The earthquake signed by Jon Rahm for LIV, the revolutionary Saudi Golf League, released in December had aftershocks nine months later. The Basque is in a legal battle because he does not intend to pay the financial fines imposed by the European circuit, the DP World Tour, on all member players who will participate in the new competition. Rahm presented this Thursday, according to the Ten Golf website, an appeal to temporarily freeze these penalties and thus be able to compete in the Spanish Open, at the Villa de Madrid Country Club from September 26 to 29. A judge in London will now have to decide on the legality or otherwise of these sanctions for joining the Saudi League, a process that could take months and in the meantime Rahm will be able to participate in European circuit events. without breaking the bank. The European circuit fined 100,000 pounds (then about 117,000 euros) to golfers who competed in 2022 in the inaugural LIV tournament.
Rahm registered for the Acciona Open in Spain, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (October 3-6) and the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters (October 17-20), the three tournaments in which he must participate to complete, with his competition at the last Olympic Games in Paris, the quota of four competitions in 2024 is required to be in the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York. Meanwhile, negotiations continue between the major circuits, led by the PGA Tour, and LIV to unify the calendars and bury the great war in world golf.
Rahm, at the Paris Olympic Games.Kevin C. Cox (Getty Images)
While waiting for peace, the war was fought even in the courts. “I have no intention of paying the fines. “I’m not a big fan of them and we talked to the DP World Tour to see how we can do it to play in three tournaments,” Rahm explained on Wednesday before playing, starting this Friday in Chicago, the penultimate event of the Saudi League. “I’m not playing the Spanish Open for glory or anything like that. I do it because I believe it is my duty and I also want to play in Sotogrande (Andalucía Masters). Not playing in those tournaments will not only hurt me, but Spanish golf as well,” he added.
Rahm is looking these days in Chicago to crown the individual winner of the Saudi League in its debut season. The Basque is the leader of the classification with 195.17 points, compared to the 192.2 of the Chilean Joaquin Niemann, where the championship ring (like the NBA) will be played. The Spaniard has been ranked in the top 10 in each of the 11 tournaments he has played (he withdrew in Houston due to injury) and won in Rocester on July 28, the week before the Games. In Paris he lost the gold, and any medal, after four strokes ahead with eight holes to go. He wanted to make up for that loss with an individual win at LIV. Then comes the Spanish Open, won in 2018, 2019 and 2022, amid a judicial battle.
Individual classification of the Saudi League.