LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago

JON RAHM HAS reached a deal with the European Tour that will allow him to retain his membership and remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.

In an agreement similar to that signed by eight other LIV golfers in February, the Spaniard will pay all outstanding fines for playing in events that clashed with European Tour tournaments.

The tour is now known as the DP World Tour.

Two-time major winner Rahm has been punished for three conflicting events this season, and has around £2 million in fines outstanding since he joined the Saudi breakaway circuit in 2023.

In exchange for securing conditional releases for 2026, Rahm has also said he will play in agreed European Tour events for the remainder of this year.

“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,” said a DP World Tour spokesman.

“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.”

The 31-year-old, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 2018, was a captain’s pick for the 2025 tournament at Bethpage Black, won by the European team.

In March, Rahm accused the DP World Tour of “extorting players” as he explained why he had not signed a deal to settle his fines for playing.

Speaking ahead of this week’s LIV Golf Virginia event at Trump National Washington, Rahm said: “The Ryder Cup is still really far away, but I’m happy that hopefully I won’t have to think about any worries or any predicaments (ahead of) Adare Manor then or hopefully ever.

“I want to support the DP World Tour. There’s a lot of events I want to play.”

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund said last week it was withdrawing its multi-billion-dollar backing of LIV Golf at the end of the season, plunging the future of the tour into doubt.

While LIV Golf chief executive officer Scott O’Neil seeks new backers, two-time defending LIV season champion Rahm says players will likely face compromises if the series is to continue.

“It’s a team effort. It’s not about one person agreeing or not. We all, as captains and team owners and players involved in the league, need to in essence have a large majority to agree on for it to work,” Rahm said.

“I do believe that for the business plan to change, whatever they’re coming up with, there will need to be some concessions on our part.”

Several big names jumped to LIV Golf from the PGA Tour, which banned those players from its events. Some players have made the move back, such as five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, but a return path for others remains uncertain.

Rahm, for his part, said he likes where he is at with LIV.

“We want to be here. It has been a lot of fun. I want to keep competing. I want to keep sharing some time with them,” he said.

“But only time will tell. Scott and his team have a lot of hard work to do, but obviously they’re experienced in the area, and that’s why they’ve been chosen to take this role.”

When it comes to getting out of his LIV contract, Rahm said he isn’t worrying about that for now.

“I have several years on my contract left and I’m pretty sure they did a pretty good job when they drafted that.

“I don’t see many ways out, and as of right now, I’m not really thinking about it since we still have a season to play and majors to compete for.”

Rahm said players had been told there would be funding for many years from PIF so learning last month of the Saudi’s financial pullback was a shock.

– © AFP 2026