The Open de España has been dealt a blow with headliner Jon Rahm being forced to withdraw and remain home due to the imminent birth of his fourth child.
While the news doesn’t quite come as a shock – the two-time major champion had made it well known that, despite his desire to tee it up in his National Open, it was always likely that he’d have to stay in Arizona unless the birth came early – it is nevertheless a disappointment for tournament organisers and spectators planning to attend.
The withdrawal does bring complications regarding Rahm’s DP World Tour membership, however.
The former world number one signed an agreement with the DP World Tour earlier this year that stipulated that he must play in five DP World Tour events – not including major championships – to avoid incurring additional penalties for each LIV event he teed it up in opposite a DP World Tour event. He’s currently played in three, meaning that he’d need to add an additional two between now and the end of the season.
Ranked 43rd on the Race to Dubai currently, he looks certain to qualify for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, but is not yet guaranteed of his place in the DP World Tour Championship the week after into which only the top 50 in the rankings are exempt.
He could still enter next week’s DP World India Championship in Delhi, or the Genesis Championship in South Korea the week following to ensure that he’d fulfill his criteria before the DP World Tour’s season-ending event, or he may choose to back himself to accumulate the necessary points in Abu Dhabi to guarantee his qualification for the tour finale.
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