Can Jon Rahm beat Joaquin Niemann to win the LIV Golf Championship? All scenarios explored
The LIV Golf Individual Championship will be the penultimate event in the league's 2024 calendar. The individual champion of the season will be crowned here. The event will take place at the Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago, Illinois, on 13–15 September 2024.
While 54 players from the roster will be teeing off at the championship, the main clash will be between Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann to secure the title. In his debut year itself, Rahm is at the top of the leaderboard with 195.17 points while Niemann is close second with 192.20 points.
Mathematically only these two are eligible to take home the trophy in Chicago. Rahm competed in 11 events this season and had a top-10 finish in all. He also secured one win at LIV Golf UK.
Niemann won two of this season's first three events in Mayakoba and Jeddah. In fact, the Chilean golfer had been leading the pack since his win in the latter; however, Rahm overtook him at Greenbrier recently.
If the two keep up their form in the Windy City, then it will be a close finish at the LIV Golf Individual Championship. So, here's exploring all the scenarios that can pan out at the LIV Golf Individual Championship.
Jon Rahm vs Joaquin Niemann: Exploring all scenarios for the LIV Golf Individual Championship
As Jon Rahm is currently ruling the leaderboard, he has a slight edge over Joaquin Niemann.
In Chicago, Rahm has to either tie with him or finish ahead of him to secure the title. If Niemann finishes 16th or 17th, the Spaniard must be in the top 24 players who receive points. This is where the scales are tilted more in Rahm's favor, because if Niemann finishes outside of 17th, then the 29-year-old will have a guaranteed victory. And if Jon Rahm is able to win the event, then he will sweep off the title, with no conditions applied.
However, anything can happen on the golf course. And Jon Rahm is prepared for the same. The official LIV Golf website quoted him as saying:
"I'm probably going to need to win. He’s going to be up there. I'm going to need another good week,"
In Joaquin Niemann's case, he must finish 3 points ahead of Rahm at all costs. However, if Niemann finishes 4th or worse, then his hopes to win will be at the mercy of Rahm's final leaderboard rank. If the 25-year-old pulls off a victory, he will have a strong shot at winning the championship title, unless he ties with Rahm.
The two opponents are ready to take on each other. Niemann said:
"He's been playing great lately, so he's probably going to keep doing the same. I've got to try to bring my ‘A’ game,"
Certainly, it will be a nail-biting end to the third LIV Golf season. Whoever wins the tournament will walk away with a staggering $4 million. The Team Championships will take place a week later in Dallas, USA.