LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton shockingly granted Ryder Cup lifeline

Get ready to see Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton at Bethpage Black for the 2025 Ryder Cup, despite their affiliation with LIV Golf.

Many believed that LIV golfers could not compete in the last Ryder Cup, held at Marco Simone Golf Club outside of Rome, Italy. No European LIV players, such as Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, and Ian Poulter, made the roster in Rome, leading many to think that Team Europe barred LIV golfers from its team.

When in fact, those players rescinded their DP World Tour memberships and, thus, their Ryder Cup prospects.

That ultimately led to Garcia attempting to pay off his fines of $867,000, but it was too little, too late.

As for the case of Rahm and Hatton competing in 2025, newly minted DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings cleared up this “misconception” in an interview with Golf Digest and other outlets.

“If we look at the eligibility criteria for 2023, I think there has been a slight misconception,” Kinnings said.

“The reality is that, under the current system, if a player is European and is a member of the DP World Tour and abides by the rules in place, he is eligible.”

Both Rahm and Hatton fit this billing, considering that both players have maintained their DP World Tour membership and hail from Spain and England, respectively.

Yet, these two players have not obtained an official release from the DP World Tour that would allow them to compete in LIV Golf events. As such, both players are liable to sanctions from the DP World Tour, if they want to compete in the next Ryder Cup. That will likely include a financial penalty, which should not trouble Rahm and Hatton too greatly, considering the millions they received.

“If you don’t get a release, there are sanctions, so a player must accept those sanctions. And if he accepts the penalties, there is no reason why a player who has taken LIV membership and maintained his DP World Tour membership could not (a) qualify or (b) be available for Ryder Cup selection,” Kinnings explained.

“It requires a player to work within the rules, but the truth is that those rules have been looked at and tested. Everything is done in a fair, reasonable, and proportionate way. So, there is no reason why anything needs to change. It is wrong to think Jon Rahm has written himself out of the Ryder Cup. People instantly thought we would have to change the rules. But actually, we don’t. If Jon follows the procedures in place, there is no reason why he would not be eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup.”

To date, Rahm has followed these procedures, according to Kinnings. He has formally requested a release before each LIV event he has played, including this week before LIV Golf’s Adelaide event, but the DP World Tour has denied each plea.

“[Rahm] will likely have to serve a suspension. And if he does that, he will be eligible to play in the next Ryder Cup. He doesn’t actually have to enter a subsequent DP World Tour event to serve that suspension. He would be suspended from an event, even if he hasn’t entered,” Kinnings added.

Photo by Elianto/Getty Images

“To be eligible for the Ryder Cup, a player must play in a minimum of four DP World Tour events. Any player will still be able to do that, even if he serves any and all suspensions levied. There are enough weeks in the year to do that. That’s not a loophole. Those are the rules we have always had.”

Instead of serving his suspension after the LIV Golf season wraps up, Rahm, in theory, could partake in his suspension during off weeks on the Saudi-backed circuit. Since LIV Golf has a two-week break between the PGA Championship in mid-May and its Houston event in early June, part of Rahm’s suspension could be honored through the Soudal Open in Belgium and the European Open in Germany, for example.

Rahm could continue to employ this strategy throughout the Summer, opening up the door for him to compete in two of his favorite events on the DP World Tour later this Fall: the Andalucía Masters and the Open de España.

Regardless, the path for Rahm and Hatton—along with Adrian Meronk and Thomas Pieters—to make the 2025 Ryder Cup team has been laid out before them. Whether these players follow that course remains to be seen.

But rest assured that all European fans, including fellow players like Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, want Rahm and Hatton on the team at Bethpage Black.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.