A fresh storm is brewing on the other side of the Atlantic. As the DP World Tour finally announced its decision on LIV Golf fines, most, except Jon Rahm, have accepted the deal. Board members would have thought of sighing in relief after making the controversial decision, but Eddie Pepperell thinks that it could lead to a much bigger concern looming over the circuit.

“If it is indeed deemed in any way the perception from the membership that this is too soft and these players are now able to have their cake and eat it effectively, the DP World Tour runs the risk of losing two to three players at the end of the season the way they lost Elvis Smylie,” Pepperell explained.

“Not only are we bleeding players to the PGA Tour, we’re now going to be potentially bleeding more players across to LIV, which I think would be disastrous for the DP World Tour. They have to think about that, I think they will be thinking about that.”

Until 2025, LIV Golf was paying DP World Tour golfers’ fines to maintain their membership. However, the league announced last year that it would stop doing so from 2026. With every golfer on their own to pay the fines and Jon Rahm, along with Tyrrell Hatton, appealing theirs, the board had to make a decision, and soon.

The DP World Tour offered conditional releases to select LIV golfers. However, those who accepted had to pay past fines, participate in specified events, and drop their appeals. Eight golfers, including Tyrrell Hatton, Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig, and Elvis Smylie, accepted the deal. However, Rahm rejected it to maintain his appeal.

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Eddie Pepperell believes this provides a clear path for these golfers to play on both tours without major hurdles. And if other DP World Tour golfers see it that way, it would make LIV Golf more lucrative for them. This is because they will get good money from the Saudi-backed league if they go there. On top of that, they won’t have to pay major fines to retain their DP World Tour membership.

The 2x DP World Tour winner believes that this could be concerning. The circuit is already lending its top golfers to the PGA Tour. Every season, the golfer who makes it to the top 10 on the Race to Dubai Rankings gets a PGA Tour exempt card. Most of these stars start playing more on the American tour to earn more money.

Marco Penge, for instance, won the card for this season and has already shifted to the US. He plans to play the regular PGA Tour season and then return to the DP World Tour towards the end of the year. Now, if LIV Golf also attracts top golfers, it would be challenging for the DP World Tour to maintain its field strength.

Although Eddie Pepperell is concerned, there’s a catch here. The European circuit has made the deal only for this year. So, golfers who join the Saudi-backed league will still face uncertainty. But that might not stop them if they start to see softness in the DP World Tour’s decisions.

While almost everyone accepted the deal, Jon Rahm has made a bold move.

Jon Rahm’s Ryder Cup future is in jeopardy

Jon Rahm’s refusal to accept the conditional settlement has placed his 2027 Ryder Cup eligibility at significant risk. Among the 8 golfers who accepted the deal, only Elvis Smylie is not eligible for the Ryder Cup 2027. Any one of the other 7 members or a DP World Tour member could take the Spaniard’s place at the next biennial event.

Rahm joined LIV Golf from the 2024 season. So, he was not eligible to play the Ryder Cup 2025, either. However, it was his appeal that got him entry in the Bethpage Black event. Since the appeal was outstanding, his DP World Tour membership was not at stake. Thus, he became eligible to play as part of the European Ryder Cup team.

However, that might not be the case in 2027. There’s already pressure on the DP World Tour’s board to decide on the Spaniard’s appeal. If the decision is not in his favor, he won’t be playing the Ryder Cup 2027.

Jon Rahm has voiced his reluctance to pay the fines from the very start. He says that he wouldn’t have played many of the events even if he were not playing on LIV Golf.

The Spaniard’s uncertain Ryder Cup future now stands as the sharpest edge of the debate about the DP World Tour’s authority and direction. If his appeal collapses or his membership is revoked, it would validate Eddie Pepperell’s warning. The tour’s handling of LIV defections could carry consequences far beyond a single player.