Jon Rahm revealed that one of the main reasons he appealed the DP World Tour sanctions was to spare his family the stress of him missing his home open and risking his Ryder Cup chances.
The Spaniard, who was crowned the 2024 LIV Golf individual champion on Sunday, faced the possibility of missing the Spanish Open after refusing to pay fines imposed by the DP World Tour for participating in LIV Golf events.
His only option to compete in Spain was to appeal the sanctions, which he eventually did just before the entry deadline last Thursday. Had he failed to do so, the three-time DP World Tour Championship winner was at serious risk of being ineligible for Ryder Cup selection.
European Ryder Cup players must maintain DP World Tour membership to qualify for the team, and to do so, they need to play at least four regular DP World Tour events per season. So far, Rahm has only played one, with the season nearing its end.
However, with the appeal now in motion, Rahm is on course to meet his event quota by playing two tournaments in Spain and one in Scotland—a decision he said would greatly relieve his family of stress.
“We sent the email I think it was at 5:00 Thursday morning,” Rahm said of the appeals process.
“I think when I left here, I was about 99.8 percent sure that I was going to appeal. I think I had that decision almost made, but you're still waiting towards the end after hearing that there were certain meetings happening in New York that maybe things would change or not.
“But it basically came down to first with the personal situation we have going on at home, I don't know if it would have been the best for Kelley and I and our family to have to go through the stress of not playing in Spain and possibly jeopardizing the Ryder Cup, and two, the fact that I've always loved being able to go play in Spain and give back to the country that's given me so much.
“It would have just felt wrong to not be at the Spanish Open.
“With the hopes that things are going to improve in the future, as well, it basically became pretty clear that I wanted to appeal, fulfil my requirements as a European Tour member, and hopefully be able to qualify or be considered for Ryder Cup next year.”
While the fines are currently on hold, both Rahm and his LIV Golf teammate Tyrrell Hatton, who also appealed the sanctions, will still be required to pay if the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) — the financial backers of LIV Golf — fail to reach an agreement to their negotiations.
The organisations have been in discussions for 15 months, aiming to resolve the ongoing rift in the sport. Last week, Tiger Woods and PGA Tour officials reportedly met with PIF representatives in New York to try to finalise a deal.
