Six wins Joost Ruyten Very happy DP World Tour The struggle has been Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton By refusing Life GolfTrying to pay off the fine.
Luyten, 38, spoke exclusively to GolfMagic ahead of this week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the flagship event of the DP World Tour this season.
European Ryder Cup superstars and Legion XIII pair Rahm and Hatton were allowed to return to their former European Tour this month after appealing their fines for playing in the breakaway LIV Golf League.
The decision means Rahm and Hatton can now retain their DP World Tour membership and – at least temporarily – keep alive their hopes of playing in Luke Donald's 2025 European Ryder Cup team.
Rahm and Hatton formed a formidable partnership at the 2023 Ryder Cup, winning both matches in Rome.
Related: DP World Tour rejects LIV Golf's offer to pay Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton fines
Neither Rahm nor Hatton will compete in Virginia Waters this week as they are already scheduled to compete in the LIV Golf Season Finale in Dallas.
But both players will return to the DP World Tour at next week's Spanish Open before teeing off at Dunhill Links in October.
If Rahm and Hatton lose their appeals against the fines, they could still be disqualified from next year's Ryder Cup.
Many believe this is still very likely, as the DP World Tour did win a UK arbitration hearing against multiple players last year for the same reason.
GolfMagic understands that a ruling on Rahm and Hatton's appeals will not be made until early 2025.
Joost Luiten talks to Andy Roberts of GolfMagic
Back to our exclusive interview with Luiten.
The six-time DP World Tour champion discusses some of the latest hot topics and expresses his deep frustration at not being able to represent the Netherlands at the Olympics this summer despite qualifying.
Luiten also told us his thoughts on potentially earning one of 10 PGA Tour cards at the end of the season, which he believes would hurt the DP World Tour product, while he hasn’t completely given up hopes of joining Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team.
He also told us about his ongoing collaboration with footwear supplier Duca del Cosma.
Scroll down to read our exclusive interview with DP World Tour pro Joost Luiten…
Joost Luiten in exclusive interview with GolfMagic
With three top-25 finishes in the four starts prior to this week, the atmosphere must be pretty good right now?
Yeah, the tournament went really well and I started putting better, which helped. I played well at The Belfry and the week before in Prague, but I ended up with bogeys, double bogeys, so it was nice to get a top 10 in Switzerland and birdie the last round instead of messing up again. The tournament feels like it’s going in the right direction and it’s good to get some results, that’s what the tournament is about, you have to be patient and the score doesn’t always reflect how well you’re playing and you have to remember that sometimes. I just have to wait four days until everything feels right.
Do you still want to get a PGA Tour card after the DP World Tour ends in November?
Yeah, to be honest, I know I need to play well in the last six or seven tournaments, but I just need to focus on getting as good as I can each week and then hopefully that will be enough to get a PGA Tour card. It's definitely a new addition to the tour, which is good, but what I don't like is that the tour is losing its best 10 players every year. It does give us guys the opportunity to play on the PGA Tour every year, but I don't know if it's good for the strength of the tour. For me as a player, it's a double whammy, the tour needs to maintain a strong product, and if you keep giving up the best players every season, I'm just not sure if that's the way to keep the tour strong.
Ryan Fox told the media yesterday that he felt uncomfortable for much of his first season on the PGA Tour. You played on the PGA Tour for a while in 2015, how did you feel there?
It's tough, you're not familiar with the courses, you're not familiar with the people, you're not familiar with the hotels, so you basically feel like a beginner again. It all takes time, and you have to play well there to keep your card. I think that's one of the problems we have as Europeans, you go to a different part of the world, the lifestyle and culture is different, and that's hard. You're basically leaving your family behind at home and playing golf all the time, and that's hard mentally, it's hard to get your head around it and accept that it's going to be tough there. The time difference, everything, it's hard to stay in touch with your coach, your family, your wife, and the lifestyle is completely different there. I think that's why it's so hard for us Europeans to go there. It's not for everyone, and a lot of DP World Tour players who go there don't like it there. In Europe, you can go to different places, experience different cultures, different lifestyles, but everything is the same there, and I think a lot of people struggle with that.
You missed the Olympics, played in the Olympics, and then missed the Olympics again. I'm sure you don't want to talk too much about the Olympics, but have you recovered from what happened this summer?
Yes, I've had enough now. It shows that the Olympics are no longer about sports, but about politics and those who protect their own little groups behind the scenes. Many people have made major mistakes, but no one seems to be willing to raise their hands and say “we screwed up, how can we fix it?” I didn't do anything wrong, I qualified, I won the case in the Netherlands, and then the IAAF screwed up and they said “if you don't like it, go to Switzerland for the Sports Arbitration and fight us again in court”. They just hide behind the rules, the courts and the money because as a person, I think the Dutch IOC has bad luck in that area because I can afford to fight the case, but a lot of athletes who participate in the Olympics don't have the money to even start something, and this is how they basically hide behind the law and the money you have to spend to impress those people. So, it's good that I won that case, but then we're in the next case and you're basically fighting politics. It's sad and it shows that the Olympics are no longer about the athletes, but about the people behind the scenes, their own political parties. I wasn't even allowed, because I thought I was going to Paris for a week, I wasn't even allowed to park at the hotel because the officials had to park there. I think that's the problem with the Olympics, it's not just about the athletes anymore. That's fine, but just have it out in the open and say “we don't care, we use you to party”, then at least we know where we stand, but don't say the Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world. No, it's all politics.
Hatton and Lahm have appealed against their fines
LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are now back on the DP World Tour, with their fines being appealed…what do you think about that?
[sighs] You know, I don’t really care… But even with a guy like Rory McIlroy, it’s hard to explain, he turned down a bunch of cash. He wanted to stay loyal to the tour, and then these guys jumped ship and came back. I don’t know, it would be better if they could come back as a product on the DP World Tour, but I think you also have to set the example that when someone jumps ship and wants to come back, we welcome them with open arms. I don’t know if that’s really the way forward. But as a player, I don’t care. It’s going to add two players, I’d rather have them go to LIV Golf and get rid of them so I don’t have to beat them every week. I can move up two spots a week on the leaderboard, that’s how I look at it. But no, I think it’s hard to explain to some of the other guys who turned down the big money offers. I think they’re the ones who regret turning down some of the money because now it looks like they can come back.
What do you think of the DP World Tour's rejection this month of an offer from LIV Golf to pay the fines for Rahm and Hatton?
It's a good sign at least, it's a start. Let them suffer. The problem is the LIV players, it's not about the money, I don't think the fine will hurt them or the LIV Tour. The fine is like a million dollars. It's nothing to them. You can't treat the tour like these people, I think it's good that the DP World Tour set an example like that, it's not as easy as you think. I don't know the ins and outs of it, I don't really care, but it's good that the tour is fighting with them.
There’s obviously still a chance Rahm and Hatton could miss out on next year’s Ryder Cup if they don’t meet DP World Tour standards, but have you yourself thought about joining Luke Donald’s 2025 European Ryder Cup team?
Yeah, for sure. It's a result of playing well in regular events. I almost won it in 2013, and I played really well two years ago and almost won it, but it comes down to winning tournaments. If you can't win tournaments, then it's hard to make the team. I think I should focus on winning tournaments and trying to improve my game in that direction. If you win the right tournaments, like I did this week at the BMW PGA, then it will help a lot. As long as I focus on getting as good as I can and winning a tournament sometime next year, then I might have a chance. With only six guys making the team directly and then six more picks, it's tough. I just have to play well. I think Luke Donald knows what I can do, but I need to show him.
Luiten is an ambassador of the Duca del Cosma
Finally, turning to your ongoing collaboration with Duca del Cosma, how important is it to find the right pair of golf shoes?
It's very important, to be honest. The thing about golf shoes is that you need to walk in them for at least five hours a day. They need to be comfortable, and they need to provide stability during the golf swing because the shoe is subject to pressure and torque. I think it's very important to find the right shoe for you, especially when there are so many players on the DP World Tour who are struggling with blisters. Once you have a blister, it's the most annoying thing in the world. I must say that when I go to Duca, I don't have blisters, and they are very comfortable. I think that comes down to using top-quality materials, and they are testing a lot of different materials. I tell them what I like and what I don't like. Then we move in a certain direction together, which is great. I love being so involved. Their new shoes are the most comfortable golf shoes I've ever worn, and they're also very stable. I think it's very important to find a combination of the two. Some people like a very solid shoe, while others like a softer and lighter shoe. Duca's shoes are always very personalized, but there's a style for everyone. They like quirky colors and they like to stand out, which I like. They also have some calm styles. It's a real honor to be a part of this brand. We are currently testing some prototypes, and they are great. We have been testing it with faux leather and I have been very impressed with it and now we are looking at how we can utilize it.
Next page: Shocking rumors swirling about Bryson DeChambeau
Joost Luiten is an ambassador for Duca del Cosma. For more information about the brand, visit their website.
