Sept 11 (Askume) – Jon Rahm plans to play three DP World Tour events in the coming weeks to ensure he remains eligible for the Ryder Cup, but the former world number one said on Wednesday he was unsure whether he would be able to continue playing after refusing to pay a fine.
Rahm, who joined LIV Golf last year, must play four DP World Tour events – one of which is the Olympics – to qualify for automatic selection for the Ryder Cup or captain the defending champion European team.
But the 29-year-old refused to pay the fine to compete in the Saudi-backed league as LIV Golf’s tournament clashed with the DP World Tour.
Rahm said he plans to play in the Spanish Open, the Dunhill Links Championship and the Andalusia Masters in his hometown later this month, but he is still in talks with the DP World Tour.
“Whether they let me play or not is another thing. I really don’t like the fines… I’m not going to pay the fine and we’re trying to talk to them about how to do it. ‘OK,'” Rahm told reporters at LIV Golf in Chicago ahead of his next game.
“I’m not going to the Spanish Open for fame or anything else. I feel it’s my duty to Spanish golf to go there and I also want to play in Sotogrande (Andalusia Masters).
“At that point, it would be a disgrace not only for me but also for Spanish golf if I wasn’t allowed to play. So we are trying to talk to them and make that happen.”
Rahm also said he would return home this month to visit wife Kelly Cahill, who is expecting their third child after overcoming “dark moments” during her pregnancy.
The Spaniard said if the baby is not born soon, she could go into labour after the LIV golf event in Dallas from September 20-22, before travelling to Madrid for the Spanish Open from September 26-29.
“I’ll probably go home and give birth and then fly to Madrid on Tuesday or Wednesday,” Lahm said.
“So I could fly in on a Thursday morning and hit on a Thursday afternoon, or I could fly in on a Wednesday afternoon and hit on a Thursday morning.
“I would say that’s what we’re doing right now, but if the baby comes first we’ll see what happens. I’ll probably still try to go home and spend some time with them before I go away for the remaining weeks,” he said.
