Rory McIlroy has called on Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm to show their commitment to Europe’s Ryder Cup team by paying the multi-million pound fines they owe to the DP World Tour.
Hatton and Rahm were fined for playing in LIV Golf events that clashed with the European tour, even though they stayed members. They appealed the fines in 2024, which let them play enough events to keep their membership and be part of Europe’s win over the U.S. in last year’s Ryder Cup in New York. Their cases haven’t been fully decided yet, so the question of whether they can play is expected to come up again before the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland.
At the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy said it would be “absolutely” easier if they paid their fines. He added: “We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup, and we also said we would pay to play. There are two guys who can prove it.”
Last year, American players each got $500,000 (£373,000) from the PGA of America to compete, the first time in the Ryder Cup’s 98-year history that anyone was paid to play. Some of those players said they planned to donate the money to charity.
While many top golfers joined LIV, McIlroy stayed loyal to the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. He said: “Any organization has the right to enforce its rules. We all sign a document at the start of the year agreeing to these rules. The players who chose to go to LIV knew the rules, so I don’t see what’s wrong with enforcing them.”
