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EspañolJon Rahm erupted on the DP World Tour on Tuesday, claiming that the league is trying to “extort” golfers while working to get LIV Golf members back on that circuit.
Rahm called out his former Tour ahead of the LIV Golf event in Hong Kong on Tuesday, and said he wouldn’t commit to competing in six events on the European Tour each season — something that was part of the conditions of his return.
"I don't know what game they're trying to play right now," Rahm said. "But it just seems like in a way they're using our impact in tournaments and fining us and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer, and it's just in a way they're extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game.
"So I don't like the situation and I'm not going to agree to that."
Rahm, a former No. 1 golfer in the world, was one of the biggest names to jump over from the PGA Tour to the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit a few years ago. But slowly, several notable LIV Golf members have started working their way back. Brooks Koepka made his return to the Tour, and Patrick Reed plans to do so later this year. He’s currently competing on the DP World Tour in the meantime.
The DP World Tour granted conditional releases to eight players — Laurie Cander, Thomas Detry, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig and Elvis Smylie — to compete on LIV Golf this season. The league said that those golfers had agreed to pay all outstanding fines they received for leaving the Tour in the first place. They also agreed to play in more than the four minimum events needed to retain membership and withdraw all pending appeals.
But Rahm thought that the six events the DP World Tour wanted from him was too much, especially since he said they were going to decide two of the six events that he would have to compete in. He would have joined if they let him stay at four, which is the standard minimum. Rahm said he would "sign tonight" if the DP World Tour did that.
"They haven't agreed to that," Rahm said. "I just refuse to play six events. I don't want to, and that's not what the rules say."
While the actual amount is unclear, Rahm reportedly racked up as much as $3 million in fines from the DP World Tour. He also noted that, as a dual member with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, he’s never had to get a release to jump between leagues before.
"I've always been a dual member," he said. "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? ... I just don't like the situation. I think we should be able to freely play where we want and have the choice to play where we want and not be dictated what we do. Especially myself. I can't speak for others; only myself."
Rahm won 11 times on the PGA Tour in his career, including at the Masters in 2023 and the U.S. Open in 2021. He competed in three DP World Tour events outside of the four major championships last season, first at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and then at both the BMW PGA Championship and the Spanish Open.
He had appealed his previous sanctions, too, which is what allowed him to join the European Ryder Cup team last fall. If he doesn’t resolve that appeal and the dispute with the DP World Tour, his status on the team for the 2027 event in Ireland may be in doubt.
But, worst case scenario, Rahm said he’d fix that.
“I’ll gladly pay my way to go on the Ryder Cup, not have to pay to still be a member of the DP World Tour and fulfill a commitment that I’m fully willing to commit,” he said.