By Field Level Media
Joaquin Niemann and Jon Rahm will go head-to-head this weekend for the LIV Golf individual title at the regular-season finale, LIV Golf Indianapolis, and both said Wednesday they are ready for the next round of their respectful rivalry.
Niemann enters the 54-hole tournament with a lead of 12.27 points. Thanks to LIV's well-explained scoring system, Rahm knows exactly what he must do to overtake Niemann and defend his individual championship. Rahm took home a bonus of $18 million
last year with his season win.
Niemann (Torque GC captain) and Rahm (Legion XIII captain) are the only players still in the running for the individual championship.
Niemann will win the title with a finish of first or second at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Ind. If Rahm wins the tournament, he still needs Niemann to finish third or worse to earn the championship again.
"He's a fantastic competitor, fantastic golfer, great person as well," Rahm said. "It's a lot of fun to share the stage with him.
"He's obviously been playing great golf, and even though I was able to get the best of him last year, he certainly made the job hard this year."
LIV has a half-dozen other scenarios drawn out to determine who wins the individual crown depending on other finishing places.
Winning the Indianapolis event would remove the need for any calculations for Niemann, a 26-year-old from Chile who has won five times to set a LIV single-season record. He attributes his success, in part, to his frequent pairings with Rahm.
"It's been a lot of growing in my game. I feel like playing against Jon -- I've been playing with him for probably 60, 70 percent of my pairings this year (and) he's a great competitor," Niemann said. "He's always there. He never gives a shot away. It's fun to play with someone that pushes you to be better and to go back home and try to get better and come back here and try to beat him."
Rahm, 30, hasn't been in the individual winner's circle this season but the native of Spain finds himself in contention on the final weekend because of his consistency. He has three runner-ups and just one finish outside the Top 10 - a T11 in Dallas. He lost to Dean Burmester in a playoff last Sunday at LIV Golf Chicago.
"I feel like in a weird way, it should be more one-sided with what he was able to do, with how many wins he's had this year," Rahm said. "I guess consistency can pay off, but man, winning five times anywhere, anytime is incredible. My hat's off to him to what he's been able to do. Hopefully I can get the job done this week and pull off the upset.
Rahm said he likes being paired with Niemann.
"It's somebody that's a lot of fun to play with," he said. "I think both of us being Spanish speakers, it's just a little level of comfort that we have and just admire his game as well. It's just fun to watch him play golf."
According to LIV Golf, Niemann has a 58.7 percent chance of winning the title, leaving Rahm with a 41.3 percent chance.
Niemann isn't playing the odds. Just his game.
"You've just got to worry about what you can control. There's nothing else you can worry about," he said.
"I feel like the process you have through your shot, the routine that you have through the week, and at the end of the day, there is not much you can do. You can't force a result. You can't. We all know that.
"I feel like it's no more than that."
Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC captain) enters the weekend with a grip on third place -- he's 55-plus points behind Rahm -- but doesn't have a mathematical grip on the spot or the bonus money that comes with it.
He's become a fan of the Niemann-Rahm competition week in and week out.
"It's really impressive. The level of competition they bring to LIV is out of control. It makes it almost impossible for some guys," said DeChambeau, 31, who has two career LIV individual wins.
"So that's what we need. We need continued push by those guys at the top to showcase what the best in the world look like, and couldn't be more proud of those individuals for leading the way in that regard, and hopefully I can be at the top next year and give myself a chance.
"But what they're doing is great for LIV, it's great for golf, and honestly, I think whoever wins ... it's going to be an awesome feat and historical year for either one of those individuals."
