More than a year of close calls frustrated Jon Rahm, who returned to the winner’s circle on Sunday by reaching 23 under at LIV Golf Hong Kong. The former world No. 1 claimed a three-stroke victory over Thomas Detry for his first triumph since LIV Golf Chicago in late 2024, calling the achievement “very relieving.”
“That’s the only way I can describe it,” Rahm explained. “I’ve been very ecstatic for wins in the past. This one just feels like a big weight off my shoulder. That’s all I can say.
“It’s been a good round. I’ve been playing great golf. Coming up close is tough. But I’m playing really, really good golf, and just had to stay patient and believe that it was going to happen. Yeah, that I did, and took advantage of the opportunities when I could today.”
Rahm finished runner-up seven times in 26 starts since his last win, including at both LIV Golf Riyadh and LIV Golf Adelaide to kick off the 2026 season. He held a five-stroke lead alongside Bryson DeChambeau heading into the final round in Adelaide, Australia, only to be upended by Anthony Kim.
Rahm noted what he learned from that experience: Even deep into one’s decorated career, evolution is required.
“I was just a little bit too tense, aware that I hadn’t won in a while,” Rahm said. “Even though I had, I believe, a four-shot lead on the fifth hole and gave myself birdie chances, I was way too tentative and maybe not as committed as I should have been to each shot. Didn’t have my best swing-wise that day, but there was things I could have done better than what I did.
“That’s what I applied today. I told myself, going to the first tee, ‘No matter what, every single step I take today, it’s 100% committed. Whatever shot I decide, we’re going to go 100% committed, and if I make a mistake, I make a mistake, but it won’t be because I wasn’t committed to the decision.’ I applied that, and luckily, it worked out.”
Rahm has been LIV Golf’s best player in 2026 — far and away, in fact — having lost to only two competitors across the first three tournaments of the season. His play in Hong Kong is only more proof. He held a share of the 54-hole lead with Harold Varner III and Detry at 17 under, putting distance between himself and his counterparts almost immediately.
Four birdies in his first eight holes saw him open up a gap, and four straight from holes Nos. 13-16 saw Rahm shut down any doubt of his closing abilities. Adding up to a final-round 64, his effort on Sunday was more than enough to secure his first title of 2026 and consideration among true major championship contenders heading into the Masters this April.
Rahm is 16-1 to win at Augusta National Golf Club with the fourth-best odds on the board, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
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