LIV Golf player Thomas Detry said the travel disruption caused by the Middle East conflict unexpectedly worked in his favor after he moved into contention at LIV Golf Hong Kong.

The Belgian golfer shot a bogey-free 63 on Friday at Hong Kong Golf Club, making seven birdies to reach 13 under par. The round left him just behind co-leaders Dean Burmester and Carlos Ortiz as the tournament continued.

The result came after a chaotic start to the week. Detry had been in Dubai when airports were shut down and flights were cancelled due to the conflict in the region, leaving several LIV Golf players unsure whether they would even make it to Hong Kong in time for the tournament.

Speaking after his round Detry said the unexpected break from practice may have helped him.

“Weirdly, a bit nervous because I was sort of nervous that I wasn’t properly prepared,” Detry said in Hong Kong on Friday. “I haven’t touched a club since Saturday, so all that conflict in the Middle East actually, in a way, was beneficial to me because it forced me to leave the clubs behind for a couple of days. So I feel like it had a beneficial side effect on me, in a way.”

Detry was one of eight LIV Golf players stuck in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the week while trying to make travel arrangements. Jon Rahm eventually organised a private flight from nearby Oman that brought Detry, several other players and a caddie to Hong Kong.

Despite the difficult journey Detry quickly settled into the tournament and moved into contention during the second round at Hong Kong Golf Club.

Thomas Detry plans to repay Jon Rahm after LIV Golf Hong Kong emergency

Thomas Detry said he hopes to repay Jon Rahm after the Spaniard arranged the private flight that helped several LIV Golf players reach Hong Kong in time for the event.

Detry explained that the travel situation earlier in the week was uncertain, with players unsure if commercial flights would operate.

According to Golf.com Rahm arranged a flight from Oman that carried several stranded players to Hong Kong. The group arrived in time to compete in Thursday’s opening round at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling.

After Friday’s round Detry praised Rahm’s gesture and joked that he now owes him for the help.

“I’ve got to pay that plane back, so I’d better play well hopefully to be able to pay that back,” Detry said. “That was incredibly generous from Jon, with all the uncertainty.”

He also explained that he had originally been booked on a commercial flight that later departed as scheduled.

“In hindsight, I was booked on an Emirates flight to Hong Kong on Wednesday morning, and it actually took off. So I would have been here on Wednesday night late, but obviously that was very unknown on Tuesday,” he said.

Detry added that Rahm’s decision made the situation much easier for the players trying to reach the tournament.

“That was incredible of Jon to put on that plane. It seems like he’s always there on top of the leaderboard, so if you’re playing well you’re probably going to have to battle him anyway,” Detry said.

After two rounds at LIV Golf Hong Kong Detry sits third on the leaderboard while Rahm is just behind him in fourth after rounds of 66 and 62.