LIV Golf 2.0 is dead and Jon Rahm 3.0 just started with an impressive victory in Abu Dhabi

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If Jon Rahm’s performance at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship was produced by a tired and rusty Jon Rahm, the 3.0 version of his professional career could be something to behold.

Admittedly fatigued from all the events of the past two weeks, the two-time major champion never shot a score higher than 67 all week at Yas Links Golf Club in Abu Dhabi and ended at 23-under total (65-67-66-67) to top his former LIV Golf teammate Tyrrell Hatton by two shots. Rory McIlroy finished third, four behind Rahm.

The 31-year-old Spaniard is exhausted for several reasons. First, there’s a new baby at home as he and wife Kelley welcomed their fourth child, daughter Begoña, to the world late last month. They now have four children under age 6. Add that with all the consternation regarding Rahm’s LIV Golf departure and the subsequent end to the Saudi league and it’s been quite a fall.

“After everything that’s gone on and some poor play, battles mentally with the noise, to come back out after a little bit of rest and having a new addition to the family, it’s special.” Rahm said.

It had been seven weeks since Rahm competed, and that came at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth where he shot 78-77 to finish last in the field. The week earlier he tied for 23rd at the Irish Open. In his last LIV Golf event—what turned out to be the last LIV Golf event—Rahm finished second, one shot behind Michael La Sasso.

“I’m almost not letting myself believe it because it’s been a quite a while since I played good in a DP World Tour event and my last showing, if we don’t count withdrawals, I think I finished last,” he said. “So last to first, it’s a pretty good feeling.”

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Rahm seemed mostly in control of his game from the start of the week, opening with a bogey-free 65 that included seven birdies. He only made five bogeys for the week, including one on the third hole to start Sunday’s final round.

A birdie from Italy’s Francesco Laporta on the seventh hole pulled him even with Rahm at 20 under and the number at the top grew to three when McIlroy made birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. Hatton then made birdie soon after and four were tied for the lead. But birdies from Rahm on 11, 12 and 15 allowed him to par the final three holes and win by two.

The victory was Rahm’s 11th on the DP World Tour, the last coming at the 2023 Masters. Before that it was the 2022 DP World Tour Championship. This was the sixth Rolex Series victory for Rahm, a record number of wins in the elevated events, and he moved up 45 spots in the Race to Dubai with a chance to win the season title next week.

McIlroy opened Sunday with a birdie and an eagle but then made two bogeys in the next four holes. He gave it a run but a bogey on the 15th ultimately put him too far back to have a chance to win down the stretch.

“It was sort of a week where I feel like I had my chances, especially today,” McIlroy said. “I couldn’t keep my momentum going. But it was a good week.

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

McIlroy enters next week ranked second in the Race to Dubai standings behind Eugenio Chacarra, who tied for 22nd place in Abu Dhabi. The top 50 in standings start the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Thursday with a $10 million purse on the line.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com