Jon Rahm held off former LIV Golf team-mate Tyrrell Hatton and Masters champion Rory McIlroy to claim an two-shot victory at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
Rahm mixed six birdies with a lone bogey during a five-under 67 at Yas Links GC, lifting him to 23 under on his tournament debut and closing out a record sixth Rolex Series victory.
The Spaniard took a one-shot lead into the final day at Yas Links GC and briefly lost his overnight advantage with Hatton, McIlroy and Francesco Laporta all leading at various points during an eventful Sunday.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rory McIlroy got off to a perfect start at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, holing an eagle putt from off the green on his second hole
Hatton finished second ahead of McIlroy, who made a birdie-eagle start to his final round before finishing four strokes back in third – his 11th top-three finish in 15 starts in Abu Dhabi, with Laporta ending in fourth spot on 17 under.
McIlroy moved above Patrick Reed into second and became Eugenio Chacarra’s closest challenger in the season-long standings, while Rahm’s victory – his first since departing LIV Golf – keeps him in contention to win the Race to Dubai.
How Rahm beat Ryder Cup team-mates to victory
McIlroy – playing in the penultimate group – made the dream start to his final round when he drove the green at the 378-yard par-four first and two-putted for birdie, then holed a putt from nearly 50 feet to eagle the par-five second.
The Northern Irishman dropped a shot at the par-four third, where Rahm undid his opening-hole birdie by finding two fairway bunkers and making bogey, as Laporta pulled ahead after posting two birdies in his first three holes.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rory McIlroy stunned his playing partner Adam Scott by driving the first green at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship
Rahm set up a close-range birdie at the fifth and holed from 25 feet to add another at the next, as Hatton also made back-to-back gains, only for Laporta to take advantage of the par-five seventh and pull level with the Spaniard.
McIlroy cancelled out a bogey at the sixth by birdieing the next but was still two behind until he started his back nine with successive birdies, making it a three-way tie at the top.
McIlroy needed a victory this week to move above Eugenio Chacarra in the Race to Dubai standings
Rahm and Laporta edged back ahead with two-putt birdies at the par-five 11th, before a two-shot swing next saw Rahm convert from close range as his playing partner made bogey.
Laporta’s title challenge ended with a triple-bogey at the par-three 13th, while McIlroy experienced a cold putter on the back nine and saw his hopes dashed when he missed from five feet to save par at the 15th.
Rahm tidied up from four feet to match the birdie of Hatton at the 15th, keeping him two ahead of the Englishman with three to play, with pars over the closing three holes enough to complete a first DP World Tour win since before he joined LIV Golf.
More to follow…
What’s next?
The DP World Tour season reaches its climax next week at the DP World Tour Championship, where only the top 50 available players in the Race to Dubai standings are eligible to compete.
Watch all four rounds of the DP World Tour Championship live on Sky Sports, with coverage of the opening round from 7am on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event. Get the latest Sky Sports deals or stream golf and more sport with no contract.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland