Jon Rahm of LIV Golf is finding himself in a tight spot as he scrambles to retain his DP World Tour position, which is critical for a spot on Team Europe at next year's Ryder Cup.
Back in 2023, Rahm played a pivotal role in securing the Ryder Cup for Team Europe, providing substantial support to captain Luke Donald and the squad as they overcame the Americans with a solid 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 victory. Now, with the season drawing to a close, the Spanish golfer must play in four DP events to maintain that all-important Ryder Cup eligibility .
He's managed three so far competing at the Masters, PGA Championship, and Open Championship but finds only nine DP tournaments remaining, not including this weekends British Masters that he'll miss out on.
Due to his commitments with LIV Golf, he can't participate in events like the Amgen Irish Open or the BMW PGA Championships either, so he's left with merely seven opportunities to make his play.
Rahm recently indicated that family might take priority this autumn, saying, "At this point, I'm still waiting on what might happen with my wife and daughter that I don't know if I'll be able to play or not. So my fall is still a little bit of a question mark when it comes to playing golf."
Nevertheless, the three-time Champion of the Spanish Open hopes to make an appearance at the tournament, scheduled to commence in Madrid on September 26, shortly after the LIV Team Championship ends in Dallas.
The LIV golf whiz is gathering fines at an alarming rate for joining "conflicting events" with the amount projected to surpass $100,000 this year.
Europe's Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald remains resolute but unflustered about possible rule changes for Rahm, saying: "There's not going to be a situation where we're singling out one person to change the rules," and asserting: "Jon absolutely knows what is required."
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"He wants to play a few events and be eligible. I hope he does either pay the fines, or appeals and becomes eligible for my team because I would dearly love to have him be a part of that."
Donald also praised LIV Golf participant Tyrrell Hatton for teeing up in the British Masters, aiding his Ryder Cup qualification chances.
Rory McIlroy has voiced his upbeat stance regarding Rahm's potential inclusion, boldly stating: "Jon is going to be in Bethpage [Black] in 2025."
Expanding on this, he remarked: "Because of this decision, the European tour is going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility," and confidently asserted: "There's absolutely no question about that - I certainly want Jon Rahm on the next Ryder Cup team."
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