BEST OF THE REST

JON RAHM hopes taking the longest break of his career will not ruin his chances of winning the Race to Dubai.

Rahm, 25, has not played since winning his second event of the season in the Spanish Open at the start of October, but can still become just the second Spaniard, after Seve Ballesteros, to finish top of the European Tour money list.

Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger is in pole position and has a 723-point lead over 2017 winner Tommy Fleetwood, with Rahm another 181 points adrift, while Open champion Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick can also end the year as European No.1.

Rahm, who will win the Race to Dubai if he triumphs in the DP

World Tour Championship for the second time in three years and Wiesberger finishes lower than solo second this weekend, said: ‘I’ve come back from taking quite a bit of time off and just deciding to rest more than practice and travelling around the world.

‘It’s the first time I’ve done that in a very long time so I really don’t know how it’s going to go. I’m hop

i decided to rest more than practice and travel the world... i feel good

ing it’s going to be good. I am feeling good, feeling rested and looking forward to the week.’

This time last year 34-year-old Wiesberger was only in Dubai to practice as he battled back from a wrist injury which had left him on the sidelines for seven months.

‘We haven’t had an Austrian winner of the Race to Dubai or the overall ranking at any point,’ said the world No.23. ‘Personally it would be a huge achievement.

‘It’s something that – growing up watching European Tour golf and watching legends like Seve Ballesteros, [Jose Maria] Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie – looked a long distance away but is obviously much closer now.’