It’s not every day that Rory McIlroy actively comments on what LIV Golf players do. But this time around, it wasn’t just their status in the DP World Tour he was concerned about. The Irishman wanted his Ryder Cup teammates to retain their membership to be eligible for Adare Manor in 2027. And Tyrrell Hatton had something to say about it.

Preceding the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the defending champion was asked about his appeal against the DP World Tour. He and Jon Rahm are involved in a legal dispute with the Tour over the fines imposed on them.

Hatton told the reporters, “I don’t have an update to give. It’s still with legal teams, and there’s guys that are still in conversations working it all out. So I haven’t put any more thought into that. Like, I don’t really know what’s happening. So, yeah, I’m just here to play golf as always.”

Hatton is having a hands-off approach to this. His calm response about just focusing on the game shows he is not getting swayed by McIlroy’s urging.

Each of them has been asked to pay around $3 million in fines. Rahm had already taken a strong stance against them, stating that he would just wait it out until the fines disappear. Considering his fellow Legion XIII teammate’s statement, it seems that they want their legal representatives to take care of the issue.

However, if they lose the case against the DP World Tour, then Hatton & Rahm might be forced to pay the fines. That is, if they want to be considered for the 2027 Ryder Cup squad. McIlroy wasn’t too pleased to hear that, as he encouraged his European peers to just get it over with.

McIlroy told the media, “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’s two guys that can prove it. Great. I think that’s — yeah.”

Before the 2025 Ryder Cup, Team U.S. had faced a lot of heat for getting paid to play at Bethpage. At the time, the PGA of America had agreed to give each U.S. team member a $500,000 payment package to play. This included stipends and charity donations, and it broke the tradition that players compete in the Ryder Cup purely for pride and not money.

Criticizing their rivals, McIlroy told the BBC, “I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup.” While Rahm & Hatton didn’t agree to it, they could prove their teammate right by paying the fines.

That said, the strong resistance from the LIV Golf members is a sentiment shared by every pro loyal to the league.

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Why the LIV Golf pros might not follow Rory McIlroy’s advice

As an outsider, Rory McIlroy’s perception of the issue might be completely different. But not everything is as black and white for those playing within the LIV Golf. That’s because of their loyalty towards the league.

In an interview with Ben Parsons, Dustin Johnson shared his thoughts on a possible return to the PGA Tour.

Johnson told Parsons, “I don’t see me going anywhere else. I’m happy playing right where I’m at. Would I play a couple events on tour? Sure, there’s few events I that I like. But I like playing LIV, and I like playing around the world, and I’m very happy playing right where I’m at.”

The PGA Tour opened its doors to welcome back talent that moved to LIV Golf. Despite that, top golfers like Johnson are quite satisfied about representing the PIF-funded league. Maybe that’s what Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm also feel. And that’s why they might not follow the advice of McIlroy and pay the fines.