Adare Manor is still sixteen months off, but Jon Rahm’s Ryder Cup eligibility has been uncertain for even longer. Eight of his LIV colleagues reviewed the same offer from the DP World Tour, considered it, and signed. Rahm chose not to. Now, some of his former teammates are encouraging him to think again.

“The other seven did it. So obviously eight did it, and Jon didn’t. There’s pretty decent precedent that the deal wasn’t outrageous that they were proposing,” said Justin Rose at his press conference before THE PLAYERS Championship.

“Where he may have a point is the Tour making him play extra events. Maybe he has a point there,” he said. “He’s playing good golf out there. He’s winning. He’s making a lot of money,” Rose said. “So I would just see it as a cost of doing business for Jon. For me, being in the Ryder Cup is more than about money.”

Rahm was told to pay about $3 million in fines, drop his appeal, and play six DP World Tour events each season, with two chosen by the European Tour. He says four events are what the rules actually require, and anything more goes beyond that. His last DP World Tour event was the Open de España in October 2025.

Every time Rahm plays a LIV event without a release, his fines go up. His win at LIV Hong Kong this year, his first since September 2024, meant another fine for missing the Joburg Open that same week.

Rose left the door open for a compromise but made it clear that paying the fines comes first.

“Maybe there’s some middle ground where he would do his best to support the Tour as and when, but not necessarily have that hung over his head, but paying his fines is obviously step No. 1.”

Rahm, who reportedly received over $200 million to join LIV and has since won two $18 million titles, pushed back when McIlroy made the same demand at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Rahm said it only makes sense if all 12 Team Europe players are asked to pay, not just two. The $3 million fine is not the real issue for Rahm. The problem is the principle, not the amount.

“That statement would make a lot more sense if all 12 of us were being asked to pay, not only just the two of us,” Rahm said. “I’ll gladly pay my way to go on the Ryder Cup, not have to pay to still be a member of the DP World Tour and fulfill a commitment that I’m fully willing to commit.”

Rory McIlroy made the same point weeks ago, calling it a fantastic deal and reminding everyone that eight players got the same offer. Now Rose has backed him up. The message from Europe’s leaders is clear: pay the fines and move on.

Jon Rahm’s Ryder Cup dilemma: How other LIV players handled DP World Tour fines

Rahm is not the first LIV player to face this situation. The pattern is clear. Lee Westwood racked up over $1 million in fines during his absence from the European circuit, which cost him a spot in the Senior Open. Sergio Garcia had a similar bill, but LIV Golf stepped in and paid for him, allowing him to return to the DP World Tour and regain his eligibility.

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, went even further. He left LIV Golf in January 2026 and committed to a full season on the DP World Tour. To keep his place on the European circuit, he settled fines believed to be over $1 million. The message is clear. Players who resolve their disputes move forward. Those who do not risk losing ground sometimes do so for good.

The protections that once gave Rahm breathing room are gone. LIV Golf’s policy of covering fines ended last season. The Standstill Agreement, which prevented player suspensions during active appeals, has also expired. That legal shield is no longer there. Rahm’s appeal is still pending, but the DP World Tour already won a UK arbitration ruling on this issue in 2023, and that does not help Rahm. Without a settlement, the tour can suspend him. Suspension means loss of membership. If that happens, Adare Manor is off the table.

“Paying his fines is obviously step No. 1,” Rose said. With the appeal process still pending and sixteen months separating the game from the next Ryder Cup, that step remains the only one currently available to Rahm.