Rahm enters LIV Golf UK on cusp of a three-peat

ROCESTER, England – Whether it happens this week in the UK or next month in the U.S., Jon Rahm likely will win his third consecutive LIV Golf season-long Individual Championship. Nothing is guaranteed as of now, but it seems inevitable – as inevitable as a top-10 finish whenever Rahm tees it up at a LIV Golf tournament.

Rahm could clinch the three-peat if he wins LIV Golf United Kingdom presented by JCB, provided his closest pursuer, Bryson DeChambeau, doesn’t finish solo second or in a two-way tie for second. If DeChambeau finishes in a three-way tie for second or worse, then Rahm would have enough points going into the final two regular-season tournaments in New York and Indianapolis to clinch the title, no matter what anybody else does.

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Should it happen on Sunday, it would be the earliest any season-long LIV Golf champion has clinched the title. The only other time the Individual Championship race hasn’t been decided in the regular-season finale was during the league’s inaugural 2022 season when Dustin Johnson had the title clinched with one tournament left.

“To wrap it up this early, I still need to win, and I still need to expect a bad week from Bryson – which based on how he’s been playing last week (a T14 at The Open Championship) most likely won’t happen,” said Rahm, the Legion XIII captain. “I would expect a fight from him and other players, and I still need to perform at my best to finish it off.”

Rahm’s previous two title runs have gone down to the wire, as he needed a strong result in the regular-season finale each time to outduel Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann.

In his first LIV Golf season in 2024, Rahm had the points lead going into Chicago, but his advantage over Niemann was a miniscule 2.97 points, leaving them virtually neck-to-neck. Rahm ended winning the tournament while Niemann tied for second, an epic conclusion to their season-long battle.

Last year it was Niemann who held a slim lead (less than 10 points) going into the decisive event in Indianapolis. Niemann had won five times in 2025, but his boom-or-bust results allowed the more consistent Rahm to stay close. Rahm finished solo second to eventual tournament winner Sebastián Muñoz while Niemann tied for fourth. Rahm won the title by just 2.48 points, the closest race in the league’s history.

Niemann is currently third in points and still has a mathematical shot to catch Rahm by sweeping the final three regular-season tournaments and hoping for an unprecedented Rahm stumble. It’s a small thread of hope but at least it’s something.

Asked on Wednesday if being able to push Rahm the previous two years has been a positive or simply produced frustration, Niemann replied, “Depends on the way you look at it. I love competition. I’ve been enjoying competing against him. I still do.

“He’s pretty far away right now, but there’s still a chance. I definitely think I can play my best game in the last three events and be able to do something. I always like to feel optimistic about it, and I definitely have a chance. … Jon obviously is an unbelievable player. Everybody knows that.”

A year ago at JCB Golf & Country Club, Niemann won his fifth tournament in 2025. At that point, he held a healthy lead of more than 37 points. Did Niemann think then the race was over?

“Yes and no,” said the league’s youngest captain (age 27). “I felt like I had the advantage, but it wasn’t over yet. I still knew what Jon could’ve done, and he played unbelievable golf the last few events to deserve the win. … I did my best. Not close enough but we learned from that.”

Unlike last season when Rahm was shut out of the winner’s circle, he’s picked up two wins this season (Hong Kong and Mexico City) to Niemann’s one (Korea). DeChambeau also has two wins (Singapore and South Africa), but no LIV Golf player can deliver a result on a weekly basis like Rahm. He has top 10s in eight of the first nine tournaments this season, with four second-place finishes to go with those two wins.

That consistency is why Rahm has been the league’s best performer since his arrival in 2024. In his 35 regular season starts, he has 32 top-10s, two top-20s and a WD when he suffered a foot injury in Houston in 2024.

“It means a lot more than the simple fact that you’re winning,” Rahm said of his season-long titles. “It means that you’re playing good golf consistently, and it means that the process has been working. I’ve always taken a lot of pride in being consistent and having a lot of top 10s, and I think that reflects on those [season-long] wins.”

Riding shotgun every step of the way has been teammate Tyrrell Hatton, who’s also enjoyed his share of success on LIV Golf with two individual titles, most recently in the league’s last event in Andalucia.

Asked what it’s been like to watch Rahm’s consistency, Hatton said, “Over the last two years, no doubt me and Jon have gotten a lot closer. Just seeing how hard he works on a day-to-day basis, the level that he operates at week in, week out is unbelievable.

“He’s fully deserved to win what he’s done the last few years. Pretty sure he’s going to go and win it again this year. He’s a tough person to beat over a week, let alone a year.”

UK SCENARIOS

A few Individual Championship scenarios entering this week’s tournament at JCB Golf & Country Club:

• If Rahm wins the tournament and DeChambeau finishes solo 2nd, Rahm cannot clinch
• If Rahm wins and DeChambeau ties for 2nd with one other player, Rahm cannot clinch
• If Rahm wins and DeChambeau ties for 2nd with two other players, Rahm will clinch
• If Rahm wins and DeChambeau finishes solo 3rd or worse, Rahm will clinch
• If DeChambeau wins and Rahm finishes solo 2nd, Rahm cannot clinch and his lead will be reduced to 197.18 points entering LIV Golf Bedminster
• If Rahm finishes solo 2nd and DeChambeau finishes 57th (last), Rahm cannot clinch but his lead will increase to 396.18 points entering the final two regular-season tournaments
• If Niemann wins and Rahm finishes solo 13th or better, Niemann will be eliminated