Seven LIV Golf players caught in escalating Middle East tensions arrived safely in Hong Kong this week — thanks to a private jet arranged by Jon Rahm.
A group of players had been practicing in Dubai ahead of LIV Golf’s Asian tour stop when airport closures left them stranded following weekend strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran. The conflict quickly widened, with retaliatory strikes impacting locations across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
According to the golf-focused social media account Flushing It, the affected players were Lee Westwood, Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Sam Horsfield, Anirban Lahiri, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk and Caleb Surratt.
“It was terrifying,” Surratt told Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine via text on Tuesday about being in the region during the attacks. “But since then, it’s been OK. It was bad Sunday and Monday here with missile interceptions, but all day today was fine.”
Spanish outlet MARCA reported that Rahm arranged a charter flight to ensure the group could reach Hong Kong in time for the tournament. Seven players were on board. Canter did not take the flight but is still expected to arrive ahead of his Thursday tee time.
Westwood, Canter and Horsfield compete on the same LIV squad, while McKibbin and Surratt are members of Rahm’s team, Legion XIII.
The U.S. Department of State on Monday urged Americans to depart more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as tensions continued to rise.
As of Wednesday, LIV Golf had not issued an official statement regarding the travel disruption.
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