Jon Rahm won the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links on Sunday, November 8, holding off Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy on a tense final day to claim his first DP World Tour title since leaving LIV Golf.
The Spaniard closed with a five-under-par 67 to finish on 23 under, two shots ahead of Hatton. McIlroy, who was one off the lead at halfway, signed for a 69 and finished third on 19 under, four strokes back. Italy’s Francesco Laporta was fourth on 17 under, Sky Sports reported.
How the final round unfolded
Rahm started Sunday with a one-shot lead, but the top of the leaderboard changed hands several times. Sky Sports said Hatton, McIlroy and Laporta all held the lead at different points of the afternoon.
McIlroy lit up the early stages by holing an eagle putt from close to 50 feet on the second hole. Rahm, meanwhile, gave back his opening birdie with a bogey on the third after finding two fairway bunkers.
Laporta’s challenge ended with a triple bogey on the 13th. McIlroy started the back nine with two straight birdies, but a run of pars was followed by a bogey at the par-four 15th, where he missed from around five feet, according to Golf Channel and Sky Sports.
The 15th proved decisive. Rahm hit a second shot to about four feet and holed the birdie putt to move two clear of Hatton with three to play, then parred his way home. He made three birdies on the back nine in total.
What Rahm said after his win
Rahm told reporters he was still in some disbelief. “That second shot on 15 will be a contender for shot of the year for me,” he said, as quoted by Golf Channel.
Golf Channel noted that this was Rahm’s first competitive event in seven weeks, following the birth of his fourth child, and that his previous DP World Tour start, at the BMW PGA Championship in September, ended in a missed cut. The victory is his 11th DP World Tour title, while Sky Sports said it was his sixth Rolex Series win.
Final top four
- 1. Jon Rahm (Spain): 23 under, final round 67
- 2. Tyrrell Hatton (England): 21 under
- 3. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland): 19 under, final round 69
- 4. Francesco Laporta (Italy): 17 under
Race to Dubai and the Dubai finale
The result reshapes the Race to Dubai with one event left. Golf Channel reported that Rahm jumped 45 places to sixth and can still take the season title if he wins this week and current leader Eugenio Chacarra finishes outside the top eight.
McIlroy moved above Patrick Reed into second, 533.93 points behind Chacarra, according to Sky Sports. He is chasing an eighth Order of Merit title, which would equal the record. Chacarra finished tied 22nd in Abu Dhabi, while Reed was tied 43rd.
The season ends at the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai from Thursday, November 12 to Sunday, November 15. Only the top 50 players in the standings qualify. Sky Sports reported that McIlroy and Chacarra will play together in the opening rounds. Gulf News said general admission is free on Thursday with registration, and children aged 17 and under can attend free but must also register.
McIlroy had set up his challenge earlier in the week with a round of 63. Read our report on McIlroy’s 11-birdie second round in Abu Dhabi.
Sources: Sky Sports, Golf Channel, Gulf News
