Rahm has committed to play in the Abu Dhabi Championship, Nov. 4-8, nearly three years after the two-time major winner bolted for the Saudi-backed circuit on which he earned several hundred million dollars in bonuses and prize money.

Rahm, 31, was banned from the DPWT for refusing to pay fines accrued for his participation in competing events in LIV. He called it “extortion” at one point., But as LIV’s future grew more uncertain, the Spaniard agreed in May to settle the fines and to a stipulation that he play in five events by the end of 2026. Rahm competed twice before his Oct. 7 court announcement about leaving LIV.

Abu Dhabi, featuring a field of the top 70 on the DPWT, marks a truly fresh start, and, barring unforeseen developments, Rahm will need to excel in Europe if he is to return to fulltime golf in America. That’s a long shot for 2027. The top 10 finishers in the Order of Merit earn their PGA Tour cards for the next season, and Rahm currently stands at No. 46. He needs to get into the top 50 after Abu Dhabi to reach the DP World Tour Championship, and it looks like he won’t reach the minimum of five events played as he is on paternity leave as he and wife Kelley await the birth of their fourth child. It’s not yet clear was dispensation he’ll receive for that.