Jon Rahm (-23) has finally shifted the huge thorn he had lodged for 539 days. Specifically, since 15 September 2024, the day he won the LIV Golf de Chicago. That was when the tap closed. The wins stopped. There were many opportunities on the Saudi league, including two play-offs, but the equation never quite added up. The issue had become a recurring question. What’s wrong with Jon on Sundays? Until today.
Jon claimed victory at the LIV Golf event held at the Hong Kong Golf Club with a final round of 64 strokes. It is his third LIV win and the twenty-third of his professional career since he opened his account at Torrey Pines a little over nine years ago on the PGA Tour. The syndrome is over. It seemed obvious that it was only a matter of time. After knocking on the door so often, it had to open sooner or later. Now that he has the first one, we will have to see how many more can come this year. In 2023 he also won early and finished with four titles. Let’s see how 2026 ends.
Rahm won in Hong Kong convincingly, although like any respectable round of golf this Sunday had its moments. Golf is rarely anything other than a rollercoaster. He started tied with Harold Varner III and Thomas Detry at -17. It was Varner III, with two birdies on holes 1 and 3, who first took the lead, although the Spaniard quickly answered. Jon didn’t let the first par 5, the 3rd hole, slip away. He made birdie after a brilliant second shot from the rough that left him putting for eagle.
From there came a spell of supreme clarity from the Biscayan on the greens. He holed three birdie putts of almost five metres in quick succession: holes 4, 7 and 8. It was as if he was telling his caddie on every green, “High five, Adam”. That distance has been where he’s been lethal all week. His strike coincided with Varner III and Detry running out of steam.
The Belgian, very much in line with his career except for the Phoenix Open last year, wasn’t able to step on the gas when needed, while the American, with great birdie ability, also showed his most inconsistent side, with a bogey at 4 after missing a short putt, and a double bogey at 9 that took him out of contention. His second shot was very poor and he paid the price.
It looked as if a red carpet had been rolled out for Rahm to victory, but Thomas Pieters was intent on adding some excitement. Again the rollercoaster. Jon also did his part. A birdie from the Belgian at the 14th left him five under for the day and -20 overall. For a minute he was level with the Spaniard. It was a delicate hour. He missed a short putt at 9 and made bogey. He saved par at 10, missed a very short birdie putt at 11 and another good chance at 12 lipped out. It seemed his magic had gone, while Pieters applied the pressure…
Nothing could have been further from the truth. It was a mirage. Jon birdied 13, again putting for eagle, and wiped Pieters’ moment of glory away in a flash. The Masters and US Open champion was back to -21, one clear. Immediately the tournament was effectively over. The decisive moment. Pieters mishit the tee at 15, almost as a response to his newly shared lead, and made a devastating bogey. At the same time Jon would no longer let the chance slip. He hit his best wedge of the day at 14, left it two metres and made the birdie. Three shots clear in no time. -22 against -19. Matter settled.
Rahm didn’t want any more scares and still added two more birdies at holes 15 and 16 to put a triple lock on the victory. It had taken him too long to get here to not make absolutely sure he wouldn’t let this one go. He went to the 18th with a five-shot lead and even allowed himself the luxury of mis-hitting the tee (well left with an iron), the only error of the day, and finishing with a bogey. The end of the story. A sensational day off the tee and brilliant on the greens, aside from that small stretch from 9 to 12, returns Jon to where he belongs. A winner. Those 23 victories in nine years reflect that.
The victory will allow Jon to move back inside the world’s top 40, a position he hadn’t occupied since January 2025. It also confirms the Hong Kong Golf Club as one of the sanctuaries of Spanish golf. Before Rahm, José María Olazábal, Miguel Ángel Jiménez (four times), José Manuel Lara and Sergio García have won here. In addition, Rafa Cabrera Bello was runner-up twice.
Beyond Rahm’s big win, it is worth highlighting the top-10s achieved by David Puig (-14) and Sergio García (-14). Both shared eighth place with rounds of 66 and 69. In the team classification, victory for the 4Aces led by Dustin Johnson, ahead of Legion XIII and the Smash
