LIV Golf Chicago Preview: Rahm vs. Niemann in Individual Championship Race
Andy Molitor
2 years ago
The LIV Golf League season is down to its final regular-season event, with the 2024 Individual Championship title fight between Jon Rahm (Legion XIII) and Joaquin Niemann (Torque GC) taking center stage at Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago.
Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know:
- Individual Championship: Rahm leads Niemann by a slim 2.97 points. Rahm needs a 1st or 2nd place finish to secure the title regardless of Niemann’s performance.
- Lock Zone: Players finishing 1st-24th will secure their spots in the league for 2025.
- Open Zone & Drop Zone: Players in the 25th-48th range become free agents, while those 49th and below are relegated from the league.
- Venue: Bolingbrook Golf Club (7,104 yards, par-70) features water hazards, an island green par-3 (156 yards), and a drivable par-5 (600 yards).
- Format: 54-hole shotgun starts with a $25 million purse ($20 million individual, $5 million team). The winner receives $4 million.
- Individual Champ Purse:Ā The winner of the season-long points race also gets $18 million, with 2nd and 3rd place getting $8 and $4 million, respectively.
- Schedule:
- Friday, Sept 13 – 12:15 PM EDT (Shotgun Start)
- Saturday, Sept 14 – 12:15 PM EDT (Shotgun Start)
- Sunday, Sept 15 – 12:05 PM EDT (Shotgun Start)
- How to Watch: US – CW App & LIV Golf+ App; UK – LIV Golf YouTube Channel
Bolingbrook Golf Club: A Premier Chicago Golf Destination
Bolingbrook Golf Club is a stunning championship course located in Bolingbrook, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Designed by renowned architects Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest, the course offers a challenging yet enjoyable golfing experience.
BOLINGBROOK GOLF CLUB
Bolingbrook, Illinois
Par: 70
Yardage: 7,076
Tees, fairways, and greens are Bent/Poa. The rough includes some Kentucky Bluegrass
Greens are expected to run around 11.5 on the stimp
The nines used by members will be flipped for this tournament (I am not sure why that is even a thing since it’s a shotgun start), but here we are. Hole #1 and #12 are normally par 5s but will be played as 4s this week to get this down to a par 70 for the pros.
With seven lakes, quite a few holes have some water danger, but the fairways appear to be pretty ample here. The remaining par 5s are longish, so the scoring will likely have to happen on the shorter/easier par 4s this week. There’s even a < 350-yard par 4 that should be driveable all week.
It’s a little tough to tell what will play well here, but it appears that bombing away off the tee should be fine as long as you don’t get too aggressive near the water. It’s short and forgiving for most of the round, and even with only two par 5s, I think scoring will reign.
Weather
Looking nearly identical for three days: highs in the low 80s, light winds, sunshine, and almost no chance of rain. Should be a gorgeous late summer weekend in “Chicago”.