Spanish golfer Jon Rahm appealed against outstanding fines to the DP World Tour on Thursday which had thrown his hopes of competing at next year’s Ryder Cup into jeopardy. The two-time major winner originally insisted Wednesday that he had no intention of paying the penalty fees incurred due to his participation in LIV Golf events, escalating the possibility of Team Europe heading into next year’s Ryder Cup without one of its biggest stars. Rahm played a pivotal role in routing the United States in Rome last October, but to be eligible to return to captain Luke Donald’s team for New York, the 29-year-old needs to be a member of the DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour. To retain his membership, he must play in three further events on the circuit before its season concludes with the Tour Championship in Dubai on November 17.

Yet Rahm faced being unable to tee up at any DP World Tour tournament until he resolved or appealed fines issued to him by the circuit for not being released from competing at events on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf schedule that clashed with its own calendar. Rahm had until midday BST (7 a.m. EST) to contest the sanctions in time to play the Spanish Open in Madrid on September 26 and lodged his appeal just hours before the deadline.

“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 acciona Open de España presented by Madrid later this month,” a spokesperson for the DP World Tour said in a statement to CNN.

It sees him follow in the footsteps of fellow LIV Golf member and former Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton, who appealed his sanctions in order to play August’s British Masters and boost his hopes of making Donald’s team. Speaking ahead of LIV Golf’s regular season-ending event in Chicago on Wednesday, Rahm said he intended to play his home tournament.

“I’m entered into the tournament … Whether they let me play or not is a different thing,” he told reporters.

“I’m not a big fan of the fines. I think I’ve been outspoken about that. 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 added that he wishes to compete at the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Andalucia Masters, staged in Scotland and Spain, respectively, in October. Were he to compete at the Spanish Open, those outings would take him to the four appearances needed to retain his membership, with his featuring at the Paris Olympics counting as one.

Yet Rahm has little room for leeway. LIV Golf’s Team Championship finale in Dallas rules him out of the BMW PGA Championship, while his 118th ranking in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings leaves him well short of the top-50 placing needed to compete at the two season-ending playoff events in the United Arab Emirates. That would leave just the French Open and South Korea’s Genesis Invitational as the only other two DP World Tour events that Rahm could feature in this season.

As Rahm’s teammate for two of his three Ryder Cups appearances, Ireland’s Shane Lowry is well aware of the Spaniard’s pedigree. Rahm was instrumental in Rome, with two eagles during one stunning three-hole closing stretch the highlight of a three point contribution to Europe’s 16.5 - 11.5 victory.

“Do I want Jon Rahm on the Ryder Cup Team? Yes. Should there be exemptions made? I’m not sure,” Lowry told reporters ahead of the Irish Open, the DP World Tour’s latest tournament, on Wednesday.

“I’m not going to make those decisions,” he added. “I want to be there on myself. Rahmbo in the Ryder Cup is an absolute animal. I’ve seen him in two Ryder Cups and he’s unbelievable. If there’s only one person bigger than the Ryder Cup, I’m not sure. We’ll see.”

Rahm and Lowry were both captained by Pádraig Harrington during the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. Harrington, joining Lowry in competing in his home Open this week, does not envy returning captain Donald facing an awkward situation in the lead up to next September’s tee off at Bethpage Black.

“If anybody knows me, I’m a stickler for the rules. You know what the rules say and you stick to them,” Harrington told reporters Wednesday.

“I know Jon Rahm. Big fan of Jon. And if the rules are written down, you’ve got to go about and stick to them. That’s just the way it is. It’s very important for the Ryder Cup … it’s bigger than just the match.”

Rahm’s situation is similar to that of fellow LIV players Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk, who have appealed sanctions. Hatton played in the British Masters two weeks ago and is also entered in the Spanish Open, as is Meronk. The sanctions are on hold until an appeal can be heard by an independent panel.

In the spring of 2023, the DP World Tour won a UK arbitration case which allows the Tour to enforce its penalty structure for players who complete in conflicting events without a release. In order to be eligible for the Ryder Cup, a player must meet membership requirements of at least four events per year outside of the major championships. The Olympics counts for one of those events. Rahm said he has entered the Spanish Open, the Dunhill Links Championship and the Andalucia Masters.

The DP World Tour is privately insistent the fines are in keeping entirely with their approach to golfers who joined LIV. Tyrrell Hatton did use a loophole – and this option remains for Rahm – of appealing against his fines, in order to play in the recent British Masters. Rahm, however, appears more adamant than the Englishman in his belief that the issuing of the fines was wrong. Any appeal risks the sanctions simply being reimposed further down the line. Rahm’s determination is further emphasised by the fact LIV’s Saudi backers would pay the fines on his behalf, a scenario he has thus far steadfastly refused.

European captain Luke Donald learned of Rahm’s appeal shortly after finishing his opening round of the Irish Open, and he viewed the news as “a nice little victory for me personally.”

“Obviously from my standpoint, very happy to hear he made that decision,” Donald said. “I know he was sitting on the fence a little bit, and glad that he’s done that and being allowed to play and create some time for things in the world of golf to hopefully figure themselves out. …

“It’s not been fun for me to deal with, and it’s not fun for anyone to deal with, and I’m glad Jon decided to appeal and he can play his events in which he wants to play and be eligible. I know the Ryder Cup means so much to him, and I’m sure that was a massive factor in his decision.”

Donald said that he wasn’t worried about any friction within the European team room considering Rahm and Hatton’s stance toward the DP World Tour. “The first issue was to try to get Jon eligible, Tyrrell eligible and some of those guys eligible so I had the chance to pick them on my team,” he said. “The whole camaraderie and culture, that can be worked on next year. I’m still talking to the guys within the group individually, and I think our culture, we always figure a way to come together and play for more than ourselves. We play for each other.”