LIV golfer Jon Rahm appeals European tour fines and is clear to play in the Spanish Open

Jon Rahm has appealed the European tour sanctions against him for playing the LIV Golf circuit, allowing him a chance to reach the minimum four European tour starts required to be considered for the Ryder Cup next year. (USA TODAY Sports/File Photo)
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Updated 13 September 2024
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LIV golfer Jon Rahm appeals European tour fines and is clear to play in the Spanish Open

  • Rahm’s formal appeal was a pivotal move because it allows him a chance to reach the minimum four European tour starts required to be considered for the Ryder Cup next year
  • European tour: Jon Rahm has a pending appeal against sanctions imposed on him and in accordance with the DP World Tour’s Regulations, he is eligible to participate in the (Spanish Open) later this month

NEW YORK: Jon Rahm on Thursday appealed the European tour sanctions against him for playing the LIV Golf circuit, allowing him to play the Spanish Open and other European tour events until an independent panel decides if he must pay fines.

Rahm’s formal appeal was a pivotal move because it allows him a chance to reach the minimum four European tour starts required to be considered for the Ryder Cup next year.

Rahm, a former Masters champion and world No. 1, joined the Saudi-funded league late last year for a signing bonus reported to be in the $300 million to $400 million range.

Other players who defected to LIV, Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk, are going through the same appeal and are allowed into tournaments as the process plays out.

Hatton played the British Masters two weeks ago. Both are entered in the Spanish Open.

The European tour said in a statement, “Jon Rahm has a pending appeal against sanctions imposed on him and in accordance with the DP World Tour’s Regulations, he is eligible to participate in the (Spanish Open) later this month.”

The DP World Tour is the commercial name of the European tour.

“I don’t intend to pay the fines, and we keep trying to have a discussion with them about how we can make this happen,” Rahm said on Wednesday from LIV Golf Chicago, where he is battling Joaquin Niemann for the individual title worth $18 million to the winner.

Rahm said he has entered the Dunhill Links Championship and the Andalucia Masters. That would give him four starts because the Olympics counts toward the minimum.

The appeals process is the same as it was when several Europeans first joined LIV Golf in the summer of 2022. An independent panel, Sport Resolutions, ruled in April 2023 the players committed serious breaches and the European tour was within its rights to penalize them.

“I’m glad Jon decided to appeal and he can play his events in which he wants to play and be eligible,” European captain Luke Donald said Thursday from the Irish Open. “I know the Ryder Cup means so much to him, and I’m sure that was a massive factor in his decision.”

Rahm is primarily opposed to being fined for playing LIV events opposite tournaments he had never played or did not intend to play. Among European tour events opposite LIV this year were stops in Bahrain, South Africa, Japan, China and the Czech Republic.

“He has his thoughts and he doesn’t agree with the fines and paying fines, especially for events that he would never have played on the DP World Tour. But those rules are the rules, and they were certainly in place when he signed with LIV,” Donald said.

Donald said he hoped golf’s landscape would be different before the September 2025 matches at Bethpage Black. Executives with the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia met this week in New York to continue negotiations about PIF becoming a minority investor in PGA Tour Enterprises and what that would mean for players on both sides.

The tour and PIF first had a framework agreement announced in June 2023.

“I’ll take today as a nice little victory for me personally to know that Jon is eligible and can play his three events now,” Donald said. “What happens in the future, I can’t tell. What happens in 15 months, I think all of us thought something more would happen.”


Man City held by Solanke stunner, Sesko delivers ‘best feeling’ for Man Utd

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Man City held by Solanke stunner, Sesko delivers ‘best feeling’ for Man Utd

  • Solanke’s absence for most of the season due to injury has played a major part in Spurs’ struggles

ONDON: Manchester City’s Premier League title challenge hit a fresh stumbling block as Dominic Solanke’s acrobatic strike salvaged a 2-2 draw for struggling Tottenham on Sunday, while Benjamin Sesko secured another thrilling 3-2 win for Manchester United over Fulham.
City were cruising toward what would have been another damaging defeat for Spurs boss Thomas Frank as they led 2-0 at half-time.
But Solanke scored twice in the second half to leave Pep Guardiola’s men six points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
City have won just one of their six league games in 2026 to allow the Gunners to move closer to a first title in 22 years.
“We haven’t had the consistency to win the games when others were able to do it,” said Guardiola.
Rayan Cherki fired the visitors into an early lead and was only denied a spectacular second by a brilliant Guglielmo Vicario save.
Antoine Semenyo did double City’s advantage before the break to spark uproar from the furious Spurs support at half-time.
However, Tottenham flipped the script in the second period to give Frank some breathing space.
Solanke’s absence for most of the season due to injury has played a major part in Spurs’ struggles.
The England international’s finish from close range halved the deficit before he produced a stunning moment of athleticism to hook the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma with a scorpion kick.

Sesko rides to Man Utd rescue

A third consecutive win since Michael Carrick took the reins at Old Trafford propelled United back into the top four at the expense of Chelsea and Liverpool.
A week on from a 3-2 win at Arsenal, it was another throwback to United’s glory days during Carrick’s playing career as they snatched victory in dramatic fashion after a Fulham fightback.
Goals from Casemiro and Matheus Cunha either side of half-time put United in command.
Just a second defeat in nine league games dealt a blow to Fulham’s own hopes of European football next season.
The visitors showed plenty of fight as Raul Jimenez’s penalty five minutes from time began a frantic finale before Kevin’s spectacular strike looked to have salvaged a point.
But United went straight down the other end and Sesko spun onto Bruno Fernandes’ pass before blasting into the top corner.
“It’s the best feeling I have to say,” Carrick said.
“Some of the best moments I’ve been part of here, you can dissect performances and there are plusses and not, and then you get a moment of elation and excitement like that.”

Villa’s title dreams fade

To cap a fine day for Arsenal, third-placed Aston Villa were beaten 1-0 at home by 10-man Brentford to remain seven points off the top.
Kevin Schade was sent off for kicking out at Matty Cash on 42 minutes.
But in first-half stoppage time, the Bees took the lead when Dango Ouattara blasted in from a narrow angle.
Villa laid seige to the Brentford goal after the break but lacked the invention to break the visitors down.
Tammy Abraham did have the ball in the net but was denied a debut goal on his return to Villa after a VAR review found the ball had gone out of play in the build-up.
Crystal Palace also failed to make the most of a man advantage in a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s early strike put Forest in front, but Neco Williams’ decision to punch the ball clear off his own goal-line just before half-time was the break the visitors needed.
Ismaila Sarr netted from the penalty spot after Williams was shown a red card.
However, Palace failed to end their 12-game wait for a win and remain just three points above Forest and nine clear of the bottom three.