The LIV Golf Hong Kong event nearly started with several emergency replacements as eight players were reportedly struggling to make their way into the event due to the emergency in the Middle East. With commercial aviation paralyzed in the region, it was Jon Rahm who ensured the tournament field remained intact.

Confirmed by the Executive Editor of Golf.com, Alan Bastable, who reported on X, “According to the source, 7 of those players — Detry, Meronk, Lahiri, McKibbin, Surratt, Horsfield and Westwood, plus one caddie — hopped a flight from neighboring Oman to Hong Kong by way of a PJ organized by Rahm.”

On 28 February 2026, Israel and the United States launched a joint attack on various sites in Iran, triggering a sudden aviation disruption in the Middle East region. As an immediate effect, major aviation hubs in Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH), and Doha (DOH) were closed. First reported by the outlet @flushingitgolf, the group of eight players—Lee Westwood, Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Sam Horsfield, Anirban Lahiri, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, and Caleb Surratt—were practicing in Dubai when the rapid military escalation began on Saturday.

They had to find a new way to reach the Hong Kong Golf Club before March 5, where the third stop of the LIV Golf Hong Kong event was scheduled.

“And then world just came undone on Saturday,” Caleb Surratt told Golf Channel. “It was terrifying. But since then, it’s been OK. It was bad Sunday and Monday here with missile interceptions, but all day today was fine.”

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He said Tuesday was “totally normal life, people walking around and such.”

Facing a 12-hour window and missile interceptions over Dubai, the players had to drive four hours across the border to Muscat, Oman, one of the few places where a private plane could still take off for Asia. And the former Masters champion, Rahm, worked behind the scenes to coordinate this complex flight for his fellow pro golfers.

As Bastable previously reported, “Just learned the LIV players stranded in the Middle East have arrived safely in Hong Kong on a private jet commissioned by their LIV stablemate Jon Rahm.”

While the arrangement is particularly generous, players sharing a private jet is not entirely new in golf.

Several other private jet stories in golf

Although he was not happy about it, Tiger Woods once shared a seat with Ian Poulter on his famous $53 million Gulfstream G550. Before the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, Poulter asked Woods how he was getting home. And despite Woods not offering a seat, Poulter allegedly showed up at the airport and boarded Woods’ private jet, anyway. Woods’ then-coach, Hank Haney, later revealed Woods wasn’t happy with the incident and texted him, “Can you believe this d* mooched a ride on my plane?”

Ernie Els and Steve Marino became friendly after sharing a jet from Japan to the U.S. But the flight was anything but smooth as the two ended up in a playful wrestling match and “headbutting” contest that required the pilots to intervene.

And in the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, Phil Mickelson had a private jet on standby in case his wife Amy went into labor. Despite trailing by one stroke on Sunday, he was prepared to leave mid-round. Leader Payne Stewart hugged him and famously said, “There’s nothing like being a father.”

“I just wasn’t going to hand the trophy over to him,” said Stewart. “Phil is going to have an opportunity to win again. I might be on the short list.”

Though players sharing a private jet is not entirely new, Rahm’s decision to rescue an entire group, including rivals from opposing teams, signals something deeper. And the timing of Rahm’s intervention is extra special, given his current standing in golf and current disputes with the DP World Tour.