UPDATE

Jon Rahm (-23) has won the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, the first event of the playoffs on the DP World Tour. The golfer from Barrika prevailed on the demanding Yas Links course after finishing the final round with a 67, with six birdies and a bogey, capping a week of extraordinary consistency in which he once again showed his best form. A victory of huge sporting value that allows him to reconnect with winning on the European circuit

The win is Rahm‘s eleventh title on the DP World Tour and his sixth in the prestigious Rolex Series, a total that makes him the most decorated player in the history of these special events, surpassing the five wins of Tyrrell Hatton and the four of Rory McIlroy. The Spaniard had not won on the European circuit since the Masters de Augusta in 2023. Previously, he had won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November 2022. Now, two days away from turning 32, he has gifted himself a new trophy at one of the most important stops on the calendar, confirming his special affinity with the big stages of European golf following his spell in LIV Golf.

The road to the title began to take shape over the first three rounds, during which Rahm improved steadily until he took sole possession of the lead on Saturday. After sharing the lead with Hatton and Francesco Laporta at the end of the second round, the Spaniard posted a magnificent 66 on the ‘moving day’, fuelled by a spectacular back nine in which he produced a birdie, an eagle and another birdie between holes 10 and 12. That burst took him to 18 under par and into the final 18 holes with a one-shot lead over Hatton and Laporta and two over Rory McIlroy.

Beyond sporting prestige, the win also brings a significant financial reward. Rahm pockets $1,530,000 of the $9 million on offer at the tournament, one of the most important events on the DP World Tour calendar. A victory that allows him to climb the Race rankings and that arrives at a key moment in the season, just ahead of the DP World Tour Championship, the grand final played from 12 to 15 November on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

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