Jon Rahm will seek from this Friday at the Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago to crown himself as the individual champion of the 2024 season of LIV Golf. The Spaniard, in his first year in the Saudi league, depends on himself to win the title in a match that has become a face-to-face between him from Barrika and the Chilean Joaquín Niemann, the only player who can snatch the victory before the team final of Dallas next week.
With 195.17 points in the individual general classification, Rahm starts with a minimal advantage over Niemann, who accumulates 192.20. In third position, without any options to fight for the first final position of the table, appears Tyrrell Hatton, with 143.49 points, who will wage another interesting battle to stay on the circuit’s ‘podium’, with what it entails in terms of economic prizes, in which Sergio García also participates, fourth with 135.49 points.
The winner of each LIV tournament receives 40 points, the second classified takes 30 points, the third 24… and so on up to the 21st to 24th places, which receive one point each. Considering that the margin of Jon with respect to Joaquín is less than three points, for the Chilean, he needs to finish among the first 17 to have any chance of overthrowing the Spaniard (in that position, he would need Rahm to finish below the 25th place, without scoring a single point, to prevail).
In short, the combinations are multiple, but as long as the two are involved in the fight for the top positions in the general tournament, common sense dictates that whoever is ahead of the two in this last individual calendar event of the tour will be the one who takes the title and the juicy bonus of 18 million dollars reserved for the champion (eight million will go to the second in the final general and four to the third).
But the fight for victory in the tournament and in the general classification is not the only thing at stake this week in Chicago. This event will be the last opportunity for many players to secure their presence in LIV Golf in 2025, something that depends on the final position they occupy in the points table. The first 24 have a reserved place in the ‘field’ for the next season; between the 25th and 48th positions the players are exposed to potential team changes or even exits from them; while from the 49th onwards, they would be left out and would have to look for their place in the School (the LIV Golf League Promotions, when they take place). In this regard, a clarification should be made. In the official LIV guide they assure that the captains are shielded even if they fall below the 48th position, however in a meeting that took place yesterday in Chicago it was indicated to the teams that the captains can also lose their place in LIV Golf, even if they have a contract. Similarly, it was pointed out that depending on the case they could find a way for them to stay in LIV, but nobody has it guaranteed. That’s what they said at the meeting, then we’ll have to see if they are able to carry it out. Precisely, Bubba Watson is in that situation. Will they leave Bubba out of LIV Golf 2025 if he finishes below the 48th position? We’ll see. In any case, they would still have a percentage of the team, but they might not play.
The most dramatic situation at the moment, in addition to Bubba, is for Scott Vincent, Branden Grace, Kalle Samooja, Kieran Vincent, Hudson Swafford and Anthony Kim, who are below that 48th position.
This LIV Golf in Chicago is also very important for the other two Spaniards on the tour besides Jon and Sergio. David Puig is 25th at the moment and although his future in the Fireballs seems assured, he would avoid problems by climbing a position in the table at this last individual event of the course. At least he needs to finish tenth to have any mathematical chance of getting into the top 24, although he really needs something closer to fifth to secure it. Eugenio López Chacarra has it more difficult, 37th in the general and needs a great result to be in the quiet zone where the future is guaranteed. Mathematically he needs at least to be second, although it is normal that even that result is not enough for him because of what the others add up. So, only a victory would really give him options to finish among the first 24.
In addition, in this tournament at the Bolingbrook Golf Club it is decided which 12 squads will fight next week in Dallas in the team final of LIV Golf 2024. The first four in the general after the Chicago tournament will avoid the first qualifying round on Friday, September 20 and will go directly to the second, on Saturday 21. The teams between the 5th and 12th place will compete to access those Saturday eliminations. While the one that finishes in 13th position will say goodbye to the fight.
This last place is currently occupied by the Ironheads of Kevin Na, Danny Lee, Scott Vincent and Jinichiro Kozuma. They only add up 9.33 points so far this season, so to be able to stay ‘alive’ in the team competition they need to finish among the first three in this LIV Golf in Chicago. The 4th place would not guarantee them to continue and they would depend on what the HyFlyers do, while from the 5th downwards they would not add up enough points to get into the elimination rounds.
In short, the Bolingbrook Golf Club, on the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois, is preparing for an exciting head-to-head between Jon Rahm and Joaquín Niemann for the title, for a fight for the last place on the podium between candidates such as Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio García, Louis Oosthuizen, Cameron Smith or Brooks Koepka… and for the drama of avoiding goodbye to LIV Golf for a good handful of players who have one last chance ahead.
