LIV Golf 2026 season player preview: Jon Rahm

The 2026 LIV Golf season starts next February under the lights in Riyadh, and in the next few months, we’ll take a detailed look at each player competing next season. First up is the reigning two-time LIV Golf Individual Champion Jon Rahm, captain of the 2025 Team Champions Legion XIII.

LOOKING AHEAD

Consistency is admirable, but in 2026, there’s no doubt Rahm wants to get in the individual win column early and often. After a winless individual tournament season, it stands to reason that the 30-year-old will be hungry to hoist individual trophies to match the dominance of his Legion XIII team.

Rahm will once again serve as the leader of Legion XIII alongside his running mate, Tyrrell Hatton. With young players Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt back in the fold, the team will rely on the Spaniard’s leadership.

The back-to-back LIV Golf champion will be looking for a three-peat and should have a legitimate chance to do so.

LOOKING BACK

Rahm won the 2025 individual championship, his second consecutive season-long title. Although he clearly played well enough to earn the top spot, it was the first season of Rahm’s professional golf career where he didn’t win an individual event. The Legion XIII came close on many occasions, finishing runner-up four times as part of his 12 LIV Golf top-10 finishes. A player of his stature is often measured by major championship success. While he performed strongly during the 2025 major season, he didn’t secure a top-5 finish in any of the four events.

The Spaniard’s Legion XIII team had a dominant season, winning four team titles with four other top-3 podium results while finishing every regular-season event inside the points (top 8).

2025 was a success for Rahm individually, but there’s room for improvement.

WHAT THE STATS SAY

Strengths: Rahm was excellent off the tee, which has been a theme for the better part of his stellar career. He ranked second in the league in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and gained strokes in the category in every individual event of the season.

Rahm ranked 4th in the league in Strokes Gained: Approach but was better with his short irons (6th) than his long irons (14th). By most players’ standards, that would be considered a great iron season, but for a player like Rahm, it’s likely that he can and will improve that aspect of his game.

The Legion XIII captain once again displayed phenomenal touch and creativity. He ranked 4th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.

Weaknesses: There were very few statistical weaknesses for Rahm in 2025, but his ranking of 12th in the league in Strokes Gained: Putting could be improved. He gained strokes in the category in nine of 13 individual events but missed some key putts down the stretch when he had the opportunity to win. It began early in the season when he had a 5-foot birdie putt at LIV Golf Riyadh to cut Adrian Meronk’s lead to one shot with one hole to play but missed. At LIV Golf Chicago, he narrowly missed a 12-foot birdie putt in the three-man playoff that would have put pressure on Dean Burmester’s birdie putt and at the very least, would have extended the tournament to another playoff hole. Putting results are highly variable, and sometimes players need a bit of luck for things to go their way. Rahm seems due for some positive regression in the clutch putting department.

CAREER RESULTS

LIV GOLF REGULAR SEASON

TOTAL TROPHIES WON (13)

LIV GOLF CAREER SCORING

Stroke Average Total: 67.74
Round 1 Average: 68.08
Round 2 Average: 67.24
Round 3 Average: 67.88

Lowest Round: 62

BOTTOM LINE

At his best, Rahm has the capability of being the best player in the world. Look for him to build off his 2025 consistency and put forth a dominant LIV Golf campaign as well as contend in one or more major championships.