LIV Golf rebels Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have a clear route to the 2025 Ryder Cup after eligibility criteria was clarified on Friday.
The two European stars appeared to throw their Ryder Cup futures into jeopardy by joining Saudi-backed breakaway tour LIV Golf.
Players must retain their DP World Tour memberships and play a minimum of four events to be considered for selection.
It was widely understood that suspensions and fines, which were upheld by an arbitration panel in April 2023, made it all-but impossible for European LIV Golf players to make the team.
Rory McIlroy even suggested the rules may have to be rewritten after world no.3 Rahm defected, while Ryder Cup veterans Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood all resigned their memberships last year as a result of the situation.
However, new DP World Tour chief Guy Kinnings has now clarified that suspensions can be served for events during the LIV Golf season, even if the player in question had no intention of playing in it.
“It’s not a loophole because that’s the rules we’ve always had and those are the rules we are going to continue to apply,” Kinnings said.
“All suspensions will count and you have to serve them. And the guys who’ve analysed this in detail have said if they do it the right way, there is no reason why they can’t play in the Ryder Cup.
“We’re not going to change anything on that basis. Rules are rules and they apply for every member. We’re not in a position to be changing rules that we’ve had to go to court to defend.”
It therefore appears that Rahm and Hatton can keep their memberships and play in four DP World Tour events before the Ryder Cup heads to New York in September 2025.
Under current rules, they will still have to pay fines for every LIV Golf tournament they play without ‘conflicting event’ releases.
Fines can amount to £100,000 each time and get decided on a case-by-case basis.