Are Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau ready for the Masters?

Spain's Jon Rahm has put his Ryder Cup future into further doubt with his decision to drop his appeal against sanctions imposed upon him by the DP World Tour and his ongoing determination not to pay his outstanding fines.

Mind you, if his form at the LIV Gofl South Africa event is any indication, he is clearly not losing any sleep over it.

Eight LIV players were last month granted releases by the tour to participate in LIV events in return for paying their fines and committing to playing in specified tournaments. It allowed them to retain their DP World Tour membership and remain eligible for Ryder Cup selection. They also all agreed to withdraw all appeals.

Rahm has consistently refused to pay up and has reiterated that although he has dropped his appeal he still has no intention of paying the fines. He recently accused the DP World Tour of "extortion".

He was only allowed to carry on playing in DP World Tour events and play in last year’s Ryder Cup because of the impending appeal but that has now gone and, with it, surely any last chance of a reconciliation.

To have any chance of playing in the Ryder Cup, the tour would have to come up with a special deal for Rahm and that would cause nothing but resentment among his fellow players, particularly those who have paid the fines.

Almost three years ago, a Sports Resolutions Panel ruled that the DP World Tour was within its rights to fine and suspend players who violated the conflicting-events rules.

Not that Rahm seemed remotely concerned as he took part in LIV’s latest tournament in South Africa, although he was at the centre of a rules controversy. His opening tee shot in the third round found the rough. The ball clearly bounced after landing but Rahm was granted free relief for an embedded ball.

Afterwards LIV Golf felt the need to issue a statement: "At the start of Round 3, Jon Rahm’s tee shot on Hole 1 came to rest in the rough. Rahm sought the advice of a referee to see if his ball was embedded. After consulting with the referee, it was determined that the ball was embedded and he received relief before hitting the second shot.

"Per Rule 16.3, a ball that bounces can still be embedded in its own pitch mark and does not automatically negate the possibility of relief." Hmmm….this I most definitely a grey-ish area.

(Image Credit: LIV Golf)

The tournament was won by Bryson DeChambeau, who added it to the Singapore title he claimed seven days earlier, beating Rahm at the first playoff hole after the pair had finished on 26 under par on a course that gave up scores of 63, 64 and 65 as a matter of routine.

A tearful DeChambeau revealed he has faced challenges off the course without going into detail. "A lot had happened in my life in the last week, I am so grateful for my team and everybody supporting me," he said. "Golf is a fickle game, you work so hard at it your ‌whole life and then you realise golf is just golf.

"South Africa was unbelievable, it has to be the best LIV Golf event we have ever had."

That takes his individual earnings to $8m in eight days! It was his fifth individual LIV win - those successes alone have boosted his bank balance by $20m. To put this in some sort of perspective, Greg Norman’s career earnings on the PGA Tour amounted to $14.4m while 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus picked up $5.75m during his glittering playing career and Arnold Palmer weighs in with $1.86m!

For the likes of DeChambeau and Rahm it represents their final outing before the Masters. You have to question what sort of preparation a course that gave up birdies for fun represents as they get ready for the much tougher challenges that lie ahead at Augusta National next month.