Jon Rahm fought off Ryder Cup teammates Rory Mc Ilroy and Tyrrell Hatton to win the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday for his first European Tour title in four years. Rahm shot 5-under 67 and was 23-under par for the week at Yas Links, two strokes clear of Hatton (68) and four ahead of Mc Ilroy (69) in the first of two season-ending playoff tournaments in the United Arab Emirates. This was Rahm's first event in seven weeks, during which time his wife gave birth to their second daughter and he finalized a departure from LIV Golf, giving up millions owed to him. With LIV announcing plans to wind down operations, Rahm is returning to established tours for next season with a big win. Rahm said, "After everything that's gone on, and some poor play and some battles mentally with a lot of noise, to come back out after a bit of rest and being with the family, it's quite special." His last victory on the regular circuit was the World Tour Championship in November 2022, followed by a green jacket at the Masters and the world No. 1 ranking before his controversial LIV move. Rahm's peerless iron play suggests a return to his 2021-23 level. The final round featured a three-way tie for the lead at 20 under early on, but Rahm pulled away with three birdies in a five-hole span. Mc Ilroy's charge slowed with a bogey, while Laporta fell out of contention with a triple-bogey. Rahm banked a winner's check of $1.5 million.
Two former LIV players finishing 1-2 signals growing interest in returning to European Tour roots after the breakaway circuit's end. Mc Ilroy moves into second in the Race to Dubai standings behind Eugenio Chacarra with one event left. Chacarra finished tied for 22nd and Reed tied for 43rd. Mc Ilroy is around 500 points behind Chacarra, with 2,000 on offer for the winner next week. Rahm moved up to No. 6 in the standings, with an outside chance to win the season-long race.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing