Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images
Many people who found themselves in the Middle East last weekend were thrust into an uncertain and unenviable situation due to the strikes targeting Iran. That includes some LIV Golf players in Dubai who had their travel plans derailed before Jon Rahm swooped in to make sure they wouldn’t miss this week’s tournament in Hong Kong.
There was growing evidence that suggested the United States was gearing up to flex its military muscle at Iran’s expense as February unfolded, and on Saturday, those suspicions were confirmed when America joined forces with Israel to kick off a barrage of missile strikes that were seemingly designed to usher in a regime change by targeting the country’s leadership.
Iran predictably responded with missiles and drones of its own directed at targets in multiple countries around the Middle East, which escalated an already chaotic scene in the region. Airlines canceled thousands of flights to avoid the risk of being caught in the crossfire, which led to an untold number of people finding themselves stuck in or in the vicinity of a war zone.
That includes eight men who were slated to take part in the LIV Golf tournament that will transpire in Hong Kong this week.
According to Flushing It, Lee Westwood, Laurie Canter, Sam Horsfield, Adrian Meronk, Thomas Detry, Caleb Surratt, Tom McKibbin, and Anirban Lahiri were tuning up in Dubai before the flights that were supposed to ferry them from the United Arab Emirates were called off, and their status for the event was suddenly up in the air.
However, it looks like most (if not all) of them will be participating thanks to an assist from Jon Rahm.
LIV Golfers who found themselves stuck in Dubai got a lift to Hong Kong after Jon Rahm sent them a private jet
Many commercial flights that were scheduled to arrive and depart from the Middle East were yanked off the schedule, but airspace in the region has not been shut down. As a result, there was a mad scramble to book private planes after the airport in Dubai closed its runways, which meant you’d have to pay even more than you usually would if you were able to track one down.
According to Golf’s Alan Bastable, all but one of the aforementioned LIV Golfers were able to do exactly that courtesy of Rahm, who was reportedly responsible for hooking them up with a private jet they were able to board after crossing the border in Oman (Canter was the only person who didn’t join them, and while it’s unclear why that was the case, it seems safe to assume he arranged his own accommodations).
LIV had an alternative exit strategy for the players that apparently involved flying via London, the source said, but the jet from Oman was an easier route out…just not *that* easy
— Alan Bastable (@alan_bastable) March 4, 2026
It would subsequently appear they’ll all be participating in the event they risked missing, which will officially kick off at Hong Kong Golf Club on Thursday.