The latest chapter in the Jon Rahm, DP World Tour saga has been written, and it’s not heading in a positive direction for his Ryder Cup hopes.

Rahm’s refusal to pay his DP World Tour fines for playing on LIV Golf has put his Ryder Cup status in jeopardy. A number of players, including Rahm’s LIV teammate Tyrrell Hatton, accepted a deal from the tour so they could play on both tours, but Rahm did not.

The deal required the players to pay their fines and play in six DP World Tour events in 2026, while PGA Tour players need only play four events to maintain their membership. Rahm said that while he’s willing to pay the fines, he isn’t willing to play in six events, two of which would be dictated by the DP World Tour.

But to play for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, a player must be a member of the DP World Tour. This puts Rahm’s availability for Adare Manor in 2027 in serious doubt. And we are no closer to a resolution after Rahm’s latest actions in this standoff.

Jon Rahm withdraws appeal for DP World Tour fines

Rahm has been arguing for his right to play on the DP World Tour for months now, but his recent actions suggest he’s taking a step back from the standoff entirely. The Spaniard has withdrawn his appeal of the sanctions placed on him by the DP World Tour.

Rahm has racked up more than $2 million in fines for competing in events in conflict with the PGA Tour as a member of LIV Golf. And while withdrawing his appeal might seem like a step in the right direction, actually, his Ryder Cup status is in more doubt than ever before.

Yet he seems steadfast in his position that he shouldn’t have to pay the fines. When asked about his decision to reject the DP World Tour’s deal before LIV Hong Kong, he called it “extortion”.

DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings responded to this, saying, “I think it’s pretty straightforward. [Rahm] either withdraws an appeal and settles fines or he goes through the appeal process, and that process is underway, and then we’ll obviously then have to go with whatever the decision is made in that appeal hearing.”

But now Rahm has withdrawn his appeal, where do we go from here? At least before, there was a pathway towards some sort of resolution, but now he isn’t even attempting to return to the DP World Tour this year.

It has always seemed that Rahm and the DP World Tour would eventually reach an agreement. It felt unfathomable that the two-time major winner would actually miss the Ryder Cup.

But as the months tick down to Adare Manor, this is becoming more of a reality than a nightmare for Team Europe.

Colin Montgomerie said Europe can win without Jon Rahm

As Rahm calls the DP World Tour’s bluff by withdrawing his appeal, the tour isn’t showing any signs of wavering. Colin Montgomerie, who was just appointed to the Board of Directors of the European Tour Group, thinks Europe can win without him.

On March 11, he told bunkered, “We’ve got a year and a half to go sort of thing. So let’s hope they can find a solution to it because we all know that the Ryder Cup team is stronger with Jon Rahm in it than without him.

“But, at the same time, I think we can beat the Americans without Jon Rahm. The Ryder Cup’s never been about one person. It’s always been about the 12 that are competing at the time.”

No one man can be bigger than the team, and that’s the clear message that has been sent to Rahm during this process.