LIV loophole could benefit Luke Donald and Europe – Irish Golfer Magazine

Tyrrell Hatton did what Tyrrell Hatton does best at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Say the greens at St Andrews are s**t before walking away with his third Dunhill title.

As many as fourteen LIV golfers teed it up across Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews last week but it was the presence of Hatton, Jon Rahm and the emerging David Puig that will have been sweet viewing for European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

European players have found a loophole and Hatton profited on Sunday. He appealed his sanctions and while under an ongoing appeal process, he was able to compete on the DP World Tour. He played at the British Masters at the Belfry and the Spanish Open in Madrid before winning on Sunday.

Not only has the 32-year-old Englishman fulfilled his requirements of four DP World Tour events to maintain his membership and eligibility for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black next year but he has climbed into 16th on the Race to Dubai which should qualify him for the DP World Tour playoffs where he can strengthen his place in the automatic qualification spots for the Ryder Cup.

Spain’s Rahm is in the same boat and has appealed the sanctions imposed upon him by the DP World Tour and he needs to compete in just one more event to be eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup.

This will be music to the ears of Donald with Rahm and Hatton sure to compete in Europe when they can next year as well.

“So I will play Abu Dhabi and Dubai,” Hatton told reporters after sealing a narrow one-shot victory over Nicolas Colsaerts at St Andrews.

“Winning here this week allows me to take some time off, this was my fourth week in a row, and as I was saying, I really wanted to get into Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and at the start of last week, I was 94 in rankings and knew I needed a really good performance.