How Are Jon Rahm and 6 LIV Golf Stars Allowed to Play This Week’s $9M PGA Tour Event?
May 17, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Jon Rahm reacts after the 18th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
May 17, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Jon Rahm reacts after the 18th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Jon Rahm is back in a non-major PGA Tour field for the first time since joining LIV Golf at the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open. And Rahm isn't alone. His Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton, who hasn't played a non-major PGA Tour event since the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii, is also in the field.
Joining them are five other active LIV Golf members: David Puig, Laurie Canter, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk and Victor Perez. The PGA Tour's stance on LIV defectors hasn't softened. So, naturally, the question that arises this week at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick is simple: how?
The answer lies in the Scottish Open’s unique status. In 2022, the tournament became the first to be co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
That arrangement means members of both tours are eligible to compete, with points awarded toward both the PGA Tour’s FedExCup and the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai, as per Front Office Sports.
Ryder Cup 2025 Tyrrell Hatton Team Europe and Jon Rahm Team Europe watching the score board after securing another point for team Europe during Saturday morning Foursomes at the 2025 Ryder Cup, Bethpage Black Golf Course, Farmingdale, New York, USA. 27/09/2025 Picture: Golffile Fran Caffrey All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Fran Caffrey Farmingdale Bethpage Black Golf Course New York USA Copyright: xFranxCaffreyx *EDI*,
Ryder Cup 2025 Tyrrell Hatton Team Europe and Jon Rahm Team Europe watching the score board after securing another point for team Europe during Saturday morning Foursomes at the 2025 Ryder Cup, Bethpage Black Golf Course, Farmingdale, New York, USA. 27/09/2025 Picture: Golffile Fran Caffrey All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Fran Caffrey Farmingdale Bethpage Black Golf Course New York USA Copyright: xFranxCaffreyx *EDI*,
That is why Rahm and Hatton can play. Both are still DP World Tour members, and Rahm reached a deal with the European circuit in May to settle his dispute, pay his fines, and stay eligible for the 2027 Ryder Cup.
Money and points work the same for everyone in the field, regardless of tour affiliation.
The winner — whoever it is — takes home $1.62 million from a $9 million purse, along with an exemption into next week's Open Championship and the 2027 Masters, unless they're already qualified.
What LIV players cannot get is a PGA Tour card. If Rahm or Hatton were somehow to win the tournament, it wouldn't change their Tour status. A win from anyone else in the field — a PGA Tour or DP World Tour member — comes with a PGA Tour card through at least the 2027 season.
Notable Absences Reshape Field
Not everyone is making the trip to North Berwick. PGA Tour veteran Jordan Spieth, Former Open Champion Justin Rose, Tony Finau, and Rickie Fowler are some notable names missing this week.
Spieth is heading early to Royal Birkdale so he can settle in before The Open, where he is already exempt as the 2017 champion.
It's the first time Justin Rose has missed the Scottish Open in five years, with no explanation given.
Tony Finau withdrew Monday, and unlike Spieth and Rose, it actually costs him. The six-time PGA Tour winner has missed the year's first three majors and was leaning on a big Scottish Open finish to boost his case for the last major of the season. But it's not possible anymore.
Rickie Fowler has secured his Open Championship spot through his OWGR ranking.
Written by
Md Saife Fida
Edited by
Koushik Biswas