Golf

2024 LIV Golf Chicago: The Impetus Behind Jon Rahm’s Double Joy

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Sep 20, 2024 / 7056 Views

Evan Walker

Spaniard pro golfer Jon Rahm has emerged victorious at 2024 LIV Golf Chicago. Here’s a rundown of everything that happened.

There were quite a few things up Jon Rahm’s alley as he attempted to become LIV Golf’s 2024 individual champion in Chicago. With a player of Joaquin Niemann’s ability in chase, the task wasn’t easy, but after pulling it off at the Bolingbrook Golf Club the Sunday gone by, Rahm revealed it was a heady mix that facilitated his passage to the top spot.

There was the pressure (of sealing the deal), which Rahm deemed a privilege, but he also fed off two iconic names he grew up idolising in Spain: Sergio Garcia and Rafael Nadal.

Garcia’s exploits are well documented in the annals of world golf, and teeing off with the great and one more in Brooks Koepka in the final round was fodder enough for Rahm to push harder.

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There was unfinished business with his two rivals, leading to Rahm’s belief that Sunday’s finale was unique. “There was a lot feeding into making this day very special,” he said on breaking away from Garcia and Niemann with a three-shot win at 11-under (69, 64, 66).

In what was a homecoming of sorts at the venerated Real Club Valderrama in July, Garcia had finished several notches above Rahm as the winner in Andalucia, and that remained a sore point till the champion got a measure of his senior in Chicago. Then, there was a score to settle with Koepka. The two men were last paired in Greenbrier a month ago, and Rahm lost to the American in the playoff.

“It was definitely a pairing that motivated me a lot to hopefully give my best, and I’m glad I did,” said Rahm on the clash of the three team captains.

There couldn’t have been a better affirmation than an idol acknowledging Rahm’s craft. “Expected. I mean, he’s that good. You knew as soon as he felt a little bit comfortable, he was capable of doing things like that. It didn’t surprise me,” said Fireballs GC captain Garcia, who finished third in the individual championship.

Having accomplished his task, Rahm shifted focus to the advice he received from Nadal at the start of last week. As a two-time Major winner and a proven performer across global Tours, Rahm has won several great honours in world golf. But, as per Nadal’s words, there are greater acknowledgements to come in and outside golf.

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The advice from the former Tennis World No 1 was to celebrate every victory. Rahm raised the purview, checking boxes beyond lifting the huge trophy amid the spray of champagne and flaunting the diamond-coated gold ring on the podium.

Among Rahm’s cherished moments over the weekend: the prospect of returning in anticipation as he and his wife prepare to welcome their third child. The Spaniard is also looking forward to spending quality time with family and friends. After all, life on tour isn’t easy. Those watching from the sidelines may not understand, but Rahm is hugely appreciative of the simple joys of family life, such as driving his children to school.

Captaincy proves no burden for Rahm

Barring the blip in Houston, when he had to withdraw after the first round with a foot injury, Rahm never finished outside the top 10 in his maiden season on LIV. Yet, he was not winning.

By July, the whispers had grown louder, such that when he teed off in United Kingdom, the pressure of leading Legion XIII was preventing him from giving his best as a player.

Rahm silenced the naysayers with a run that saw him zoom up the individual rankings. The win in UK and runner-up finish in Greenbrier made it a two-man race between him and Niemann in Chicago, the deciding week for crowning the individual champion.

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With a 1-2-1 finish in his last starts, Rahm has his answer ready on coping with the pressures of captaincy.

“Early on, I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to go, but I started playing good golf and getting used to what the requirements may be. Then, the second half of the season, things took a nice turn for the better… I found myself in a spot where I quite enjoyed being captain and have somebody asking me for advice and kind of leading them in a direction that I think might be best for them. When you’re giving advice in any situation, you’re almost reinforcing a lesson within yourself,” said Rahm.

With four wins this season, Legion XIII are in a spot to challenge table toppers Crushers GC in the Team Championship this weekend, and Rahm is confident that his team, trailing the Crushers by 8.5 points, will do what’s needed at Dallas’ Maridoe Golf Club to make it a double joy.

“It’s always a little easier to be captain and play good when the team is playing as good as we have this year. Hopefully, we can keep this going and get it done,” said Rahm, exuding confidence.

Nod to ‘golf but louder’

When Rahm moved to LIV on a bumper deal last December, he was uncertain about what to expect from a format different to what he was accustomed to on the PGA Tour.

After a season of being a part of the Tour where it’s ‘golf but louder’, Rahm has an opinion.

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“This league has got quite a bit of a bad rap without people having experienced it. They’ve been too quick to judge. I think the vast majority of them would absolutely love spending a day out here… It’s part of the atmosphere like in many other sports, and as a player and as a family man, it’s been a fantastic experience for myself and my family the times that they’ve been able to come. Can’t wait to get this season finished and start thinking about next year and seeing some different destinations,” said Rahm.

Winner in his right

Starting with the two wins early on, Joaquin Niemann punched right through the season. Despite the disappointment of missing the top spot, there was a realisation that he had lost to a better player.

“I played amazing golf, but to beat someone like Jon Rahm, you’ve got to do things better. It’s a good way to push myself. I want to be in that position, I want to keep improving. It’s a good way to show myself that I can be there, and just a few shots behind, which is pretty close.”

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Looking back at the season that gave him a lot in terms of learnings, Niemann feels he is a winner. “I don’t feel any disappointment. I feel like I gave it everything that I had. It didn’t feel like I gave a shot away the whole season. Yeah, that, for me, is a win.”

As captain, Niemann has a chance to set the record straight this week. His team Torque GC haven’t posted a win this season, and there can’t be a stage bigger than the Tour Championship for the fifth-placed side to pull off a grand win.

“Pretty [excited] about having that kind of revenge next week for the team. I think we can [make] something happen. We didn’t win the whole year, but we can probably do it now,” he said.

Eyeing one more trophy

Crushers GC are in line to defend the team title. Captain Bryson DeChambeau is confident that after the win in Chicago, their third of the season, the quartet of Anirban Lahiri, Charles Howell III, Paul Casey and himself will rise to the occasion once more.

DeChambeau will be teeing off on home turf in Dallas and is aware of what to expect.

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“I’m looking forward to the challenge of the Golf course. I think it suits our Games really well, and it’s now in a place where I think all of our Games are good. I know the team is right there as well, so winning without our best stuff [in Chicago] just shows we’ve got a lot more to go.”

DeChambeau gave nothing away on the strategy for the finale, save, “get everyone prepared and ready and get them playing the best Golf they possibly can.”