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Josh Ball

A sense of relief rivalling the one that followed his first professional win is how Jon Rahm described his emotions on sealing victory at HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong on Sunday.
Beating Thomas Detry by three shots finally snapped the Spaniard’s drought of 18 months between individual triumphs, stretching back to the stop in Chicago in the 2024 season.
There have been numerous team victories since then, with Legion XIII and in the Ryder Cup, but he said this one “just feels like a big weight off my shoulders”.
Two weeks ago in Adelaide, Rahm’s final round one-under-par 71 left him in second, three shots behind Anthony Kim. At the season-opener in Riyadh, he missed out to Elvis Smylie by a shot, despite closing with a nine under 63.
On Sunday at Hong Kong Golf Club he carded a six-under 64 to finish on 23 under, and at one stage had a five-shot lead. In Australia he had been four strokes up, and Rahm said he had been determined not to miss out again.

“I was just a little bit too tense [in Adelaide], aware that I hadn’t won in a while,” Rahm said. “Today I told myself going to the first tee, no matter what, every single step I take, it’s 100 per cent committed. Whatever shot I decide, we’re going to go 100 per cent committed, and if I make a mistake, I make a mistake, but it won’t be because I wasn’t committed to the decision.”
What Rahm did not feel was a sense that 2025, which included four team wins with Legion XIII, a team championship and a rare Ryder Cup win for Europe in the US, had been a lost season, saying he had not ended “thinking it was anything short of good”.
The only blip on Rahm’s day was a bogey at the last, courtesy of a wayward tee shot on 18, which dropped his team into third.
“It’s very fun when you can stand on that podium and celebrate with your teammates, as well,” Rahm said. “But as far as obviously being a competitor and as myself goes, I wanted to get this done, and it feels – it’s different. There’s a sense of self-accomplishment and pride that goes with doing it myself.”
Detry, who came home with a three-under 67, at least had something to celebrate in that regard, with 4Aces claiming the team title. They finished six shots ahead of Smash GC and ended a wait for success that was even longer than Rahm’s.
A dominant force in LIV’s early years, it had been 973 days since the team’s last triumph, at LIV Golf London in 2023.
Much has changed since then, not least the make-up of the side, which in its latest iteration now also includes Thomas Pieters, who shot a 66 to finish third, and Anthony Kim.
Only captain Dustin Johnson has survived the numerous changes, and when asked could only remember that he had previously played with Patrick Reed.
“It’s been a while since we’ve won, especially with the way we started, dominating, pretty much winning every single event, or if we didn’t win, we were finishing second for the first couple years,” Johnson said.
“Obviously since then, LIV as a whole, the players have gotten a lot stronger, a lot better. The teams have gotten stronger. So it’s a lot harder to win. That’s a little bit of a factor.
“This year we’ve put together a really good team, so I think we’re going to be competing each and every week. So I’m very happy with that.”
Detry, meanwhile, was in contention for the second time in three weeks and said he felt as though “all the hard work I’ve put in during the winter has really paid off”.


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Golf

Spaniard beats Thomas Detry by three shots at Hong Kong Golf Club, snapping individual drought dating back almost 18 months


Spaniard beats Thomas Detry by three shots at Hong Kong Golf Club, snapping individual drought dating back almost 18 months.


Jon Rahm

Dustin Johnson

LIV Golf Hong Kong: Jon Rahm says ‘big weight’ lifted after ending his winless streak

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Spaniard beats Thomas Detry by three shots at Hong Kong Golf Club, snapping individual drought dating back almost 18 months

Spaniard beats Thomas Detry by three shots at Hong Kong Golf Club, snapping individual drought dating back almost 18 months