'I Didn't Think I Would Ever Have A Chance' - Jon Rahm Eyes Race To Dubai Glory After Abu Dhabi Win

Jon Rahm claimed his first win since leaving his LIV Golf days behind by holding off Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.

That gave him his sixth Rolex Series title and 11th on the DP World Tour overall, but it also left the door ajar for his second Race to Dubai title.

Rahm began the week 51st in the season-long rankings and, seemingly, out of contention for the Harry Vardon Trophy.

However, his two-shot victory means that he’s now sixth in the rankings with his hopes of winning the Race to Dubai for the second time still alive.

Despite that huge leap, Rahm is still 1,718.34 points behind leader Eugenio Chacarra, but another victory at the DP World Tour Championship may just see him on top.

That’s because the winner will earn 2,000 points. If Rahm takes the title at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course for the fourth time in his career, that could be enough.

Even with a victory, Rahm would still be relying on Chacarra to finish no higher than ninth, with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed also needing to finish outside the top two.

However, the prospects of Rahm lifting the Harry Vardon Trophy for the first time since 2019 are significantly greater now than they were just a few days ago.

That’s something that even surprised the man himself, who said after his victory: “I didn't think I would ever have a chance to win it. Very excited.

“Actually gives me a little extra incentive next week. I really didn't think I was going to have a chance. Those are better odds than I expected so looking forward to it and hopefully I can get my fourth one.”

Speaking in his post-tournament press conference, he added: “I need to win again, which is a tall task. I'm not the only one with a good record at Jumeirah.

"Hopefully I can do a lot of whatever I've done this week. If I keep hitting the irons and putting the way I have, I'll definitely have a chance.”

One of those players with a good record at Jumeirah Golf Estates is McIlroy, who is in pursuit of his eighth Race to Dubai title. Despite failing to win in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy also senses an opportunity next week.

He said: “I saw some encouraging signs in the game. You know, I'm going to be in that final group going out on Thursday next week.

"So yeah, I obviously would have loved to have won the tournament, but enough positive signs to feel good about going into next week.”

On being in the final group to begin next week, McIlroy added: “That's where I wanted to be. It's a pretty familiar spot for me going into The DP World Tour Championship, and I'm excited for it.

"That was the goal coming into these two weeks - to try to catch Eugenio and Patrick and try to win The Race to Dubai again.”

With Reed third in the rankings, only Chacarra stands between McIlroy and the summit.

While the Spaniard has been in excellent form this year, with three wins, he’s refusing to take anything for granted - particularly with a player of McIlroy’s caliber chasing him.

He said: “Well, it's hard. He's the number two player in the world and the number one in Europe, and he's been doing it for a long time and he plays really good out in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He has played that course a million times, and I only played it once.”

He added: “We know what I'm capable of when I am playing good. There was a lot of good this week, but I just need to sharpen the bat to have a chance next week.”