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Jon Rahm Helped Several LIV Golfers Travel From Iran War Zone to Hong Kong

According to a report, Rahm arranged a private flight out of Oman for players who were stuck in Dubai and unable to travel to LIV Hong Kong due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Max Schreiber|
Jon Rahm helped several LIV players get to Hong Kong after travel disruptions due to the war in Iran.
Jon Rahm helped several LIV players get to Hong Kong after travel disruptions due to the war in Iran. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The war in Iran has affected the golf world, and adjustments are being made.

Ahead of this week’s LIV event in Hong Kong, several of the league’s players—Caleb Surratt, Tom McKibbin, Lee Westwood, Thomas Detry, Anirban Lahiri, Sam Horsfield, Adrian Meronk and caddie Terry Mund—were stuck in Dubai, where many of them reside, as flights have been canceled and airports have been closed due to military strikes in the Middle East. 

“It was terrifying,” Surratt told Golf Channel this past weekend. “But since then, it’s been O.K. It was bad Sunday and Monday here with missile interceptions.”

Jon Rahm, however, came to the rescue, according to Golf.com. 

A source told the outlet that LIV had considered flying the players to London, but Rahm offered a private flight out of Oman, which had a direct route to Hong Kong.

“Do whatever you have to do, but get them out of there,” Rahm reportedly told his Legion XIII associates. 

Airspace opened in Oman’s capital, Muscat, and Lahiri led the group there, a 280-mile drive from Dubai. They then loaded their bags and clubs onto a bus and headed to their plane, arranged by Rahm through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company. 

The flight departed shortly after midnight on Wednesday and landed in Hong Kong roughly eight hours later, just 24 hours before they are set to tee off in Round 1. 

All the players who made the trip from Oman are set to tee it up at Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling, the third event of the 2026 season. Sergio Garcia is the event’s defending champion.

“There’s a lot of a relief just knowing that they’re going to see their teammates today and they’ll be able to compete alongside of them starting tomorrow,” a source said.

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Max Schreiber
MAX SCHREIBER

Max Schreiber is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, covering golf. Before joining SI in October 2024, the Mahwah, N.J., native, worked as an associate editor for the Golf Channel and wrote for RyderCup.com and FanSided. He is a multiplatform producer for Newsday and has a bachelor's in communications and journalism from Quinnipiac University. In his free time, you can find him doing anything regarding the Yankees, Giants, Knicks and Islanders.

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