Jon Rahm fired a final-round 67 to clinch a two-shot victory over England's Tyrrell Hatton at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday. The Spaniard finished at 23 under par, with Hatton at 21 under and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy third at 19 under.
It was Rahm's first victory since announcing his departure from LIV Golf and his first DP World Tour win in four years. The two-time major champion, playing his first tournament since the birth of his fourth child last month, produced six birdies and only one dropped shot on Sunday.
"It means a lot. It's been quite a while to play well in the DP World Tour," Rahm told Sky Sports. "Except a shot on 17, as far as I'm concerned, I played a pretty flawless back nine. It was really solid, never in danger of making a bogey except that one hole. After everything that has gone on, some poor play and some battles mentally with a lot of noise, to come back out after a bit of a break and a new addition to the family, it's pretty special."
Rahm had entered the week after finishing last at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, joking that going "last to first" was especially pleasing. For McIlroy, the third-place finish moved him into second place in the Race to Dubai standings ahead of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, as he chases a record-equalling eighth season-long title.
The final round saw Rahm's overnight lead of one stroke challenged by Hatton, McIlroy, and Italy's Francesco Laporta. Laporta, seeking his maiden DP World Tour title, dropped four shots in two holes on the back nine to fall to fourth at 17 under. Hatton closed to within one shot on the 15th but missed a birdie putt on the 17th, while Rahm secured the win with a par on the final hole.
Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra finished tied for 22nd at 11 under, while Patrick Reed ended at four under. Rahm's victory keeps him in contention for the Race to Dubai title should he win again in Dubai next week.
Final Leaderboard
-23 Jon Rahm (Spa); -21 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng); -19 Rory McIlroy (NI); -17 Francesco Laporta (Ita); -16 Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Angel Ayora (Spa), David Puig (Spa); -15 Jayden Schaper (SA). Selected others: -14 Nathan Kimsey (Eng), Matthew Jordan (Eng); -13 Sam Bairstow (Eng), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Andy Sullivan (Eng); -12 Ewen Ferguson (Sco); -11 Eugenio Chacarra (Spa); -10 Aaron Rai (Eng); -9 Matt Wallace (Eng); -4 Patrick Reed (US).
