Jon Rahm believes his second shot into the 15th hole is a contender for his shot of the year.
Sitting 184 yards from the hole, Rahm striped a 6-iron and it landed right next to the pin, ending two feet from the cup and leading to an easy birdie. On a day Rahm played near flawless golf, that was the shot that propelled him to the title.
The Spaniard won his 11th DP World Tour title and sixth Rolex Series event Sunday, claiming the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship title at Yas Links. In Rahm's first start since the collapse of LIV Golf – and the birth of his fourth child – he carded four rounds in the 60s and finished at 23 under, two shots in front of Tyrrell Hatton and four ahead of Rory McIlroy.
"It means a lot," Rahm said. "Still almost not letting
myself believe it, you know. It's been quite a while since I've played good in a DP World Tour event, and I think if we don't count the withdrawals, I think I finished last. So from last to first, pretty good feeling."
"THAT IS RIDICULOUS" 🤯
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 8, 2026
Jon Rahm puts his 184-yard approach at the 15th to 2ft to set up another birdie and maintain a two shot lead 👏#AbuDhabiChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/W2qBdMiQ5l
With the win, Rahm also moved to sixth in the Race to Dubai standings, with the season-long winner being crowned next week after the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship. Eugenio Chacarra leads McIlroy by 500 points, with the latter seeking is record-tying eighth Race to Dubai title.
Rahm and Hatton also moved into the top-10 players, not already exempt, who will earn PGA Tour cards following next week's PGA Tour Championship. However, the PGA Tour still has a rule in place banning former LIV Golf players for a year since their last competition, so neither player would be eligible for the cards. Barring a change in the rules, which could happen but would be unprecedented, neither player would return to the Tour next spring because of their Race to Dubai finish.
It's Rahm's first DP World Tour win since the Masters in 2023 and his first since announcing he was leaving LIV last month, with the league ultimately folding this week. Rahm said this week somewhat signals a new beginning.
"One can say that. One can say that," Rahm said. "After everything that's gone on, and some poor play and some battles mentally, right, with a lot of noise, to come back out after a bit of rest and being with the family, it's quite special. I only wish they were here to celebrate with me. She's going to wake up, Kelley, I love you."
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: In first start post-LIV, Jon Rahm wins Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship in Dubai
