Thomas Detry dropped a six-under-par 64 on the opening day of the LIV Golf Hong Kong. And while he will look to up the ante on day two, Detry is grateful to his fellow golfer, Jon Rahm, for being able to take part in the event. 

“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,” said Detry, in his post-round interview.

He further added, “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.”

The LIV Golf realm was suddenly rocked by political tensions. Owing to the recent conflict between the USA and Israel with Iran, several golfers were stranded in the United Arab Emirates. With the air traffic suspended for an indefinite period, the situation looked extremely sensitive. As uncertainty grew over regarding when the golfers would return, their participation in the LIV Hong Kong, too, looked far-fetched.

Thankfully, it was Rahm who came to the rescue. He sent a chartered flight that carried the stranded golfers back to safety via Oman. Surprisingly, all the exhaustion from air travel and mental stress did not seem to have taken a toll on Detry. Playing some incredible golf, he is only four shots behind the 18-hole leader, Carlos Ortiz.

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Reflecting on Day 1, the 33-year-old seemed quite happy with how things went. The Belgian golfer stated that, spending most of the time sitting, he was concerned about how his body would react to the playing conditions. Fortunately for him, things went pretty well. 

Meanwhile, Detry was not the only golfer stranded in the UAE. With a lot of golfers concerned about their future, it was Rahm who came in as their guardian angel. 

Jon Rahm arranges flight as golfers face Middle East disruption

The geopolitical issues disrupted air travel facilities across the Middle East. Notably, eight LIV golfers got stuck in different parts of the Gulf countries. While LIV Golf Hong Kong was scheduled to kick off on March 5, golfers, including Laurie Canter, Adrian Meronk, Caleb Suratt, and others, were struggling to find a safe way to return.

Airports in Dubai and Oman paused their flight services, which made it tough for the golfers who were stranded in different parts of the Middle East to return safely.

Amid such a situation, the Spanish LIV Golf star stepped in to arrange a flight for the golfers. He has a partnership with VistaJet and arranged for a flight from the private aviation company. 

Except Canter, the others made it to Hong Kong, boarding the VistaJet flight. Canter, too, however, later managed to arrive on time and teed off for the event.

“Safely made it to Hong Kong, thank you everyone that helped to reach and thank you for your messages and concerns. Stay safe everyone in UAE and I hope I can (go) home soon,” Adrian Meronk shared on X after reaching Hong Kong.

Now, as the 57 players look forward to having a decent run at the Hong Kong Golf Club, the concerns surrounding the geopolitical issues affecting the sport would leave the golf community concerned.