Prove you want to play in Ryder Cup - Rory McIlroy's message to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton

Rahm and Hatton both competed in last year’s 45th edition in New York on the strength of appealing against DP World Tour fines imposed for them participating in LIV Golf events without an official release.

The situation has still to be resolved and, speaking in a press conference for this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club, McIlroy delivered a blunt answer to being asked if Rahm and Hatton should simply pay their fines.

“Yeah, absolutely,” declared the world No 2. “Look, this is my opinion. We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup (as was the case for the first time at Bethpage Black last year), and we also said that we would pay to play in Ryder Cups. There's two guys that can prove it.”

Legion XIII captain Rahm and team-mate Hatton are both facing multi-million fines from the DP World Tour, with players having to be members of the circuit to be eligible for the Ryder Cup.

“Look, I think any organisation or any members' organisation like this has a right to uphold its rules and regulations,” added McIlroy. “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.”

McIlroy, a record four-time winner of the iconic Dallah Trophy, also spoke openly after being asked, on the back of Brooks Koepka ending his LIV Golf stint to return to the PGA Tour, if reunification in the game still mattered.

“I think it matters,” he said. “I would say that's Solution A. But I just don't see a world where it can happen at this point. I don't see a world where the two or three sides or whoever it is will give up enough.

“For reunification to happen, every side is going to feel like they will have lost, where you really want every side to feel like they have won. And I just don't think they are just too far apart for that to happen.”

While LIV Golf players are banned from playing on the PGA Tour, former world No 1 Dustin Johnson is among 11 players from the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit teeing up in this week’s Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour.

“Yes, I think relationships are better,” admitted McIlroy, “but, at the same time, that doesn't necessarily mean that every organisation will give up in its own best interest.

"My opinion is that golf would be better served if all the best players in the world played together a little more often than they do. I'd like to see the best players play together maybe ten times a year instead of four times a year."

Hatton, the defending champion this week, was asked about McIlroy’s comment after he also visited the media centre on Wednesday. “I've literally come off a pro-am and am not on my phone in the pro-am, so I don't really have anything to add towards what he said,” said the Englishman.

Asked to provide an update on the legal case, he added: “To be honest I don't have an update to give. It's still with legal teams and there's guys that are still in conversations working it all out. I don't really know what's happening.”