JON Rahm tore into the European tour on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) over its offer for him and other LIV Golf players to rejoin, claiming the tour was “extorting players” by forcing them to play additional tournaments.
Rahm, competing this week in LIV Golf Hong Kong, spoke publicly for the first time since the European tour announced a deal that would require LIV players to pay previous fines for not getting releases and to compete in additional events designated by the tour.
Eight players from LIV, including Tyrrell Hatton, accepted the deal. Rahm did not.
“I don’t know what game they’re trying to play right now,” Rahm said. “But it just seems like in a way they’re using our impact in tournaments and fining us, and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer. In a way, they’re extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game.
“So I don’t like the situation, and I’m not going to agree to that.”
Players are required to play four tournaments, not including the majors, to keep membership on the European tour. Rahm said the deal would have required LIV members to play six tournaments.
“And they dictate where two of those have to be, among other things that I don’t agree with,” Rahm said. “I’ve been a dual member my whole career — PGA Tour and DP World Tour.... Never once have I been asked for a release to play either one of those tours. So why is it now that we need to be offering this and there’s all these penalties?
“I just don’t like the situation,” he said. “I think we should be able to freely play where we want and have the choice to play where we want and not be dictated what we do.”
The fines stem from playing LIV Golf events opposite European tour events without getting a conflicting-event release. Rahm was able to use the “home tour” policy on the PGA Tour to play in European tour events.
Rahm said he told the European tour — known as the DP World Tour commercially — that if it lowered the minimum requirement to four tournaments, he would sign the deal.
“They haven’t agreed to that,” he said. “I just refuse to play six events. I don’t want to, and that’s not what the rules say.”