Jon Rahm rode Thomas Detry to LIV in Hong Kong. Now, they are bound to lead
Thomas Detry may not be at LIV Golf Hong Kong this week without Jon Rahm’s help.
Detry was one of eight LIV players stranded in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the week when the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran. As GOLF’s Alan Bastable first reported, Rahm arranged a chartered flight to help Detry and seven others get out of the Middle East. That trip included a trip from Dubai to Muscat, Oman, where they boarded a plane chartered by Rahm. Detry and others arrived in Hong Kong at noon on Wednesday.
After three rounds at Fanling Golf Club, Detry finds himself atop the leaderboard at 17 under, tied with Harold Varner III and the man who was instrumental in getting him to Hong Kong.
“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would be there,” Detry said after his 66 Saturday at Rahm’s LIV Golf Hong Kong. “It’s a little funny that way.”
LIV golfers were stuck in a war zone. They came out with the help of Jon Rahm
By:
Alan Bastable
Detry noted that he booked an Emirates flight to Hong Kong that ended up arriving Wednesday night, so he may have arrived without Rahm’s mercy. But that was unknown at the time, and he’s thankful that Rahm was willing and able to help.
“I have to pay for that flight, so I better play well, hopefully I can pay. That was incredibly generous from Jon, with all the uncertainty,” Detry said Friday after his second round. “That was unbelievable for Jon to put in that flight, and it seems like he’s always at the top of the leaderboard, so you know if you’re playing well, you’re going to have to fight Jon anyway.”
Rahm’s Legion XIII teammates, Caleb Surratt and Tom McKibbin, were among the eight players stranded, along with Detry, Lee Westwood, Adrian Meronk, Sam Horsefield and Anirban Lahiri. For Rahm, it was a simple help to give to friends and teammates in need.
“The way I see it is just my job,” Rahm said Saturday. “I was brought up with certain principles, that if you have the ability and the ability to help someone, especially in a situation like this where my main focus was getting them out of there, not really playing the tournament. I remember telling Caleb earlier in the week, ‘How about you forget about playing the tournament and let’s focus on getting you to a safe place and we’ll see if you can get to Hong Kong’. With the ever-changing landscape, it looked dark for a second. Second, at one point, when they went with a different plan of evacuation, they were going to Europe. I was trying to help the Spaniards to set up practice in Spain.
“But yes, here they are. I never thought they would be able to come. It’s amazing that so many of them are safe, and that’s the most important thing.”
This is the third consecutive LIV event that Rahm has entered on Sunday in contention. He lost the opening round in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Elvis Smylie and watched as Anthony Kim edged past him at LIV Golf Adelaide to win his first tournament in 16 years. Rahm hasn’t won an LIV event as a singles player since LIV Chicago in September of 2024.
On Sunday, he’ll look to end that streak by playing Detry, who might not be involved this week if not for Rahm’s help.
“I think we’re going to have a good, competitive, fun round tomorrow,” said Detry. “We will see who will win.”
