Jon Rahm feels that the DP World Tour is “extorting players” by asking them to pay penalties to play. His strong stance to ignore the $3 million fines has led to him losing his European membership. But the Spaniard has no regrets, even though he might miss the chance to play the Ryder Cup. After hearing what Rahm had to say, a frustrated Collin Montgomerie decided he had had enough.

In an interview with Bunkered, Montgomerie told Josh Lees, “We’ve got a year and a half to go. So let’s hope they can find a solution to it because we all know that the Ryder Cup team is stronger with Jon Rahm in it than without him. But, at the same time, I think we can beat the Americans without Jon Rahm.”

The Scottish legend understands that Rahm has a huge influence on the squad. In 2025, he helped Team Europe earn three points from the possible five points played for. He was also undefeated in the 2023 edition of the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy.

However, the European squad is filled with a lot of talented individuals. Rahm was a Captain’s Pick for the event last year as well. And Luke Donald hadn’t picked him, then he would have the option to choose from Thomas Detry, Marco Penge, and Aaron Rai. All of them had been in excellent form before the trip to Bethpage.

An argument can be made for both situations. However, considering that there is still “a year and a half to go,” the dynamic for Team Europe might change by then. Rahm might earn Donald’s favor once again for a Captain’s Pick. The likes of Detry, Penge, Rai, or any other pro might also rise to the occasion and earn their spot.

Interestingly, Rahm hasn’t just lost the favor of Montgomerie. The Spaniard’s peers have also spoken up against him.

Jon Rahm faces scrutiny from his colleagues for the bold move against the DP World Tour

Paying the price for not representing the DP World Tour often enough every season seemed like a logical solution for most. But Jon Rahm was strictly against the penalties imposed on him. Justin Rose questioned why he is the only one turning this into a problem.

Rose told the media during the PLAYERS Championship presser, “The other seven did it. So obviously eight did it, and Jon [Rahm] didn’t. There’s pretty decent precedent that the deal wasn’t outrageous that they were proposing.”

Rahm was the only one who didn’t retain his DP World Tour membership. Everyone else got it back by just completing a simple transaction. The Spaniard could have avoided all the mess and criticism by paying what would be a fraction of his annual earnings.

Even Rory McIlroy questioned Rahm’s intent during an interview: “We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup, and we also said that we would pay to play in Ryder Cups. There are two guys that can prove it.”

Being one of the leaders in the dressing room, the Irishman believes Rahm could have led by example. Instead, his shocking move destroys all the hardwork Team Europe had put in to get a mental edge over their opponents.