The Spaniard Jon Rahm said on Wednesday, on the eve of playing the final individual tournament of LIV Golf in Chicago, that he has the “intention of playing in Spain”, but whether “they let him play or not is another thing”.
“I am still talking to the DP World Tour. I intend to play in Spain. I am registered for the tournament. We signed up a long time ago. Whether they let me play or not is another thing,” said Rahm at the Bolingbrook club.
Jon Rahm, results
“I don’t like fines very much.
I think I have already said that openly. I have no intention of paying the fines, and we are still trying to talk to them about how we can achieve this,” said Rahm, referring to the economic sanctions that playing DP World Tour tournaments implies as part of LIV Golf.
“I’ve said it many times: I’m not going to the Spanish Open for glory or anything else. I think it’s my duty to Spanish golf to be there, and I also want to play in Sotogrande (AndalucÃa Masters). At that point, it would almost be a disservice not only to me, but to Spanish golf, not to let me play,” stressed the Biscayan.
“That’s why we’re trying to talk to them so that it happens. I’d also love to play the Dunhill (championship). I have a good friend who asked me to play, and (tournament organiser) Johan (Rupert) has been a great ambassador for golf.
I’d love to be able to play all those tournaments,” he revealed. Jon Rahm, champion of the US Open in 2021 and the Masters in 2023, aims to play the Ryder Cup next year and for the fourth time. To be eligible he has to maintain his membership in the DP World Tour, which requires him to play four tournaments on the European circuit before the end of 2024.
So far he has only completed one, when he represented Spain at the Paris Olympics. He has signed up for the Spanish Open (September 26-29), the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (October 3-6) and the AndalucÃa Masters (October 17-20).
To play in these tournaments, the Spaniard can pay the fines he has accumulated for playing in LIV tournaments instead of DP World Tour championships, or appeal these sanctions, which could lead to a temporary suspension of their execution and allow him to play the championships he needs.