Just days before the LIV Golf Hong Kong kicked off, the LIV Golf World was struggling with a crisis beyond greens. The current geopolitical scenario left several LIV Golf players stranded in the Middle East. The situation amid the escalating regional tensions turned so chaotic that uncertainty grew whether they would even make it to the tournament. But then, Jon Rahm stepped in.

It was his urgent plan that helped them reach Hong Kong just hours before the event began. Now, after securing a win, Rahm has opened up about the distressing scenario.

“I was raised with a value of, if you have the ability and the capability of helping somebody in need, you go and help them. It was never about karma. It was simply about luckily getting those boys out of a dangerous situation,” Rahm reflected on the thoughts behind his decision to step forward and help his fellow LIV golfers.

As Dubai and Oman airports paused their services indefinitely, Rahm grew concerned. He expressed his thoughts on how he felt every required step to help the golfers reach Hong Kong must be taken.

He worked on his contacts and a private aviation provider, VistaJet. Rahm has a partnership with VistaJet, and they arranged for a charter flight for the golfers to escape the conflict zone.

The dramatic buildup made the week at LIV Golf Hong Kong even more remarkable.

Even Belgian star Thomas Detry, who finished as the runner-up in the event with 20 under par, arrived in Hong Kong on the flight arranged by Rahm. 

“Like I said earlier, sometimes it wasn’t even about golf. At one point, I was thinking about almost reaching out to a contact in Spain to get Tom and Caleb somewhere to practice in Spain, not even thinking about coming here, just out of Dubai, go practice somewhere. That was priority number one,” added Rahm.

The Spaniard, who just secured his first individual win in the last 17 months, shared how his manager and agent, Jeff Koski, helped him arrange the VistaJet flight and a crew. He acknowledged the efforts of Koski, the two pilots, and the stewardess.

Meanwhile, Rahm was heavily praised by 33-year-old 4 Aces GC star Thomas Detry. And Rahm took the opportunity to applaud the young golfers who exhibited strong grit in the situation of distress.

Thomas Detry thanks Jon Rahm as Spaniard praises LIV Golf youngsters

Thomas Detry, who bagged the second position and secured $2,250,000, thanked Rahm for his selfless efforts to help them reach Hong Kong on time. 

“I mean, two days ago I was at the border in the UAE, and I was like, there’s absolutely no chance of teeing it up out here in Hong Kong, and here I am jumping on a plane, which was unbelievable,” revealed Detry, in a mid-tournament interview.

“Obviously, that made it so much easier for us because I don’t think I would have been able to get here otherwise. Quite a 48 hours I’ve had.” 

Amid this, Rahm was left shocked at how young LIV Golf stars, like Caleb Suratt (21) and Tom McKibbin (23), kept calm.

“I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. They’re both so young. Caleb [Surratt] is turning 22 in a matter of days, and Tom is 23. Even though they’ve traveled a lot, that is a crazy situation to be in. Tom [McKibbin] is very calm no matter what. He seems to keep composure very easy and make decisions fast. Caleb is a little bit more like me, where he’s a bit more skittish in a situation like that. But I’m very proud of him,” exclaimed Rahm.

The Spaniard further shared how the stranded golfers were badly impacted by the stress. The last-minute travel, stress, and lack of practice took a toll on the stars.