Northern Irishman moves up to second in the rankings after Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, behind leader Eugenio Chacarra

Jon Rahm put on a masterclass to claim the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yas Links as Rory McIlroy’s solo third-placed finish enabled him to close the gap on Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra.

The Spaniard, with his LIV days behind him and his focus on the DP World Tour, hardly put a foot wrong in cruising to a closing 67 for a total of 23-under-par 265, two shots clear of another former LIV player Tyrrell Hatton.

“I played a pretty flawless round. It was really, really something,” said Rahm, who was playing for the first time since missing the cut at the BMW PGA in Wentworth after which he took time out for parental duties with wife Kelly after the birth of the couple’s fourth child.

McIlroy had started birdie-eagle – which included driving the first green – to get into the mix and was very much in the hunt after back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th, but didn’t manage another birdie on the way home. A bogey on the 15th left him focused on ensuring solo third to help his pursuit of Chacarra for the order of merit title. It concludes next week at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, the final event of the season.

Having trailed Chacarra by 999 points at the start of Abu Dhabi, McIlroy’s third-place finish – after shooting a closing 69 for 269 – earned him 565 points, while the Spaniard’s tied-22nd finish earned him 100 which meant the gap was reduced to 459 ahead of the Tour Championship where the winner will earn 2,000 points.

McIlroy moved ahead of Patrick Reed into second position in the order of merit standings, with just Chacarra ahead of him in the quest for a record-equalling eighth Harry Vardon Trophy, with the aim to join Colin Montgomerie on that mark.

It means McIlroy will be the final group for the opening round of the Tour Championship, alongside Chacarra:

“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.

“It would have been great to win this week and give myself not as much of a deficit or even a lead, but I still feel like I’m right in there with a great chance.

“It was a good week. I saw some encouraging signs in my game. I’m going to be in that final group going out on Thursday next week.”

Rahm’s return from a paternity break – and shortly after his decision to leave LIV and ahead of that tour’s bankruptcy – came with an impressive focus that brought him an 11th career win on the DP World Tour and a sixth Rolex Series tournament success.

“After everything that’s gone on, and some poor play and some battles mentally, right, with a lot of noise, to come back out after a bit of rest and being with the family, it’s quite special,” said Rahm.

The Spaniard’s win moved him to sixth on the Race to Dubai (from 51st) with an outside mathematical chance of leapfrogging those ahead of him with a win, while also requiring help especially from Chacarra and McIlroy for the numbers to go his way.

“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,” said Rahm, who would need to win in Dubai and for Chacarra to finish outside the top-8 and McIlroy worse than second to have a chance.