Golf chief opens up on Jon Rahm's appeal against LIV penalties and feeling positive about ongoing talks

With an image of John Jacobs, the tour’s first CEO and its founding father, on the wall to his left, Kinnings was mainly grilled about the situation regarding Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton about appeals that will determine whether or not the LIV Golf will be eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup and also a recent meeting in New York about the ongoing talks aimed at restoring harmony in the game following its much-publicised civil war.

In what has been deemed to be a loophole, Rahm and Hatton both look set to retain their DP World Tour membership by playing in the required minimum four events this season after lodging appeals against the fines and suspensions imposed for playing in LIV Golf events without an official release. In doing so, the pair will remain eligible for the Ryder Cup.

“The one thing we can try and do is be consistent and stick with the rules,” said Kinnings, speaking as the second round of the BMW PGA Championship, the third Rolex Series event of the season, was taking place on the nearby West Course. “These are the rules - they haven’t changed,” he added of Hatton having played in the recent Betfred British Masters and both Hatton and Rahm being set to tee up in next week’s Open de España and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in a fortnight’s time.  

“People, if they work within the rules, then they have the opportunity to do things, and that's why you've got players playing in tournaments, which I'm glad they are. I'm pleased Jon is playing in Spain - delighted to have him playing in his national Open, and you have other guys working within the rules and playing.”

The big question, of course, in terms of next year’s Ryder Cup in New York, where Luke Donald will once again lead Europe into battle after masterminding last year’s brilliant win over the Americans in Rome, is whether or not the appeal process will be concluded before then.

“There's no fixed formula, so we’ll just have to wait and see how long it takes to reach that appeal process,” said Kinnings, who referred to a previous legal process against LIV Golf players taking around nine months (seven months for a hearing to take place then a further six weeks for the decision) to be resolved.

“The very clever lawyers who work for people will kind of handle all of that and, in the interim, the most important thing that we are also doing is continuing to have the ongoing discussions about the future, and those may or may not have some impact in that process.”

It was put to Kinnings that there was a feeling among DP World Tour members that the appeal hearing would probably be heard after the next Ryder Cup, meaning that Rahm and Hatton would both be eligible.

“I hear what you are saying about the timetable, but what I'd like to do is have the situation resolved either at appeal or, if things develop in terms of conversations around the future of the game, who knows how things may adapt that,” he replied to that.  

“I can conceive of any player not being in the team because the truth is, no one knows who will qualify or get picked.  That's the nature of the process.  People can get injured.  People can do this.  

”All I want, and I have huge respect for Luke - he's been brilliant and he's been as consistent as we have about this is a team -  to give him is the ability to choose from the best players to have the best team to give themselves the best chance to win in Bethpage, which, as we know, is going to be a big challenge.”

Those aforementioned discussions, of course, are around the Framework Agreement struck last year between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. In his media chat earlier in the year, Kinnings revealed that all the main parties had not even sat around the table at that point, but that happened in New York last week, when, in addition to the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF, representatives of the Sports Strategic Group, which struck a $3 billion deal with the PGA Tour earlier this year and involves Fenway Sports Group, owners of Liverpool Football Club, were also in attendance.

“I left those meetings seeing firsthand there in the room with all the right organisations, the right parties, with the right mindset, a sense of positivity from all parties involved to try and find a solution which would be good for the game.  Long way to go.  A lot of detail, complicated stuff to be done,” he said.  

“But that has to be a good thing for all of us.  We all have to hope that that can succeed and, if that can succeed, then there are a lot of things, not just appeal processes and this and that and the other things, that can get resolved.”

“Obviously we know the PGA Tour extremely well, we work with them on a daily basis, but now knowing and working closely with Strategic Sports Group and Fenways and guys like that, and also with Public Investment Fund, what you're doing is talking to the parties who, if they do come together, then you've got the right people to make something happen that I think will be really exciting for the game.”

It was reported recently that LIV Golf, which, of course, is backed by the Saudis, had approached the DP World Tour in a bid to strike a deal that would wipe out the penalties for LIV players while offering offering various concessions and a monetary payout from the breakaway league.

“There was an approach, absolutely, by LIV,” confirmed Kinnings. “But, at the end of the day, we're talking about a big discussion that requires all of the organisations.  It will be so inappropriate to be off having a conversation, kind of a piece meal thing while those discussions are going on, that involve just a couple of the parties.  

“So we were very clear.  We said, ‘listen, we are always happy to listen to people and talk to everyone and whatever else, but it's got to be part of the big picture that's seeking to resolve the whole of the game’.”