Rory McIlroy urges Ryder Cup teammates to pay hefty fines

Rory McIlroy is taking the idiom, "put your money where your mouth is," to another level. Instead of talking about his own money, the World No. 2 is putting other people's money where his mouth is. 

Ahead of this week's Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy sent a pointed message to Ryder Cup teammates and LIV golfers Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton about paying their debts to the DP World Tour. When asked whether Rahm and Hatton should pay their fines to ensure Ryder Cup eligibility for 2027, McIlroy didn't hesitate. 

"Yes, absolutely," McIlroy told reporters at Emirates Golf Club this week, per The Guardian. "We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup, and we also said that we would pay to play in Ryder Cups. There’s two guys that can prove it."

That's easy to say when you're not the one who owes the DP World Tour millions of pounds in fines.

The fines date back to a few years ago when the DP World Tour handed down sanctions to Rahm and Hatton for competing in LIV Golf events without permission. Both golfers appealed the sanctions in 2024, but there's still no date for the cases to be heard. If Rahm and Hatton lose their appeals, they would be forced to pay the fines and risk losing their DP World Tour memberships, which could cost them a chance to compete in the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor. 

"I think any organization or any members’ organization like this has a right to uphold its rules and regulations," McIlroy said. "What the DP World Tour are doing is upholding their rules and regulations. We, as members, sign a document at the start of every year, which has you agree to these rules and regulations. The people that made the option to go to LIV knew what they were. So I don’t see what’s wrong with that."

Tyrrell Hatton might not take Rory McIlroy's advice

Hatton, who's scheduled to play with McIlroy in the first two rounds of the Dubai Desert Classic, refused to commit to complying with the DP World Tour's sanctions. 

"I don’t have anything to add," Hatton said. "I have always been extremely proud to be a member of the DP World Tour. It is pretty hard to make Ryder Cup teams, and I have been fortunate to play in the last four. Hopefully, I will be able to play more in the future; hopefully, the only thing that stops me is age and younger talent taking my spot.

"I don’t have an update to give. It’s still with legal teams and there’s guys that are still in conversations working it all out. So I haven’t put any more thought into that. I don’t really know what’s happening. I’m just here to play golf, as always."

McIlroy seems to be more worried about Rahm and Hatton's Ryder Cup future than the players themselves.