Jon Rahm nearly clinched victory at LIV Golf Chicago last weekend, falling just one stroke short in a three-man playoff against Dean Burmester. The Spanish star fired a final-round 69 to finish at 9-under, tied with fellow countryman Josele Ballester, while Burmester clinched the win with a clutch birdie on the 18th.
With nearly 40 days remaining until the Ryder Cup, Rahm’s form couldn’t be peaking at a better moment. He currently sits second in the LIV Golf individual standings with 196.16 points, trailing only Joaquin Nieman.
Though Rahm hasn’t claimed a LIV title this year, his consistency has been remarkable. The Legion XIII captain has 13 top-10 finishes.
But not everyone saw this coming.
As LIV Golf shifts to Indianapolis for its season finale at The Club at Chatham Hills, Bryson DeChambeau offered a candid admission about misjudging Rahm’s dominance.
“I kicked him out in Dallas, I remember doing that, so I was like, yes, not a top 10,” DeChambeau shared with a grin during the Wednesday conference. “But his feat of not finishing outside 11th place his entire career is quite honestly one of the best feats I’ve seen in a long time.”
DeChambeau, currently third in the LIV Golf standings, has had a strong season himself, winning in Korea and posting 11 top-10 finishes. Yet he acknowledged that chasing Rahm and Niemann has felt like a losing battle.
“I’ve played some solid golf, not my best, but really solid, and I’ve got no chance to win,” he stated during the same conference. “It’s really impressive. The level of competition they (Jon Rahm & Co.) bring to LIV is out of control.”
The “Break 50” YouTuber also acknowledged Niemann’s dominance, highlighting his five wins but reserved special admiration for Rahm’s relentless consistency.
“What they’re doing is great for LIV, it’s great for golf,” he expressed during the pre-tournament conference. “And honestly, I think whoever wins… it’s going to be an awesome feat and a historical year for either one of those individuals.”
As the Saudi-backed club’s final regular-season event begins Friday, Rahm and Niemann will battle for the individual title, while DeChambeau eyes a podium finish.
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