To pay, or not to pay, that is the question. It’s not quite Shakespeare, but it’s certainly the question that Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are facing as they await a ruling on their appeals against the fines incurred for moving to LIV and with their Ryder Cup eligibility hanging in the balance.
And the appeals are likely to be little more than an arbitrary process since the Sports Resolutions hearing last April ruled in the DP World Tour’s favour, upholding the fines they’d already issued, thereby setting precedent and precedent, in case you were unaware, is a massive deal in legal and semi-legal circles.
Both Hatton and Rahm have stated their desires to be part of the 2025 Ryder Cup team, but now we’re likely to find out just how much their Ryder Cup aspirations are worth. Rahm is reported to have been paid $300 up front for making the move, with another $300 million to follow, and though Hatton’s reported $60 million figure is dwarfed by Rahm’s 600, it was still almost three times what he’d previously earned during his PGA Tour career.
Rahm’s maiden LIV season has also been a lucrative one, pocketing another $16.8 million in tournament prize money and the $18 million bonus for finishing the season as the top ranked player. He also took in just over $500,000 in earnings in the three major championships he played, taking the year-long on-course earnings north of $35 million.
Sergio Garcia’s runner-up finish to Rahm at LIV Chicago – the final individual event of the LIV season – saw him overtake Hatton into third on the rankings and pip him to the $4 million bonus payment. But Hatton has still earned more than $14 million for the season.
So, assuming their appeals fall on deaf ears, are they willing to pay fines in the region of $1 million to keep alive their chances of representing Europe at Bethpage?
Rahm and Hatton have both played in three Ryder Cups and been on the winning side twice, while Garcia is the competition’s all-time record points scorer but had already declined to pay his fines and had his DP World Tour membership revoked by the time he claimed earlier this year that he intended to play the requisite Tour events to have his membership reinstated.
He has since not featured in a regular DP World Tour event, so we can safely assume that Garcia won’t be eligible for selection for 2025.
Rahm and Hatton both have the chance to add to their totals at this week’s LIV Team Championship in Dallas, where, should the second-ranked Legion XIII side they both represent come out on top, they’ll each add another $1.4 million which on its own (before taxes) would be enough to cover the fines they’ll face.
When you make it your profession, the money is naturally extremely important, but we’ve heard countless players pay lip service to certain accolades and certain competitions rising above the financial elements and the Ryder Cup is right at the top.
And it looks as though we’re about to find out if there’s any truth to those statements or if the almighty dollar really is exactly that – almighty.
Leave a comment