What a week for Jon Rahm.
It began with the Spaniard accusing the DP World Tour of extortion. Then, he sent a private jet to get eight players out of Dubai, in an Iranian war zone, and to LIV Golf Hong Kong.
And it ended with a victory, Rahm’s first on LIV since September 2024.
“Very relieving,” the two-time major champion said afterward. “That’s the only way I can describe it. I’ve been very ecstatic for wins in the past. This one just feels like a big weight off my shoulder. That’s all I can say.”
Rahm, at 23 under par, finished three strokes ahead of Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters at Hong Kong Golf Club. Ironically, Detry was one of the players who was flown to Hong Kong with Rahm's assistance.
“I’m very impressed by all of the guys involved,” Rahm said. “Obviously, the war in the Middle East, all the guys that were there in Dubai, all the possible extraction plans, the flights that came on board and—came up and kind of disappeared, let’s say, the expectations and hope of hopefully getting out of there, and the fact that they came and then Thomas did as well as he did and had a chance to win … it’s nothing but the utmost respect for what they went through.”
A CHAMPION AGAIN 🏆
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) March 8, 2026
The moment @JonRahmOfficial took the HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong title 🍾#LIVGolfHongKong @legionxiiigc pic.twitter.com/ifKByoArZS
Rahm, who collected $4 million with the win, is LIV’s back-to-back season-long individual champion. Yet, last season, he earned that title without winning a tournament. And even without hoisting a trophy, he has played superbly, with 21 consecutive under-par rounds.
Those just come naturally, though.
“Not something I think about, to be honest,” the 31-year-old said. “Just a matter of trying to win. I’ve been playing really, really good golf and the results show it. Whether I won or not is different, but I’ve been putting in the work and seeing the results. I would have taken a few over-par rounds and a few more wins. Not something that I'm really thinking about actively while I’m playing.”
Now, after a whirlwind week, he can breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps that was the reward for helping his fellow competitors?
“I was raised with a value of, if you have the ability and the capability of helping somebody in need, you go and help them,” he said. “It was never about karma. It was simply about luckily getting those boys out of a dangerous situation.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jon Rahm Ends Whirlwind Week By Ending Winless Drought at LIV Golf Hong Kong .
