'Let them suffer' DP World Tour pro's message to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton

Six-time winner Joost Luiten is pleased the DP World Tour 'has put up a fight' against Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton by rejecting LIV Golf's attempt to pay off their fines.

Luiten, 38, was speaking exclusively to GolfMagic ahead of this week's flagship DP World Tour event of the season at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. 

European Ryder Cup superstars and Legion XIII duo Rahm and Hatton have been let back onto the former European Tour circuit this month as a result of having appealed their fines for competing on the breakaway LIV Golf League.

The decision means Rahm and Hatton can now maintain their DP World Tour memberships and - for the time being at least - keep their hopes of participating in Luke Donald's 2025 European Ryder Cup team alive. 

Both Rahm and Hatton formed a formidable partnership at the 2023 Ryder Cup, winning both of their two matches together in Rome. 

Related: DP World Tour reject LIV Golf's offer to pay Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton fines

Neither Rahm or Hatton are competing in Virginia Water this week since they are booked for LIV Golf's season finale at the Team Championship in Dallas.

But both players will return to the DP World Tour at the Open de Espana next week before teeing it up at the Dunhill Links in October.

There is still a possibility that both Rahm and Hatton could be removed from Ryder Cup eligibility next year should they be unsuccessful with appeals of their fines. 

Many believe that is still a distinct possibility given the DP World Tour did win a UK arbitration hearing against a number of players for the exact same reason last year.

GolfMagic understands a decision on the appeals of Rahm and Hatton will not be reached until early 2025. 

But back to our exclusive with Luiten.

The six-time DP World Tour winner discussed a number of the latest hot topics with us and expressed deep frustration at missing out on representing the Netherlands at the Olympics this summer, despite having qualified on merit.

Luiten also gave us his views on potentially picking up one of 10 PGA Tour cards at the end of the season, something he considers is damaging the product of the DP World Tour, and how he is not completely giving up hope on making Luke Donald's Ryder Cup side. 

He also spoke to us about his continued work with footwear supplier Duca del Cosma.

Scroll below to read our exclusive interview with DP World Tour pro Joost Luiten...

Three top-25 finishes in the last four events coming into this week, the game must be feeling fairly good right now? 

Yeah the game is really well, starting to putt better which helps. I played well at The Belfry and in Prague the week before where I finished bogey, double bogey, so it was nice to get a top 10 in Switzerland with a birdie on the last instead of f***ing it up again. The game is feeling like it's moving in the right direction and it's nice to get some results in, that's the thing with this game, you have to stay patient and the score doesn't always reflect how well you play and that's sometimes what you have to keep in mind. I've just got to wait until it all comes around for four days. 

Have you still got one eye on picking up a PGA Tour card come the end of the DP World Tour season in November? 

Yeah to be honest, I know I need to play well the last six or seven events but I just need to focus on finishing as high as I can every week and then hopefully that's enough to get a PGA Tour card. It's definitely something that has been added to this Tour, which is great, but what I don't like is that this Tour loses its best 10 players every year. It gives us players a chance to get on the PGA Tour each year for sure, but I don't know if it's good for the strength of this Tour. For me as a player, it's double, this Tour needs to stay strong as a product and if you keep giving away your best players each season, I'm just not sure that is the way to keep this Tour strong. 

Ryan Fox told the media yesterday that he has not felt particularly comfortable on the PGA Tour for a large part of his first season out there. You played on the PGA Tour for a bit in 2015, how did you feel over there? 

It's tough, you don't know the courses, don't know the people, you don't know the hotels, so you're basically feeling like a rookie again. It all takes time and you have to play well over there to keep your card. I think that's one of the issues us Europeans struggle with, you go to a different part of the world, the lifestyle and culture is different, and it's hard. You basically leave your family behind to play golf all the time and that's something mentally tough to get your head around and get your head straight, and accept it's going to be tough over there. The time difference, everything, it's tough to keep in contact with your coaches, your family, your wife, it's a completely different way of living over there. I think that's why it's so hard for us Europeans to go over there. It's not for everyone, a lot of the DP World Tour guys that go over there, they don't like it. In Europe, you to to different places, experience different cultures, different lifestyles, but it's all the same over there and I think a lot of guys struggle with that. 

You were out the Olympics, then in the Olympics, and then out the Olympics. I'm sure you don't want to speak about the Olympics too much but have you quite got over what happened this summer? 

