really enjoyed seeing Lee Westwood turn back the clock when he came through a Final Qualifier at Dundonald Links to play in last year’s 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and, having not seen him for a long time, it was great to hear his thoughts on what that feat meant to him.
Having seen it with my own eyes - in the BMW International Open in Munich, in particular, and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Scottish soil as well - I honestly believe that DP World Tour events can be enhanced by having LIV Golf players in the field.
Hence why we’ve reached a point where action has been taken to allow that to happen without a feeling of animosity lingering in the air for those who have been granted conditional releases, with it being stressed that no precedent has been set and any future releases will be considered on their “individual merits in accordance with regulations”.
Golf was left in a right old mess after LIV Golf started up and, according to a report, it is set for another whopping $267 million capital injection to take the total PIF investment to close to $6 billion. It doesn’t look as though it’s going away any time soon, but hats off to Hatton and the others for acknowledging that money isn’t all that really matters here and, therefore, acceptances have to be made.
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