Jon Rahm is back in the mix with the European Tour after paying a $3 million penalty. That means he is also back to fighting for his place in Team Europe for the Ryder Cup. And no one is happier about it than fellow European pro, Rory McIlroy. In fact, the Northern Irishman expressed his excitement for the Spaniard’s return home.
McIlroy told Golf Channel, “I think it’s good that we have it all behind us. I think as a European Ryder Cup player, we all know that having Jon on the team is better than not having him on the team. So look, I’m glad that they came to an agreement. It took him a little longer to get there than some of the other guys, but he got there in the end, thankfully. It’s good that we can put that behind us and move forward.”
In the 2025 Ryder Cup, Luke Donald was forced to make Rahm a captain’s pick as he was not in the squad. But he won’t be as lucky at Adare Manor as he was at Bethpage. With some great names like Marco Penge rising through the ranks, the Spaniard might be forgotten due to his limited opportunities.
When Rahm first refused to pay the fines to return to the DP World Tour, he was met with a lot of resistance from McIlroy. The 30-time PGA Tour champion strongly advised him to find a way to return to Europe. The Spaniard didn’t hold back as he pointed out the unfairness of the system.
Coming back to the conversation, LIV Golf may provide OWGR points. But that might not be enough for Rahm to get through to automatic qualification for the Ryder Cup. However, now that he is a part of the DP World Tour again, he will be able to earn vital ranking points more often to rise up the leaderboard. That will help him get into Team Europe on merit, as he did in 2023.
While Rahm may be excited to return to the DP World Tour. But he didn’t have the same enthusiasm about it a few months ago when the DP World Tour was still a more promising project.
Jon Rahm’s intention towards the DP World Tour wasn’t always the same
Jon Rahm may be eager to join the DP World now. And that has come in a favorable position with the European executives forgiving his fines. However, a few months ago, the Spaniard was a lot more stubborn over his stance.
He refused to pay the fines and faced a lot of heat for it. Fans called him stubborn for not trying to make a comeback to the DP World Tour. But Rahm didn’t step back from his position.
His Ryder Cup position was at risk as well. That is what first started the debate between Rahm and Rory McIlroy. But the Spaniard didn’t care about it much. Only when LIV Golf’s future started looking uncertain that he took a serious step to return to Europe.
