Jon Rahm wins the 2026 Abu Dhabi Championship

With a final round of 67 and a total of 23 under par, Jon Rahm wins in Abu Dhabi ahead of Tyrrell Hatton. The victory also gives the DP World Tour’s season finale a fresh twist.

Jon Rahm won the Abu Dhabi Championship on 8 November 2026 with a total of 265 strokes, 23 under par. The Spaniard finished two strokes ahead of Tyrrell Hatton and carded a final round of 67, after a day when the lead changed hands before Rahm pulled clear on the back nine.

The victory also counts towards his record on the DP World Tour: it was his first event on the circuit since returning to competition after a spell away due to his involvement with LIV Golf. The Abu Dhabi tournament was part of the DP World Tour, not LIV.

A closely fought final day

Rahm began the final round one stroke ahead of Hatton and Francesco Laporta. Rory McIlroy was two strokes behind the leader. In a tournament where the margins remained narrow, the first move came from McIlroy: a birdie on the first hole, followed by an eagle on the second, quickly put him in the leading group.

Rahm also made a birdie on the first hole, but dropped a shot with a bogey on the third. He then found himself sharing the lead with several players, including Laporta, Hatton and McIlroy. The contest was not settled in one fell swoop: all four men were still level at the top at the 11th hole.

In this context, Rahm’s consistency made the difference. After his bogey on the third, he did not drop another shot. Birdies allowed him to regain the lead, then extend it when Laporta had two difficult holes.

The turning point between the 12th and 15th holes

The 12th hole opened up the first gap. Laporta dropped a shot, while Rahm converted a birdie opportunity. The Spaniard thus moved two strokes ahead. The 13th then put Laporta further out of contention: a triple bogey sent him tumbling down the leaderboard.

Hatton remained the main challenger. Rahm nevertheless strengthened his lead with another birdie on the 15th, after an approach shot gave him a chance to finish from close range. He then played the final three holes at par to preserve his two-shot lead to the finish.

The final score of 67 sums up a solid day, without erasing the moments of tension on the third and 17th holes. Rahm himself singled out the latter, where his tee shot had worried him. After the tournament, he also highlighted his second shot on the 15th, played with a 6-iron, as one of the best of his season.

A sixth Rolex Series title

The DP World Tour described the victory as Rahm’s sixth Rolex Series title, in a series of events on the circuit. It also gave him his 11th win on the DP World Tour. Rahm had never played in this Abu Dhabi Championship before this edition.

Hatton finished alone in second place, at 21 under par, after a final round of 68. His finish secured him a place in the DP World Tour Championship, scheduled for the following week in Dubai. McIlroy took third place at 19 under par and rose to second in the Race to Dubai standings, although this stage had yet to decide the annual title race.

The tournament therefore shifted several stakes as the season drew to a close: Rahm left with the title, Hatton with a place in the final event, and McIlroy with a stronger position in the race for the annual standings. He was seeking to equal the record of eight Harry Vardon Trophies, the traditional award for the best player of the European season. The Abu Dhabi Championship did not settle that race on its own, but it changed the standings ahead of the Dubai finale.

A successful return, without rewriting his record

For Rahm, this result marks a winning return to a DP World Tour event after a spell away from the circuit. He described his victory as particularly important after some less convincing recent performances and a break during which his family grew. These details shed light on the context he himself mentioned, without changing the sporting measure of the title: four rounds and 265 strokes, ending in a two-shot victory.

In Abu Dhabi, the final standings are clear. The circuit’s next event will take place the following week at the DP World Tour Championship, while Rahm could leave with a victory on his tournament debut and another Rolex Series title.