In less than a few days, LIV will crown a new champion for the 2024 season.
Jon Rahm, LIV’s most recent blockbuster signing and captain of Legion XIII, will face off against the LIV original and two-time individual winner on the season, Joaquin Niemann.
It will be a two-way race until the very last hole of LIV Chicago to name a winner. Rahm (195.17) holds a slight lead in the points race over Niemann (192.20) with both men being over forty points better than third place Tyrrell Hatton.
This means that even if Hatton were to win outright and both Rahm and Niemann score no points, it would not be enough to displace either captain from the top two spots.
Rahm’s lead comes despite a full withdrawal from LIV Houston, which was the same foot injury that prevented the Spanish standout from participating in the U.S. Open that Bryson DeChambeau eventually won.
Niemann has been powered to his second-place ranking by two early-season victories and a slew of top-ten finishes.
Examining Rahm v. Niemann Throughout the Season
It was a tale of two very different seasons for Niemann and Rahm.
Joaquin Niemann’s start to the 2024 season could not have gone better, winning the season opener in Mayakoba, Mexico.
After a short miscue in Las Vegas, Niemann proceeded to bounce back at the 2024 iteration of Jeddah, marking his second win in LIV’s first three tournaments.
The Torque captain would go on to finish in the top ten for four consecutive tournaments, solidifying his grasp on the season-long individual championship. The only other hiccup along the way being a T32 finish at LIV Houston.
Rahm’s season was quite the opposite. Though highly-successful, even from an immediate standpoint, coming in T3 at Mayakoba and leading his brand-new team to victory in their first tournament, Rahm’s start was maligned by demands from fans and pundits to win immediately.
Poor showings at The Masters and PGA Championship added fuel to the fire that Rahm was not the golfer he once was, and perhaps the gossip did indeed bother the former world number one.
Rahm’s fortunes however suddenly changed with a glorious win at LIV UK and a T7 finish at The Open in a matter of weeks.
Despite missing an entire tournament in Houston, the fact that Rahm has never finished outside the top ten during his time with LIV meant the Spaniard would go into the season’s last individual event, controlling his own fate.
Who Has the Advantage, Who Will Win?
This is the third iteration of LIV Chicago, though with a twist, The Bolingbrook Golf Club is the new venue after LIV decided to move on from Rich Harvest Farms, meaning neither golfer has an advantage on this course.
Rahm’s recent accolades include a win at LIV UK, a second-place finish at LIV Greenbrier, a T5 finish at the Paris Olympics, and a T7 finish at The Open. Niemann placed T2 at LIV UK, T15 at Greenbrier, T9 at the Paris Olympics, and T58 at The Open.
Rahm easily takes the “who is the better player right now” argument.
Recently, I put Jon Rahm as my number one fantasy option for LIV Chicago. Had Niemann been the second option, this contest could easily be a coin flip, but I like Rahm, Oosthuizen, or Smith to win Chicago outright.
Wins early in the season count the same as wins late in the season and that’s why Niemann still has a chance to pull of what would be considered a huge upset.
No matter who wins, Chicago will be a treat for fans with so much riding on the line, featuring two of the world’s best going head-to-head in a winner take all finale!
LIV Chicago starts this Friday with tee off at 1:15 ET.
