Hatton still had a chance to raise the pressure before the last hole. His birdie putt from 24 feet at the 17th finished inches short. Rahm then made par from under five feet. Hatton was the nearest threat. The Englishman's final-round 68 included four birdies and 14 pars, a card that asked the leader to keep answering rather than to survive a rush of birdies.
The charge did not last. After his birdie at the par-five 12th was matched, the six-time major winner missed a birdie putt at the 13th, then dropped a shot at the 15th when his approach went wayward.
Rahm matched the birdie moments later. A six iron found the green, and he holed the putt from three feet to keep the one-shot advantage.
The result reached beyond the week. Rahm had started outside the top 50, and the victory left him still in the hunt should he be able to go back-to-back in Dubai. Laporta's bid ended more sharply. He left the 11th green four under for his day, dropped four shots in the next two holes and tumbled out of contention.
That round nearly told. Hatton briefly closed the gap to a single shot at the 15th, the closest he came to drawing level.
McIlroy, playing in the group further ahead, had already joined them. He picked up a pair of shots at the 11th and 12th to reach 20 under.
He treated the win as a return after a hard stretch."After everything that has gone on, some poor play and some battles mentally with a lot of noise, to come back out after a bit of a break and a new addition to the family, it's pretty special,"Rahm said."It's been quite a while to play well in the DP World Tour,"Rahm told Sky Sports.