Jon Rahm has decided not to compete in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
A DP World Tour representative has since confirmed to GolfMagic that Jon Rahm has withdrawn from the DP World Tour Championship to be held in Dubai from 14-17 November.
Rahm, 29, is a three times winner of the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
He had qualified to play in the season-ending event after being inside the top 50 in the DP World Tour Rankings for the two-time major winner to participate.
The DP World Tour Championship is a 50 man low stroke play event and consists of $10 million.
Rahm, who also missed the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links from 7-10 November, was ranked 38th on the standings after 10 events following the completion of the first DP World Tour Playoffs event.
But despite recently being let back onto the DP World Tour after having appealed his fines for joining LIV Golf this season, Rahm has elected to bypass the tournament he has won three times since 2017.
The Spaniard reportedly joined LIV Golf in a $600m multi-year deal at the end of 2023.
Rahm’s omission from the DP World Tour Championship means Connor Syme will now become eligible for the tournament despite ranking in 51st position after Abu Dhabi.
Rahm had to play in at least four regular season events on the DP World Tour in a bid to maintain his membership of the former European Tour circuit and also keep his hopes alive of competing on Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team in September 2025.
The LIV Golf superstar, who won individual season honours on the Saudi-bankrolled circuit in his debut campaign, was able maintain his DP World Tour card and Ryder Cup aspirations as a result of competing in four regular events – the Olympics, the Open de Espana, Dunhill Links and Andalucia Masters.
But after the recent birth of his second child, a baby daughter, Rahm has made the decision to just solely play in four regular events on the DP World Tour and no more.
LIV Golf’s Tyrrell Hatton, who also appealed his fines to be able to return to the DP World Tour and play on the European Ryder Cup team again, has committed to the DP World Tour Championship.
Hatton, who won a record third Dunhill Links title last month, finished solo second behind Paul Waring in Abu Dhabi this week.
The Englishman has, to his credit, played in more than just four regular season events on the DP World Tour.
He played in the Dubai Desert Classic prior to joining LIV Golf earlier in the season, and since returning to the circuit has also competed in the British Masters, Open de Espana, Dunhill Links and Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
It means once he participates in next week’s DP World Tour Championship, Hatton will have played in six regular DP World Tour events.
Hatton’s career hat-trick at the Dunhill Links and his latest runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi not only sees him chalk up some valuable Ryder Cup points but it also vaults him to sixth in the DP World Tour Rankings.
The LIV Golf star has made it clear that he wants to play in as many DP World Tour events as possible outside of competing on the LIV Golf League in order to give himself the best possible chance of making Donald’s team in New York.
Hatton will not be able to win the Race to Dubai though since he is too far behind runaway leader Rory McIlroy.
Rahm also would not have been in a position to win the Race to Dubai even if he had shown up for the DP World Tour Championship.
But the many golf fans still anticipated Rahm to show up at the Jumeirah Golf Estates and this was despite the fact that the golfer had clearly declared that the DP World Tour was still in his roadmap for the near future.
Not only does Rahm have very good results in this event, you would have thought he would want to rack up as many European Ryder Cup points as possible while he can outside of LIV Golf where they don’t exist.
Rahm’s decision not to participate in the DP World Tour Championship has angered several golf fans including the veteran writer John Huggan.
Huggan, a contributing editor to Golf Digest, tweeted: Abu Dhabi with no Jon Rahm and the Dubai without Jon Rahm. ‘It’s time to tell him where to go with his place in the next Ryder Cup?
No Jon Rahm in Abu Dhabi and no Jon Rahm in Dubai. Now it is time to tell him where to go with his place in the next Ryder Cup?
McIlroy is virtually destined to complete a sixth Harry Vardon at the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy is right now over 1800 points ahead of the next nearest contender Thriston Lawrence who is the only man who has the ability to overtake him.
“You should ferrule it that if McIlroy takes his name on the Harry Vardon trophy, and that does look a given, then it will become his third straight Race to Dubai and sixth in all, making him only the second man to achieve it, on par with the late, great, Seve Ballesteros.”