Lee Westwood Backs Rory McIlroy Over DP World Tour Fines Row

Lee Westwood says the DP World Tour should set an appeal date for mid February for LIV Golf players Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.

The pair, who have 18 DP Tour titles between them, are currently able to compete on the European circuit after appealing their fines and sanctions for playing in LIV events without conflicting event releases, with a date for the appeal to be settled currently unknown.

On the eve of the Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy called on the players to pay their DP World Tour fines to remain eligible for the European Ryder Cup team.

Westwood revealed in 2024 that he has outstanding fines of over $1 million for competing in LIV while still a DP World Tour member - and he insisted he will not pay them.

Taking to X, Westwood said McIlroy was "correct", and added: "The DP World Tour should set Jon and Tyrell's [Tyrrell's] appeal date for Mid February. Then nobody can have any complaints.

"Everyone will have been treated the same. If they lose their appeal they either have to pay the fines and can carry on or not pay the fines and resign and not be available for Ryder Cup. Then it will get interesting!!!"

The DP World Tour is expected to come out on top in the appeal after winning an arbitration panel hearing against LIV players in 2023, which confirmed it was allowed to impose sanctions on its members for playing in competing events on LIV.

Rahm, who recently told the Subpar Podcast that his fines are around $3m, has maintained he will not pay them, which reportedly will not be settled by LIV Golf anymore after Sergio Garcia and reportedly others too had theirs paid by the PIF-backed circuit.

Patrick Reed is also facing fines and sanctions, but he confirmed this week to The Telegraph and Golf Digest that he will be paying them in order to continue playing on the DP World Tour.

Rahm and Hatton face the possibility of not being able to compete in the biennial contest, so McIlroy said they should pay the fines after agreeing to the terms when they joined the Tour.

"Absolutely," McIlroy said when asked whether it would just be easier for the LIV pair to pay up.

"Main thing is, look, this is my opinion. 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."

Hatton, who is playing the Dubai Desert Classic this week, was subsequently asked about his Ryder Cup teammate's comments.

"To be honest I don't have an update to give," Hatton said.

"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. Like I don't really know what's happening. So, yeah, I'm just here to play golf as always."

McIlroy also said the pair would have agreed to the Tour's terms before joining LIV and doesn't see anything wrong with the circuit imposing sanctions.

"I think any organization or any members' organisation like this has a right to uphold its rules and regulations," he said.

"And what the DP World Tour are doing is upholding their rules and regulations and we, as members, sign a document at the start of every year, which has you agree to these rules and regulations, and the people that made the option to go to LIV knew what they were.

"So I don't see what's wrong with that, I guess, is my opinion."