Rory McIlroy has questioned Jon Rahm’s decision to turn down a proposal from the DP World Tour that would have allowed LIV Golf players to keep their membership without facing further penalties. Speaking ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy said the tour had already offered what he considers a fair solution.

The DP World Tour recently presented LIV players with a way to resolve their disputes tied to competing in LIV events without releases. Eight of the nine players accepted the terms, but Jon Rahm declined the offer. His decision has again raised questions about his Ryder Cup eligibility, since players must hold DP World Tour membership to represent Europe.

McIlroy said the arrangement was already a generous compromise compared to what players originally faced.

“In my opinion, it’s a really generous deal,” McIlroy said. “It’s a much softer deal than what Brooks [Koepka] took to come back and play on the PGA Tour.”

Players who joined LIV Golf were previously fined for playing conflicting events without permission from the DP World Tour. Under the new proposal, those fines could effectively be set aside if players dropped their appeals and committed to playing additional events on the tour.

McIlroy said the European circuit had already done what it could to find a middle ground.

“Look, the European Tour can only do so much to accommodate these guys. So, if you want to play on the Ryder Cup, you have to be a member of the DP World Tour. To be a member of the DP World Tour, you have to abide by the rules and regulations. And the rules and regulations were, ‘OK, if you break the media rights agreement and you go and play in a conflicting event, you don’t get a release, you’re subject to fines.’

“So, the guys didn’t want to pay these fines; that’s fine. So then, the European Tour said, ‘OK, let’s try to come up with some sort of solution where you don’t have to pay the fines, so that we can ease that burden on you, but still retain your membership.’

“And look, there’s a reason eight of the nine guys took that deal, right? I think it’s a really good deal. Obviously, Jon doesn’t think so, and he’s obviously well within his rights to think that way. But I just don’t see what more the European Tour can do to accommodate these guys to retain their membership.”

Eight LIV players including Tyrrell Hatton, accepted the proposal. The agreement requires them to play six DP World Tour events this season, two more than the usual four needed to maintain membership.

Jon Rahm however chose not to accept the terms leaving him as the only LIV player yet to agree to the tour’s solution and keeping his DP World Tour status unresolved.

Jon Rahm explains why he rejected the DP World Tour proposal

Jon Rahm has also shared his side of the dispute after deciding not to accept the DP World Tour’s proposed agreement. Speaking at LIV Golf Hong Kong earlier this week Rahm said the issue was not the fines or the appeals but the extra events players were asked to commit to on the DP World Tour schedule.

Speaking at LIV Golf Hong Kong earlier this week Jon Rahm said the issue was not the fines or the appeals but the extra events players were asked to commit to on the DP World Tour schedule.

The offer allowed LIV players to keep their membership by settling previous fines, dropping their legal appeals and returning to play more tournaments on the European circuit. Eight players agreed to those terms but Rahm decided not to sign.

The sticking point for him was the requirement to play six DP World Tour events this season instead of the usual four needed to maintain membership.

“I just don’t like the situation. 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,” Rahm said.

Rahm said he would have accepted the deal if the tour had kept the normal four event requirement.

“If the deal was to pay the fines, drop the appeals and play the four events, I would sign tonight,” he said.

Jon Rahm currently plays on the LIV Golf circuit where players are required to appear in 14 events each season. He had previously appealed the fines issued by the DP World Tour in 2024 for competing in conflicting tournaments which allowed him to keep his membership and remain eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup.

With Jon Rahm now declining the latest proposal his long term status with the DP World Tour remains uncertain.