The Ryder Cup stands for honor, identity, and legacy. Rory McIlroy now challenges Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to prove money doesn’t matter.
Rory McIlroy has taken a clear stance in the debate about LIV Golf players and Ryder Cup participation. While Team Europe has long emphasized that money doesn’t play a role in the sport’s most prestigious team competition, McIlroy now sees this principle as a crucial test. His message to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton is clear: Those who said they would pay to play in the Ryder Cup now have the chance to prove it.
\”That’s my opinion: we have been very strict about American players being paid to play in the Ryder Cup, and we said we would pay to participate as players. Now there are two players who can prove that,\” McIlroy stated, bringing responsibility and credibility into early focus.
Pride Over Prize Money
Both Rahm and Hatton play in LIV Golf and therefore face fines for participating in a rival tour. The PGA and DP World Tour rules are clear: as long as these sanctions remain, both players are ineligible to participate in the Ryder Cup.
Currently, the only realistic way for nomination is paying the fines totaling around six million dollars, roughly one to one and a half million per year.
The gravity of the situation is intensified by a fundamental difference between Europe and the USA. In the American team, players are paid for their Ryder Cup participation. Team Europe has always maintained that the sporting and emotional value of the competition outweighs any financial compensation. European team players have also clearly stated in the past that they would pay themselves to participate.
Luke Donald summed up this principle in his 2025 Ryder Cup introduction speech: \”It’s not about prize money or world ranking points. It’s about pride.\” It is about representing your flag, leaving a legacy, and inspiring new generations while honoring the past. You are driven by something money can’t buy: purpose, brotherhood, and responsibility.
A Financial Question with Symbolic Weight
Financially, Rahm and Hatton are certainly capable of paying this price. Rahm is reported to have earned around 76 million dollars in two years with LIV, plus an estimated signing bonus of over 200 million dollars. Hatton has about 22 million dollars plus a bonus of around 60 million dollars.
The six million dollars in fines would be many times what American players received at the last Ryder Cup. For this reason, paying the fines would be more than a formality. It would send a strong signal and represent a significant financial contribution in favor of Team Europe.
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