Yeah, I'm over it now. It just shows you the Olympics is not about the sport anymore, it's about the politics and the people behind it who are protecting their own little party. Massive mistakes have been made by several, and it seems like nobody wants to put their hand up and say 'we f***ed up and how are we going to fix this?' I've done nothing wrong, I've qualified, I've won my court case in Holland, and then the IGF f***s up and they say 'if you don't like it, go to Switzerland to the arbitration sports and fight us again in court'. They just hide behind the rules, behind the court, behind money, because as an individual I think the Dutch IOC had bad luck in that spot because I could afford to have a lawsuit, but a lot of athletes that go to the Olympics, they have no money to even start something, and that's how they hide behind the law basically and behind the expenses you have to make to touch those people. So it was a good thing that I won that case, but then we went onto the next instance and you are just battling a wall of politics basically. It's a shame, it shows the Olympics is not about the athletes anymore and it's about the people behind it, their own party. I wasn't even allowed, because I thought I was going for a week to Paris, I wasn't even allowed to park my car at the hotel because the officials had to park there. I was like well that's the exact problem of the Olympics, it's not about the athletes anymore. It's fine, but just be open about it, and say 'we don't give a s*** and we use you to have a party', then at least we know where we stand, but don't say the Olympics is the biggest sports event in the world. No, it's all politics. 

LIV Golf's Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are back on the DP World Tour now that their fines are under appeal... what do you make of all that? 

[sighs] You know, I really don't care... but it is hard to explain even for guys like Rory McIlroy, who said no to a lot of cash. He wanted to stay loyal to this Tour and then these guys get to jump ship and still come back. I don't know, it's better if they are back for the DP World Tour as a product, but I think you also have to set an example when guys jump ship and then want to come back and we open our arms for them. I don't know if that's really the way forward. But for me as a player, I don't care. It's two extra players, I'd rather have them over there on LIV Golf, get rid of them and then I don't have to beat them every week. I can move two spots up every week on the leaderboard, that's how I look at it. But no, I think it's tough to explain to some of the other guys that said no to big offers. I think they are the ones who regret saying no to some of that money because now it looks like they can come back. 

What are your thoughts on the DP World Tour rejecting LIV Golf's offer to pay off Rahm and Hatton's fines this month?

It's good at least, it's a start. Let them suffer. The thing is with the LIV players, it's not the money, I don't think the fines will hurt them or the LIV Tour. It's like a million dollars. It's nothing for them. You can't treat this Tour that way like these guys have done, and I think it's good the DP World Tour has set an example like that this is not as easy as you think. I don't know the ins and outs exactly, I'm not really bothered about it, but it's good the Tour has put up a fight against them. 

There's obviously still potential for both Rahm and Hatton to not make the Ryder Cup next year if they did not fulfil the DP World Tour's criteria, but have you got one eye yourself on making Luke Donald's 2025 European Ryder Cup team? 

Yeah, of course. It's something that is a result of playing well in the regular events. I came close in 2013, had a good chance two years ago where I had a great year, came close, but it comes down to winning tournaments. If you don't win tournaments then you wll be struggling to make the team. I think that's where my focus should be, winning tournaments and trying to progress my game to that direction. If you win the right one, just like this week at the BMW PGA, then it goes a long way. As long as I focus on trying to finish as high possible and win one somewhere in the next year then I probably have a chance. It's tough with only six directly qualfiying for the team, and then six picks. I just need to play well. I think Luke Donald knows what I can do, but I need to show it to him. 

And just finally moving on to your continued work with Duca del Cosma, how important is finding the right pair of golf shoes? 

It's so important, honestly. The thing with the golf shoe is you need to be able to walk on it for at least five hours a day. They need to be comfortable, they need to give stability in your golf swing where there is pressure and torque on the shoe. I think it's really important to find the right shoe for you, especially when there are so many guys even out here on the DP World Tour who struggle with blisters. Once you have blisters, it's the most annoying thing in the world. I must say that when I went to Duca, I had no blisters and they are just so comfortable. I think that comes down to using the top materials, they are testing so many different materials. I tell them what I like, what I don't like so much. and then we move in a certain direction together which is great. I love to be so involved. Their new shoe is the most comfortable golf shoe I have ever worn, and they are also so stable. I think finding the combination is so important. Some guys like a really firm shoe, and others like something softer and lighter. It's always very personal but Duca has a shoe in the range for everyone. They like weird colours and they like to stand out, which is what I like. They also have some calm models too. It's just a pleasure to be a part of this brand. We are testing some prototypes at the moment, and they're amazing. We have been testing with artificial leather, which has really impressed me, and we are now looking at what we can do with that. 

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Joost Luiten is a Duca del Cosma ambassador. For more information about the brand, please visit their website.