Jon Rahm (-10) has finished the Open de España remarkably with a fourth and final round of 65 strokes, six under par for the day, at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. The Barrika native had no real chance of victory, starting twelve strokes behind the leader, but at least he leaves with a good feeling from a competitive round of golf which, and here comes the confirmation of some news, will also be his last of the year.
Indeed, almost certainly Rahm will not play the DP World Tour final in Dubai. Some might think, not without reason, that the Basque also didn’t manage to earn the necessary points this week in Madrid to qualify for such an event (he finished ninth and needed at least a seventh place to give himself a chance to earn a spot in the Dubai final), but the European circuit had already informed the victorious Ryder team players at Bethpage that they could be invited to this final tournament if they wished. This will not be the case for the Spaniard.
Jon has not completely closed the door, but you don’t have to be a genius at reading between the lines to understand that he won’t attend. “The European circuit invites us to the Dubai final as members of the Ryder team, so I’ll see, although I probably won’t go… I’ve never had such a long break as happens in other sports and I’m looking forward to being with the family,” he stated before signing the last hundreds of autographs of the week.
The first tournament of the LIV Golf calendar for 2026 is in Riyadh, which will be held from 5th to 7th February and it is almost certain that Jon will not compete until then. For example, he could bring forward his return to competition at the Dubai Desert Classic, as he did this year 2025, but it is a possibility that is now almost ruled out. “I have another possibility that I now see as more feasible, which would be to play more in the autumn, instead of playing in Dubai at the beginning of the year,” he explained.
His participation in the Open de España has left no one indifferent, attracting hundreds (and thousands) of fans to his match every day, although he was never really in the fight for the top spots. The simple fact of finishing with a great score, which was also the best of the day on a course that gave nothing away, serves the Spanish player to put the finishing touch to a season he does not consider bad, despite not having won any tournament. “I have won the LIV ranking and also had success in team competitions, in LIV and the Ryder, so it almost feels like three victories,” he explained.
