Jon Rahm will remain eligible to compete for Europe in the 2027 Ryder Cup with the Spaniard reaching an agreement with the DP World Tour regarding outstanding fines and requirements to retain tour membership.

Rahm, 31, did not provide specifics but said both sides made concessions and that the agreement will allow him to play the tour without accumulating more fines. He had also taken issue with the tour requiring LIV Golf members to play in a minimum of six events — two determined by the DP World Tour — to retain membership.

“The DP World Tour and Jon Rahm have come to an agreement on conditional releases to play in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the remainder of its 2026 season,” the DPWT said in a statement obtained by bunkered.co.uk.

“This involves payment of all outstanding fines accrued from 2024 to date, along with participation in agreed DP World Tour tournaments (outside the Majors) in the remainder of the 2026 season.”

Eight LIV Golf players had previously agreed to drop their appeals, pay pending fines to the DPWT and play in the mandatory minimum of six events rather than the typical four required. Rahm, who reportedly faced more than $3 million in fines, had balked at the conditions, saying they amounted to “extorting players like myself.”

However, Rahm softened his stance a bit at last month’s Masters, saying that discussions remained ongoing and that he was confident he would compete in next year’s Ryder Cup in Ireland.

“We keep talking to the DP World Tour and trying to figure out a solution that works best,” Rahm said at Augusta National. “I didn’t think that going the legal route and going to court was good for anybody. So I have faith in us and the DP World Tour we’re going to find a good solution for both of us.”

It appears that solution has been reached, and Rahm is expected to compete on the DP World Tour later this year. He said at the Masters that he hoped to play in multiple events following the conclusion of the LIV Golf season in late August, mentioning the Irish Open, the Spanish Open, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and “maybe even the (Alfred) Dunhill” as DPWT events he is looking forward to potentially playing.

–Field Level Media

Belgium’s Thomas Pieters said he won’t return to the PGA Tour if the financially challenged LIV Golf League shutters its doors.

“I’m definitely never going back to the PGA Tour,” he recently told host Dan Rapaport of the “Dan on Golf” YouTube channel. “I’ve never liked that life. And that’s not me having a go at the PGA Tour, it’s not for me. I tried it and I just wasn’t happy there. If (LIV) goes away, I’ll probably try and play some on the European Tour or I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Pieters, 34, joined the PGA Tour in 2017 and made 53 starts, with his best finish a runner-up effort at the Genesis Open in 2017. He has six wins on Europe’s DP World Tour.

He signed with LIV Golf in 2023 and currently plays for captain Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC. He finished T4 at the 2026 season opener at Riyadh in February and third at LIV Golf Hong Kong in March.

Pieters said he was “ready to retire” if LIV Golf had decided to “pull the plug” after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced plans to cut off funding.

“The atmosphere was really grim. I had enough of it after 3-4 hours, everybody talking about it,” he said. “I’m not fussed about it at this point because I feel like I still have a duty to focus on these next six, seven tournaments on LIV and then we’ll see. They’re obviously trying to get it together next year. We’ll see.”

Pieters, a member of the 2016 European Ryder Cup team, said he will make a decision about his future after he has more information from LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil.

“We are just guessing right now,” Pieters said. “But if we’re playing for $5 million next year or I could play on the DP World Tour for $3 million but be close to home that’s something I’d have to look at it when it comes. Possibly there’s guys going. But I think that’s up to Scott and his team to get this thing together and we’ll just have to find out.

“… Scott is telling us that he’s going to a broader market and trying to fund this for next year. I guess it’s a massive challenge. But we just have to wait and see.”

–Field Level Media

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman announced Tuesday that his extended absence was a result of a need to address his mental health.

The 35-year-old defenseman missed the Lightning’s final 15 games of the regular season and all seven contests in a first-round playoff loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

“Over the past couple of months, I made the decision to step away and focus on my mental health,” Hedman said in a statement released by the Lightning. “It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one.

“I’ve always believed that being a leader means doing what’s best for the team. In this case, it also meant doing what was necessary to take care of myself, so I can be the best player, teammate, husband and father I expect to be.”

pic.twitter.com/CWmnkUbdHv

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) May 5, 2026

Hedman hasn’t played since exiting in the first period of Tampa Bay’s 6-2 road win versus the Vancouver Canucks on March 19 due to illness. Six days later, the Lightning announced he was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons.

“Obviously, after that first period in Vancouver, that was the final straw,” he told reporters Tuesday. “So, it’s something that’s been going on for a long time. I went through ways to get around it, but I wasn’t able to do that. So that’s where the decision came that I needed to take some time.”

Hedman also addressed his message to people dealing with mental health issues.

“Just don’t stick with your thoughts,” he said. “There are a lot of people out there that can help you and that’s what I found out. And like I said, it’s never too late, either.”

Hedman, 35, recorded 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) in 33 games this season. He endured extended absences due to an undisclosed injury in November and elbow surgery in December.

Hedman is a 2017-18 Norris Trophy winner as the best defenseman in the league, a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2020, 2021) and the 2020 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient as the playoff MVP.

The Sweden native has totaled 811 career points (172 goals, 639 assists), a plus-192 rating and 782 penalty minutes in 1,164 games since being selected by the Lightning with the second overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft.

–Field Level Media