IIt’s golf’s equivalent of blasphemy to suggest someone should be paid to play in a Ryder Cup. As the theory thundered through the American camp during the defeat against Europe in Rome last year, the hooting and giggling could be heard.
The biennial clash long ago became a plaything for the corporate classes. It generates tens of millions for the European Tour Group and the PGA of America. But pay Attendees? The discussion alone is considered insulting. It’s about the pride, the passion, the novelty of team golf at the highest level. Most of these guys wouldn’t know what they would think of each other if they were on fire from week to week, but the Ryder Cup forges bonds. Or so we are told.
Oddly enough, it seems absolutely fine to pay to play in the Ryder Cup. If things go the way the European side seem to want, that’s exactly what Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will have to do if they want to tee off at Bethpage next September. “Ryder Cup entry? £500,000 please guys.” The song is plucked from thin air; the concept certainly isn’t.
Long story short, Rahm and Hatton switched to LIV Golf for the 2024 season, which immediately raised questions about their Ryder Cup eligibility. “No problem,” said Guy Kinnings, the recently installed CEO of the European Tour Group. “The reality is that, under the current rules, if a player is European, is a member of the DP World Tour and plays by the rules – if you don’t get a release, there are sanctions and you take those penalties – there is no reason why players who have taken out LIV membership could not qualify or be available for selection,” said Kinnings.
The “release” is what Rahm, Hatton and other DP World Tour members request as permission to play in LIV events. These are rejected, meaning fines and suspensions are imposed every time the golfers make a start on the Saudi-backed tour. This is quite a money spinner for the European Tour Group.
There’s rumblings around the LIV campfire that Rahm and Hatton aren’t particularly amused by this hassle – which it literally is – paying their way to Bethpage or, to be more precise, getting someone to pay this ransom on their behalf. It doesn’t exactly align with the sacred ethics that should underlie the Ryder Cup. However, it is strange that neither player – who is usually not backward when it comes to coming forward – has expressed their disquiet. LIV has the money – the organization has already handed out millions in fines – but anyone in Rahm or Hatton’s shoes must surely believe it could be put to better use. Crucially, the Ryder Cup needs them more than the other way around.
The European Tour Group, for its part, is in some trouble. A Sports Resolutions hearing successfully argued that the sanctions imposed on LIV players – which initially included Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Sergio García – were legitimate. That quartet, Ryder Cup icons in a European context, resigned from the tour as an alternative to drawing up a lengthy charge sheet. In doing so, they removed their names from the Ryder Cup equation. The Tour will argue convincingly that it cannot treat Rahm and Hatton differently than Westwood et al. Doing so would almost certainly be challenged legally.
Kinnings is a former Ryder Cup director and is blessed with some of the best knowledge in the modern game of how golf connects to the commercial world. He knows full well that a Ryder Cup without Rahm in particular would greatly diminish the product. Fans who show up in New York won’t care that Rahm spends the rest of his time playing to the backdrop of Shakira music. There is a fine line to navigate here.
Last week it was announced that Paul McGinley has joined Ryder Cup Europe as a strategic advisor in the run-up to 2025. This is undoubtedly a smart move. The 2012 Miracle of Medinah bears that name for a reason and is the only win by a European team on American soil since 2004. The Europeans were defeated across the pond in their last two visits. Luke Donald must find a way to cure motion sickness in Europe. McGinley will be a huge asset.
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Europe can take solace in the fact that America’s pursuit of Tiger Woods as captain of Bethpage has long since been an embarrassment. If Woods belatedly takes on the role and remains as hopelessly vague as he was in discussing the possibility, Donald would have to rub his hands. If Woods succeeds, the American captain will be a clear second choice.
Rahm and Hatton have other things on their minds as the US Open rolls into Pinehurst in the coming days. Amazingly, Rahm hasn’t won since the 2023 Masters. The Spaniard withdrew from this weekend’s LIV stop in Houston due to a foot problem. Hatton has had one major top 10 since 2019. Both require individual improvement before team golf becomes a major consideration.
Nevertheless, this has the makings of an elephant in the Ryder Cup room. It’s a problem hiding in plain sight. The issuance of checks worth hundreds of thousands simply to don the European colors should clearly make the event organizers feel uncomfortable. The ball is firmly in Hatton and Rahm’s court.