Jon Rahm's move to LIV Golf was one that shook the world of professional golf at the turn of the year, with many seeing it as a devastating loss to the PGA Tour.
After all, the Spaniard was one of the biggest stars in sport and looked likely to have a hugely successful career ahead of him. He was without doubt the brightest talent to defect to the Saudi-backed tour up to that point.
Of course, it was also a huge loss to the European Ryder Cup team. Rahm was one of the driving forces behind the victory over the USA in Rome last year, and considering the shallower playing pool on this side of the Atlantic, his absence would have been a telling one in future editions of the event.
However, it seems as though there is still every chance that we will see him at Bethpage next year.
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Loophole could see LIV Golf stars with Europe at 2025 Ryder Cup
The likes of Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, and Ian Poulter were not available for European selection for the last Ryder Cup due to their moves to LIV Golf, while Henrik Stenson was also stripped of the captaincy after making the switch.
All of those golfers resigned their membership of the DP World Tour as a result, something players must have if they are to represent Europe in the competition. The PGA Tour do not have a similar rule, something that allowed Brooks Koepka to take part for the USA.
It was assumed that Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, two members of last year's winning team, would be subjected to the same treatment as Garcia and co in 2025.
However, it seems that might not be the case.
Westwood, Garcia, and Poulter were not eligible due to the fact that they resigned from their place on DP World Tour in order to avoid paying fines for playing on LIV. They were also handed suspensions. As Rahm and Hatton have not given up their membership, they could still feature at Bethpage.
New DP World Tour boss Guy Kinnings has now summed up why they will be available for selection if they pay any relevant fines and if they play four events on the tour each year, something that could be structured around suspensions given to the players.
If you look at eligibility criteria for 2023, then I think there has been a slight misconception,” he told reporters.
The reality is, under the current rules, if a player is European, a member of the DP World Tour and abides 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 LIV membership could not qualify or be available for selection...
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.
In short, this means that we could see Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton tee it up for Europe in the Ryder Cup in 2025 after all, if they are selected by Luke Donald of course.
Golf fans would certainly want to see the best players take part in the event, irrespective of the tour they play on.
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