Jon Rahm shows true colours after labelling maiden £3.1 million LIV Golf win ‘bittersweet’
Jon Rahm got his hands on his first LIV Golf victory at LIV UK on Sunday at JCB Golf and Country Club, but the win came at the expense of his teammate Tyrrell Hatton

Jon Rahm’s maiden victory on the LIV Golf setup was a ‘bittersweet’ one, after the Legion XIII captain benefited from the downfall of his teammate Tyrell Hatton at LIV UK.

At the 11th time of asking, Rahm finally got his hands on an individual LIV title, prevailing by one shot following a tense final round at JCB Golf & Country Club on Sunday. A four-under-par 67 in the final round saw the Spanish star end the week at 13-under, one shot better than Hatton.

Heading down the final hole it looked as if the Legion XIII pair were heading to a playoff, with both tied at the 13-under mark. A costly error from Hatton at the last however ensured he slipped into a tie for second with Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann.

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Having found the green in regulation, the Englishman three-putted to ensure it was Rahm who was crowned champion. Whilst it was a moment for success for Rahm, who secured both the individual and team title in Staffordshire, his first thoughts were with his distraught teammate Hatton.

“It was bittersweet,” Rahm said during his celebrations. “I’ve got to give Tyrrell a lot of credit, he’s a fantastic player and you never wanna see it end like that. I wish it had been on a playoff.” Having lifted the trophy aloft in front of the JCB crowd, Rahm echoed a similar sentiment in his post-tournament press conference.

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“Obviously you always want to win,” he added. “Selfishly you always want to get that done. But you don’t want to see a teammate and a good friend missing a putt for that to happen for me.It’s a bit of an unusual situation that I don’t think any of us are used to.

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Jon Rahm completed a LIV Golf double at JCB (
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“Team wins, I win individually, but still, having so much respect for Tyrrell, somebody who’s a good friend and somebody I’ve experienced a lot with — I can’t really celebrate because I still feel for him for finishing like that.” Hatton meanwhile found himself in the bizarre situation of agonisingly missing out on victory, but still coming away a winner having helped Legion XIII to their fourth team title of the 2024 season.

And whilst he was pleased to help his teammates, the individual loss proved a bitter pill to swallow. “It is hard to put that to one side,” Hatton claimed whilst sat alongside Rahm, Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent. “Golf is generally an individual sport, your individual results reflect the team.

“I am really happy for the guys and to win a fourth event as a team, but it doesn’t change how I feel about my own performance.” Having completed the clean sweep at JCB, Rahm will now have his eyes set on completing the season double. In the individual standings the Spaniard sits in second behind Joaquin Niemann, whilst Legion XIII lead the way in the season-long standings.