One of the most frustrating figures in sport right now, to me, is Jon Rahm.
He is thoughtful, intelligent, and funny. What he could also write on his dating profile is that he is one hell of a golfer, probably a generational talent.
He understands the game’s heritage, and he is absolutely aware of his presence in Spanish golf and his role in keeping the flame burning after Seve, Jose Maria, and Sergio before him.
He has won the US Open and the Masters, and played in four Ryder Cups in a row for Europe. He downed Tiger Woods on his debut for the continent eight years ago in Paris, and he and Tyrrell Hatton are gradually developing legendary status as a pair at the event.
Though fiery and passionate on the golf course, what you might think would be an intimidating meeting with Rahm if you were to ever share the same space with him isn’t the case. He listens to questions, and has a sense of humour.
Rahm displayed all of these qualities in a recent interview on Golf.com’s Sub Par podcast, which was excellently conducted by Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz, who evidently know the Spaniard away from the mic.
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While I am happy to sing the praises of one of the fiercest competitors in the game of the last decade, I unfortunately find myself slumping back in my chair and depressingly remembering the predicament he is in with the DP World Tour (DPWT, formerly the European Tour) as a result of his shock move to LIV Golf at the end of 2023.
It was surreal to watch Rahm on US television with the LIV letterman jacket on. Before that, he was openly not endeared by LIV’s format and pledged his ‘fealty’ to the PGA Tour, stating that he didn’t play golf for money and an astronomical sign-up fee wouldn’t change his and his family’s life.
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But I’m happy to swallow this hypocrisy. LIV Golf, bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and first launched in 2022, did meet a number that he liked. He went back on his word. Sometimes, we all do that. You can change your mind, and frankly, it doesn’t matter.
Jon Rahm: DP World Tour fines have hung over his head for too long
But what does matter is Rahm’s attitude towards his punishment from the DPWT, which I just alluded to. Before he joined LIV, the likes of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, who joined LIV in the year of its birth, called time on their DPWT memberships.
This was to avoid paying huge fines for playing in conflicting LIV events, after a panel ruled the DPWT could hand out sanctions according to conflicting event rules. Therefore, the likes of Rahm, who saw this play out and who are DPWT members, knew what would come if they accepted the offer of LIV’s ex-CEO Greg Norman.
When Rahm and his LIV and Ryder Cup teammate Hatton received their first fine invoice in the post, it wasn’t a shock. They knew the rules and understood the consequences of their actions before deciding to leave golf’s established tours for the Saudi riches.
The word is, Rahm is hellbent on not paying these fines, which have amounted to about $3 million, so he said on the Sub Par podcast. He justified his stance by saying that he wouldn’t have played in the DP World Tour events for which he has been punished for conflicting with, had he moved to LIV Golf or not.
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That much is probably true. For example, LIV’s South Africa event this March falls in the same week as the Hainan Classic on the DPWT. He almost certainly wouldn’t play in that if he weren’t a LIV player.
But this approach flies in the face of the point. $3 million might be a lot of money to cough up for anyone, be it you, Elon Musk, or me. But on the podcast, Rahm said, hypothetically, he would be happy to compromise and pass over $1 million to the DPWT and call it quits.
ALSO: Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will be eligible for the 2027 Ryder Cup as judgement day edges closer
Oh, to be in a spot where saying goodbye to seven figures from your bank account barely makes your eyebrows twitch. Considering his move to LIV was reportedly worth up to £450 million, these fines are pocket change.
My argument isn’t about money though, and nor is Rahm’s. It is a matter of principle, and the principle I am applying is that his fines are the product of his own actions, actions he knew would lead to hefty punishment.
An issue Rahm has is that the PGA Tour and the PIF, despite announcing a framework agreement/peace deal in June 2023, are no longer in advanced talks, and golf’s divide feels as far from joining together as ever.
Rahm possibly thought his move would be the catalyst for unification, and unification might have meant eradicating his fines. This hasn’t happened, though.
He and Hatton used the loophole of appealing their sanctions in 2024, to kick the can down the road for over a year, right past 99 Quaker Meeting House Road in Farmingdale, where you can find Bethpage Black and host of the 2025 Ryder Cup.
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The legal representatives appear to still be tussling over a solution. If their fines weren’t under appeal, Rahm and Hatton wouldn’t be allowed to play on the DPWT, which would eventually lead to surrendering membership. No membership = no Ryder Cup.
Rahm told the podcast that he doesn’t think he has played in his last Ryder Cup, though.
We all know, including him, that Europe would struggle to beat America without him and Hatton in the team room. This pair pull up trees for Team Europe and can win holes and matches through pure willpower.
The DPWT and Team Europe know this too, which puts him in a strong position despite the financial penalties spamming his disciplinary record. A compromise of sorts, where each side can walk out of the room reluctantly shaking hands and turning away, is the likely outcome.
Now that he has seen a path open up from the PGA Tour, following Brooks Koepka’s return to the US circuit, Rahm’s team might be more inclined to settle the punishments, spend another year with LIV, then leave. That is just a theory.
This is why I am conflicted. Rahm, the golfer and the person, appear to be great, but there is a lingering stench of entitlement in a situation where he not only wants his cake to eat it, but also, to devour the whole bakery.
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