Jon Rahm Targets Dubai Title After Abu Dhabi Victory

Jon Rahm secured his first victory since departing LIV Golf by edging out Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.

This result marked his sixth Rolex Series triumph and his 11th on the DP World Tour, while simultaneously keeping alive his bid for a second Race to Dubai title.

Entering the week 51st in the season-long standings, Rahm appeared to have little chance of winning the Harry Vardon Trophy.

Nevertheless, his two-shot win moves him to sixth in the rankings, keeping his hopes of a second Race to Dubai crown firmly intact.

Despite this significant jump, Rahm remains 1,718.34 points behind leader Eugenio Chacarra, though another win at the DP World Tour Championship could potentially see him take the top spot.

This is because the tournament winner will receive 2,000 points. Securing the title at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course for the fourth time in his career could provide the necessary points.

Even with a victory, Rahm would still need Chacarra to finish no higher than ninth, with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed also required to finish outside the top two.

However, the likelihood of Rahm lifting the Harry Vardon Trophy for the first time since 2019 has increased significantly compared to just a few days ago.

Jon Rahm first won the Race to Dubai title in 2019 – now he has a chance of winning it again(Image credit: Getty Images)

That’s something that even surprised the man himself, who said after his victory: “I didn’t think I would ever have a chance to win it. Very excited.

“Actually gives me a little extra incentive next week. I really didn’t think I was going to have a chance. Those are better odds than I expected so looking forward to it and hopefully I can get my fourth one.”

Speaking in his post-tournament press conference, he added: “I need to win again, which is a tall task. I’m not the only one with a good record at Jumeirah.

“Hopefully I can do a lot of whatever I’ve done this week. If I keep hitting the irons and putting the way I have, I’ll definitely have a chance.”

One player with a strong record at Jumeirah Golf Estates is McIlroy, who is chasing his eighth Race to Dubai title. Although he did not win in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy also sees an opportunity in the upcoming week.

Rory McIlroy is second in the season-long race(Image credit: Getty Images)

He said: “I saw some encouraging signs in the game. You know, I’m going to be in that final group going out on Thursday next week.

“So yeah, I obviously would have loved to have won the tournament, but enough positive signs to feel good about going into next week.”

On being in the final group to begin next week, McIlroy added: “That’s where I wanted to be. It’s a pretty familiar spot for me going into The DP World Tour Championship, and I’m excited for it.

“That was the goal coming into these two weeks – to try to catch Eugenio and Patrick and try to win The Race to Dubai again.”

With Reed third in the rankings, only Chacarra stands between McIlroy and the summit.

While the Spaniard has been in excellent form this year, with three wins, he is refusing to take anything for granted – particularly with a player of McIlroy’s caliber chasing him.

Eugenio Chacarra leads the Race to Dubai(Image credit: Getty Images)

He said: “Well, it’s hard. He’s the number two player in the world and the number one in Europe, and he’s been doing it for a long time and he plays really good out in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He has played that course a million times, and I only played it once.”

He added: “We know what I’m capable of when I am playing good. There was a lot of good this week, but I just need to sharpen the bat to have a chance next week.”

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