Rahm assisted Detry in reaching Hong Kong, and they now co-lead LIV.
HONG KONG — Thomas Detry was one of eight LIV Golf players who found themselves stranded in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week amid Israeli and U.S. military actions against Iran. He is now tied for the lead alongside Jon Rahm, the individual who facilitated their departure.
“If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I’d be here,” Detry remarked on Saturday after shooting a 66 in LIV Golf Hong Kong, placing him in a three-way tie for the lead with Rahm (65) and Harold Varner III (63). “It’s somewhat amusing in that regard.”
The military actions affected more than a dozen neighboring nations in the Middle East, resulting in flight cancellations. Some players reside in Dubai, which has long been a hub for golf in the UAE, while others were there between LIV events in Australia and Hong Kong.
According to Golf.com, Rahm and his Legion XIII team organized a charter flight through his collaboration with a private aviation firm. This involved a 280-mile journey from Dubai to Muscat, Oman, to board an eight-hour flight, arriving in Hong Kong at midday on Wednesday.
The other players included Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield, Adrian Meronk, Tom McKibbin, Caleb Surratt, and Anirban Lahiri. Golf.com noted that Laurie Canter arranged his own travel with his family.
“It was remarkable of Jon to arrange that flight,” Detry stated.
Detry mentioned that he had initially been scheduled to take an Emirates flight from Dubai, which departed Wednesday morning as planned and reached Hong Kong that evening, but “that was very uncertain on Tuesday.”
Rahm, who began his week by declining a deal from the European tour that would have lifted fines for participating in LIV Golf, expressed that he viewed the gesture as “simply my duty.”
“I was raised with certain principles, that if you have the ability and means to assist someone … especially in a situation like that where my primary focus was essentially getting them out of there, not necessarily competing in a tournament,” Rahm explained.
“With the constantly shifting circumstances, it seemed quite bleak for a moment,” he added. “But yes, here they are. I never thought they would be able to make it. It’s incredible that so many of them are safe, and that’s the most crucial aspect.”
