Spaniard celebrates return to traditional tours with victory at Yas Links

Show caption: Jon Rahm of Spain celebrates victory on the 18th green on da…

Jon Rahm won the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on his debut in the capital on Sunday.

The Spaniard held off a star-studded chasing pack, including the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton, to win by two strokes at Yas Links.

It was his first win on the DP World Tour in more than three and a half years, since he claimed the 2023 Masters.

For much of the ensuing time, Rahm has been away on LIV Golf.

The win in the UAE capital was a spectacular way to mark his return to the traditional tours, after he ended his association with the breakaway circuit earlier this year.

Coincidentally, Rahm’s closest challenger – and final-round playing partner – Hatton had been one of his teammates on the LIV tour, which has subsequently signalled it is set to be discontinued.

Hatton, for his part, was runner up in this tournament for the second time in three years.

While Rahm has been rarely spotted on the European Tour of late, he had never been spotted in Abu Dhabi at all before this week.

He clearly found Yas Links to his liking. During his first 72 holes of competitive golf at the course on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, his worst round of the week was his 5-under-par 67 on Friday.

To put his debut win into context, McIlroy was playing in the capital for the 15th time.

Despite his successes all over the world – not least up the E11 in Dubai – the Northern Irishman has yet to win in Abu Dhabi.

Rahm was the second Spanish winner of the Falcon Trophy, after Pablo Larrazabal in 2014.

His victory would have been appreciated by the sizeable number of his Spanish compatriots both outside and inside of the ropes at Yas Links.

Eugenio Chacarra, for example, must be particularly chuffed for his countryman.

The fact Rahm staved off McIlroy in winning the title means Chacarra maintains a cushion at the top of the Race to Dubai, ahead of its finale in Dubai next week.

McIlroy will be bidding to close out an eighth order of merit at the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates.