Jon Rahm won the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday, holding off Ryder Cup teammates Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy to claim his first European Tour title in four years.

The Spaniard closed with a five-under-par 67 at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, finishing at 23 under. Hatton was two strokes back after a 68, while McIlroy finished third, four shots behind Rahm, with a final-round 69, according to Associated Press reporting published by Sportsnet.

The victory came in Rahm’s first tournament in seven weeks and as he worked toward a departure from LIV Golf. AP reported that LIV announced plans this week to wind down operations.

“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,” Rahm said.

The final round tightened early on the back nine, when Rahm, McIlroy, Hatton and Francesco Laporta shared the lead at 20 under. Rahm then separated himself with three birdies over five holes, beginning at the 11th.

McIlroy opened his round with a birdie and an eagle but lost momentum with a bogey at No. 15. Laporta’s challenge unravelled with a triple-bogey at the par-three 13th. The Italian finished fourth, six strokes behind Rahm.

Hatton went without a bogey but could not catch the leader. Rahm reached the final hole with a two-shot advantage and secured the win with a par.

McIlroy’s third-place finish moved him ahead of Patrick Reed into second in the season-long Race to Dubai standings. He trails Eugenio Chacarra by almost 534 points heading into the World Tour Championship, which begins Thursday in Dubai, with 2,000 points available to the winner.

Rahm climbed to sixth in the standings, retaining an outside chance of taking the season-long title. He would need to win next week to have any hope.

“Actually gives me a little extra incentive next week,” Rahm said.

Sources