Rahm wins Abu Dhabi for a record sixth Rolex Series title

Tyrrell Hatton started Sunday at Yas Links one shot behind Jon Rahm and sharing with him the record of five Rolex Series titles. He finished with a bogey-free 68 and lost by two. Rahm shot 67 to win the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on −23, his sixth Rolex Series win and his 11th on the DP World Tour.

It is his first DP World Tour title since the DP World Tour Championship in November 2022, and it came in his first start for seven weeks, after the birth of his fourth child. He won $1,530,000 and 1,500 Race to Dubai points, which lift him 45 places to sixth.

Rahm bogeyed the 3rd after finding two fairway bunkers, then birdied the 5th and 6th. Early on the back nine four players were tied on −20: Rahm, Hatton, Rory McIlroy and Francesco Laporta. Rahm birdied the 11th, holed from short range at the 12th and hit a 6-iron second shot at the 15th to tap-in range for another birdie. Hatton birdied the 15th as well. Rahm parred the last three holes, playing the par-5 18th safely.

“Definitely that second shot on 15, that six iron might be contender for shot of the year for me,” Rahm said.

McIlroy, two behind at the start, drove the green at the 378-yard 1st for a birdie and eagled the 2nd to reach −19. He bogeyed the 3rd, birdied the 10th and 11th for a share of the lead, missed chances at the 12th and 13th, and then missed a five-foot par putt at the 15th. His 69 left him third on −19, four behind. He had taken a two-shot penalty for improving his lie in the first round. “It was a week where I felt like I had my chances,” he said.

Laporta, the first-round leader, birdied the 1st, 3rd and 7th and shared the lead at the turn. He failed to get up and down at the 12th, made a triple bogey at the par-3 13th and finished fourth after a 72.

Final leaderboard

Pos	Player	To par	Total	Earnings
1	Jon Rahm	−23	265	$1,530,000
2	Tyrrell Hatton	−21	267	$990,000
3	Rory McIlroy	−19	269	$563,400
4	Francesco Laporta	−17	271	$450,000
T5	Angel Ayora	−16	272	$322,200
T5	Bernd Wiesberger	−16	272	$322,200
T5	David Puig	−16	272	$322,200
8	Jayden Schaper	−15	274	$225,000
T9	Freddy Schott	−14	275	$169,380
T9	Frederic Lacroix	−14	275	$169,380
T9	Nathan Kimsey	−14	275	$169,380
T9	Matthew Jordan	−14	275	$169,380
T9	Adam Scott	−14	275	$169,380

Rahm, McIlroy and the Race to Dubai

Eugenio Chacarra, the Race to Dubai leader, closed with a 69 and tied for 22nd on −11. Patrick Reed, second in the rankings when the week began, tied for 43rd. McIlroy moves above Reed into second, 533.93 points behind Chacarra. An eighth Race to Dubai title for McIlroy would equal Colin Montgomerie’s record. Rahm can still take the title if he wins in Dubai and Chacarra finishes outside the top eight, according to Golf Channel.

Second place secures Hatton a spot among the top 50 who go on to the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, 12–15 November. The purse there is $10 million, with $3 million and 2,000 Race to Dubai points for the winner. Rahm has won it three times, in 2017, 2019 and 2022.

Sources

• PGA TOUR: Rory McIlroy falls short to Jon Rahm in Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship
• Golf Channel: Jon Rahm holds Tyrrell Hatton, Rory McIlroy on back nine
• Golf Today: Jon Rahm wins sixth Rolex Series title
• Sky Sports: Jon Rahm beats Tyrrell Hatton, Rory McIlroy to Rolex Series win
• Golf Digest: Prize money payout for each golfer at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship
• Golf Magic: Abu Dhabi Championship prize money payouts