Sergio Garcia has coughed up over $1 million in fines owed to the DP World Tour in order to return to the Ryder Cup next year, a sacrifice his fellow LIV Golf star Jon Rahm is yet to make.

Earlier this week it was confirmed that Garcia had reapplied for membership to the DP World Tour for 2025. Garcia was a part of a group of LIV players who resigned their Tour cards in 2023, due to picking up fines and a suspension for every event they played in on the breakaway circuit.

This did however ensure that the likes of Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood would be unable to represent Team Europe at the Ryder Cup, as they missed last year’s event in Rome.

The Spaniard however has set his sights on making a comeback, having paid off the fines he owed to the Wentworth-based circuit. He will be hoping he can now play his way into Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team in New York next year, a target which has also been set by Rahm.

Unlike Garcia, Rahm has never resigned his membership from the DP World Tour but was required to play four events by the end of the year to remain a member, a tally he completed in his native Spain last month. Unlike Garcia however he is required to pay the Tour his sanctions, but this is something he is not willing to do.

“I’m not a big fan of the fines. I think I’ve been outspoken about that,” the 2024 LIV Golf individual champion ahead of an event in Chicago in September. “I don’t intend to pay the fines, and we keep trying to have a discussion with them about how we can make this happen.”

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Captain Jon Rahm of Legion XIII warms up in the practice area during day one of the LIV Golf Invitational

Jon Rahm has not paid his fines ( 

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Per Tour rules, Rahm is required to settle any payments owed to play at Bethpage Black, however, he has found a loophole. On the back of his DP World Tour return in recent months, the former world No. 1 confirmed he had appealed the punishments against him, allowing him to continue to compete.

When it comes to Garcia, a return to the European team would be a special one, having previously announced himself as the player with the most points in Ryder Cup history. Rumours of a comeback began in September, after captain, Donald confirmed he had held a phone call with the LIV star.

“He thinks he can play,” Donald said. “He wants to play. I don’t think he has talked to me about being an assistant captain, but again, he would have to re-join the tour for him to be eligible. He’s certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that’s involved and again, the decision has to go to him whether he’s prepared to do all that. But certainly, we’ve had that discussion.”