Jon Rahm pips Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy to claim post-LIV win in Abu Dhabi

Jon Rahm celebrated a title on the DP World Tour in the week LIV Golf announced it was to shut down.

The Spaniard held off Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy to win the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship by two strokes for his first victory in three and a half years on the tour which is set to become his full-time home for next season.

Rahm was one of the highest-profile faces of the breakaway LIV series, which filed for bankruptcy following the withdrawal of funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and this week saw a rescue deal with BC Capital partners fall through.

He said after his triumph: “After everything that’s gone on, and some poor play and some battles mentally, with a lot of noise, it’s quite special.”

Rahm led by one from Hatton and Francesco Laporta going into Sunday, with McIlroy a further shot back, and began with a birdie to show his intentions.

After giving that shot back at the third, he birdied the fifth after an approach to two feet and the sixth with a 27-foot putt.He reached the turn level with Laporta, who made three birdies on his front nine, while McIlroy joined Hatton one behind with a gain at the 10th.

All four players birdied the 11th and Rahm added another at the next, while Laporta dropped three shots in two holes and faded out of contention.

A bogey at the 15th effectively ended McIlroy’s challenge, especially once Rahm and Hatton birdied the same hole.

The latter pair were left in a straight fight and, after Hatton tried to put pressure on at the last, where his brilliant birdie putt from off the green horseshoed out, Rahm finished the job with two putts.

“It means a lot, it’s been quite a while since I played good in a DP World Tour event,” he said. “In my last showing, if we don’t count the withdrawals, I think I finished last (at the BMW PGA Championship) – so from last to first, it’s a pretty good feeling.”

Remarkably, Rahm could even win the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings if he wins again in Dubai next week – current leader Eugenio Chacarra would then have to finish eighth or McIlroy second to hold him off.

“I didn’t think I was ever going to have a chance to win it,” he said with a laugh. “(I’m) very excited, it actually gives me a little extra incentive for next week. Those are better odds than I expected.”

PA