Jon Rahm won the 2026 Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yas Links on Sunday, capturing a record sixth Rolex Series title with a final-round 67 that left him 23 under par and two shots clear of Tyrrell Hatton.
Head to head in the final group, one shot ahead
Rahm entered the final round with a one-shot lead and shared the Rolex Series record of five wins with Hatton, who played alongside him on Sunday. The lead changed hands early. Rory McIlroy holed a long eagle putt from nearly 50 feet at the par-five second, while Francesco Laporta briefly led alone after birdies at the first and third.
Rahm dropped his first shot at the par-four third after finding two fairway bunkers, undoing his opening birdie. He answered with back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth to regain the outright lead at 20 under, but Laporta drew level at the turn.
Three birdies in five holes settle it
The decisive stretch began at the 11th, where Rahm made three birdies in five holes. At the 12th, Laporta failed to get up and down from trouble while Rahm holed a short birdie, a two-shot swing to 22 under. Laporta's challenge ended with a triple bogey at the par-three 13th.
McIlroy's charge slowed with a bogey at the 15th. Rahm then struck a six-iron approach at the 15th and holed for birdie, while Hatton also birdied to remain two back. Rahm later called the six-iron a possible shot of the year, and he played the par-five 18th safe with a two-shot cushion to close out the win.
A first win since leaving LIV, and a record of his own
The title was Rahm's 11th DP World Tour win and his first since leaving LIV Golf. It ended a stretch in which his wife gave birth to their second daughter, their fourth child, and he had not played for seven weeks. “It would mean a lot,” he said, adding that the return after “some poor play and some battles mentally with a lot of noise” made the week special.
Hatton's 68 secured his place at the following week's World Tour Championship in Dubai, where Rahm will also be in Race to Dubai contention. Rahm turns 32 on the Tuesday after the win.
