Can you see a world in which Jon Rahm isn’t a member of the European Ryder Cup team at Adare Manor next year? Justin Rose can, and he said it’s “absolutely feasible” that captain Luke Donald could be without the Spaniard when the biennial contest comes around in 2027.
Despite his stellar early season form – he’s won once, finished runner-up three times, not been outside the top five in his five LIV starts in 2026, and has climbed to number two in the Data Golf Rankings – Rahm’s Ryder Cup future remains uncertain and there was another twist in the tale when it was revealed last week that he’d dropped his appeal against the fines issued by the DP World Tour but that he had no intention of paying them.
It is understood that Rahm would need to clear any outstanding fines before he is allowed to participate in a DP World Tour event, and he must play in four regular DP World Tour events each season to maintain his membership and thus remain eligible for Ryder Cup consideration.
Last month, it was Tour announced that eight LIV players had signed a deal that would end the necessity for releases to play in conflicting events for the remainder of 2026, thus accruing no further fines for the rest of the year, but Rahm’s name was conspicuously absent from a list that did include Legion XIII teammates Tom McKibbin and regular Ryder Cup foursomes partner, Tyrrell Hatton.
Rahm contended that the requirement for the players to add an additional two DP World Tour events to the four previously asked was the sticking point, and that he’d countered with an offer to play four and sign straight away.
Now, it seems, the Rahm and the DP World Tour are in a standoff, and Rose, echoing words spoken by Rory McIlroy over two weeks ago, doesn’t feel that the DP World Tour should back down.
“I think it is absolutely feasible,” he told Golf Channel when asked if he thought it possible that Rahm could be absent at Adare Manor. “I think that the line in the sand has been drawn.
“Quite a few players have committed to the strategy that the DP World Tour has set forward in terms of paying the fines and/or playing some extra tournaments to help bolster their schedule.”
There is still time for the opposing sides to come to an agreement, and though Rose is hopeful that that’s the case, he remains firmly of the belief that the DP World Tour are well within their rights to impose sanctions.
“I think the DP World Tour are willing to work with Jon, so it’s going to take a bit of compromise but I hope we can find that sort of common ground now,” he said.
“From my point of view, I think I’ve said I think that the DP World Tour stance is reasonable in terms of if you play an event opposite [to] one of their events, you clearly by nature are weakening their tour and their opportunity to go out and create impact in the game of golf. So therefore, if you want to be a member of the tour, yes, you get a fine.”
The DP World Tour’s rules and regulations had long been set out before LIV’s arrival, and Rose suggested that they are fairly applied across the board, including to himself.
“I’ve been in that situation too, where I’ve played elsewhere outside of the DP World Tour events, opposite their events, and also been fined,” he said.
“I feel like I’m good with the strategy because clearly they’re trying to make their tour as strong as possible which is not an easy task.”
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