This week LIV Golf returns and a new champion will be crowned. With the race tight between Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann, the two will prepare to do battle for the right to be named the LIV Champion player of the year. Although much of the build up to LIV Chicago has been dominated by the battle at the top between Rahm and Niemann, there is still the small matter of $4 million to play for, as well as the battle at the bottom where those who find themselves in the dreaded drop zone know that they will need to play some special golf to ensure themselves a roster spot for next year.
With the action ready to take place at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, the race to be crowned the individual LIV champion is on and in this article we will tell you everything you need to know about LIV Chicago 2024.
Who can win the LIV Individual crown?
Only two men can win this year’s individual crown, Jon Rahm or Joaquin Niemann. Through most of the season Niemann has been the man to beat thanks to his victories in both Saudi Arabia and Mexico, however Rahm’s remarkable consistency has seen him grind his rival down and upon the conclusion of the LIV Greenbrier event, Rahm finally hit the top spot.
In terms of the maths for the weekend ahead, thankfully it's really straightforward.
If Jon Rahm finishes ahead of Niemann or Niemann fails to finish inside the top 18, Rahm wins
If Joaquinn Niemann finishes in the top three or wins, Niemann wins
If Niemann can’t guarantee a top three finish but finishes ahead of Rahm, the distance between the two will determine who will be the overall winner. This scenario is the most complex and we won’t know what each man will need to do up until Sunday.
However the tournament plays out, one thing that is guaranteed is that we are in for an exciting finish.
What challenge will the course provide
Ranked as one of the best courses in the Chicago area, the Bolingbrook Golf Club is a fitting venue to determine who will finish the season as the best player on the LIV Tour. Measuring at a fraction over 7,100 yards, without doubt the course’s signature hole is the par 3 15th. Featuring an island green similar to what players face on the legendary 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, failure to master the 15th has the capacity to wreck any round.
The rest of the course doesn’t get any easier. With seven lakes surrounding the course, water is a constant hurdle that needs to be overcome. If a player fails to be accurate off either the tee or fairways, they will have to be prepared to pay the maximum penalty.
What players lead the betting?
As he has done ahead of every LIV tournament this season, it is Jon Rahm who currently leads the betting. Having made the move over to LIV around this time last year, individual victory for Rahm would validate his decision to move over to the breakaway tour and already cement his legacy as one of the best players that LIV holds.
Since teeing it up at his first LIV event, Rahm has been nothing short of magnificent, finishing outside the top ten on just one occasion, his LIV UK victory and narrow playoff defeat to Brooks Koepka last time out at LIV Greenbrier means that it is he who is the man to beat. Rahm knows what pressure looks like. A two time major winner and a key component of two successful Ryder Cup teams, look for the fiery Spainaird to be aggressive and apply early pressures to his main rivals.
Closely tucked behind Rahm in the betting is the 2024 US Open Champion, Bryson DeChambeau. Despite having tasted major success whilst affiliated with the PGA Tour, it’s hard to argue that 2024 hasn’t been DeChambeau’s greatest year of his professional career.
A consistent force in the majors, the American finished in the top ten at the Masters, 2nd at the PGA and won the US Open. Having completely transformed himself from a divisive figure to one of the game’s most loved characters, DeChambeau is set to have the majority of the Chicago gallery on his side by the time he tees it up.
Whilst he would be delighted with landing his second major, when it comes to his performances at LIV events, the big hitter will have been disappointed that he hasn’t yet won this year. Sitting comfortably inside the top ten of the individual standings, it’s been a great year for Bryson but he will want to top it off in style this week.
Completing the top three in the betting is Joaquin Niemann. Having played some consistently great golf this year, Niemann is perhaps the defining symbol of golf’s current great divide. No doubt one of the best player in the world, Niemann’s world ranking is tumbling which has left him ineligible to play in the bulk of the majors.
Arguably LIV’s most outspoken critic when it comes to the need for ranking reform, Niemann will want to sign off this fantastic season with victory. Having led through the entirety of the season, he would have been disappointed with a 15th place finish last time out at Greenbrier which opened the door for Rahm to take the lead.
Now having to be the one to chase, Niemann knows he will need to come out of the gate swinging and it will be his aim to apply as much pressure to Rahm as possible. Knowing that a win will be enough for overall victory, he could be the best value option of the week.
This is how the top ten in the betting currently looks;
JON RAHM - 5/1
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU - 7/1
JOAQUIN NIEMANN - 10/1
TYRELL HATTON - 10/1
CAMERON SMITH - 12/1
BROOKS KOEPKA - 14/1
SERGIO GARCIA - 18/1
LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN - 18/1
TALOR GOOCH - 18/1
RICHARD BLAND - 25/1
What about the race at the bottom?
Although all eyes are likely to be at the top of the leaderboard this weekend, the battle to beat the dreaded LIV Drop Zone is set to be just as intense.
Finishing inside the Drop Zone will see those inside relegated from the league and with the other tours imposing hard sanctions on those who defected to LIV, a return to other professional golf associations isn’t necessarily straightforward.
Currently inside the dreaded Drop Zone are Scott Vincent, Branden Grace, Laurie Canter, Bubba Watson, Kieran Vincent, Kalle Samooja and Hudson Swafford.
Two men that can breathe easy are Canter and Watson. Canter was purely a replacement for this season and is already back on the European Tour and is playing in Ireland this weekend, whilst for Watson as he is the Captain of the Range Goats it is widely believed that he will be back next year.
For the Vincent brothers, Swafford and Grace, all four players know they need a special week if they are to be apart of the ever growing LIV scene next season, a top ten finish could be enough to propel themselves above Pat Perez, Harold Varner and Jinichiro Kozuma who are flirting just above the drop line.
With careers on the line, the battle for survival could looks like it will go right down to the wire.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
