Jon Rahm announced on Tuesday — ahead of LIV Golf’s event in Virginia — that he has reached an agreement with the DP World Tour to overcome the league’s conditional release to play in its tournaments. The move squashes concerns about Rahm’s Ryder Cup eligibility for 2027, as all members of the European team must be in good standing with the DP World Tour to participate in the biennial event against the United States.
“The DP World Tour and Jon Rahm have come to an agreement on conditional releases to play in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the remainder of its 2026 season,” the DP World Tour said in a statement. “This involves payment of all outstanding fines accrued from 2024 to date, along with participation in agreed DP World Tour tournaments [outside the majors] in the remainder of the 2026 season.”
Rahm appealed his fines for playing in conflicting events in September 2024, which allowed him to retain membership and play in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Rahm dropped his appeal in March, though he lamented numerous times that he should not be fined for missing tournaments he had never played. That put his Ryder Cup eligibility in jeopardy.
“I was never worried about [Ryder Cup eligibility],” Rahm said. “There was some things I believed in that I wanted them to agree with me, and I knew it was a matter of time. I also understand they have their bylaws and their way to go about things, and they have to follow certain procedures, and things are never as easy or as fast as you would think they would be, or at least I would have liked, but I was never worried.
“The Ryder Cup is still really, really far away, but I’m happy that hopefully I won’t have to think about any worries or any predicaments come to Adare Manor then or hopefully ever. I want to support the DP World Tour. There’s a lot of events I want to play. My only concern right now, when it comes to those events in October, is the due date that we have. That’s the only issue I have that would make me not be at the Spanish Open. Besides that, I think they can count on my participation.”
The DP World Tour announced in late February that eight players from LIV Golf had agreed to a conditional release, allowing them to play in 2026 without any additional releases or fines. A stipulation of the release was that the league would choose two additional tournaments for the golfers to play, in addition to the four required to maintain membership.
Rahm was the only one to decline the offer; he did not like the addition of two required tournaments. Details regarding the number of tournaments or what tournaments Rahm may have to play as part of this new agreement have not been released.
“I don’t like what they’re doing currently with the contract they’re having us sign. I don’t like the conditions,” Rahm said at LIV Golf Hong Kong. “They’re asking me to play a minimum of six events, and they dictate where two of those have to be, amongst other things that I don’t agree with. If we just go based on that — I’ve been a dual member my whole career, PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Now, with LIV Golf being accepted in the world rankings as part of the ecosystem, you could almost say a three-tour member, even though I’m suspended from the PGA Tour.
“But I’ve always been a dual member. Never once have I been asked for a release to play either one of those tours. We’ve never submitted a release. So, why is it now that we need to be offering this and there’s all these penalties? I understand why they’re doing it. What’s the problem?”
LIV Golf announced in April that the league’s event in New Orleans, scheduled for June 25, one week after the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, had been postponed. The league hopes to bring a version of the tournament to the city in the fall, but the removal of the event from LIV Golf’s calendar left a significant gap in the playing schedule during major championship season.
After the U.S. Open, LIV Golf’s next tournament is scheduled for July 23 at JCB Golf & Country Club in Great Britain, one week after The Open Championship. This window could be a time for Rahm to knock out an event on the DP World Tour, in addition to his usual stops on the circuit during the fall, including the BMW PGA Championship and the Spanish Open, among others.
“There’s no longer a standoff,” Rahm said. “We were able to reach an agreement. There was some concessions on both sides. I offered some; they extended an olive branch. Obviously, we’ve reached an agreement. That will not be a stress anymore.”