Joaqun Niemann, in full swing, has won five of the 11 LIV Golf tournaments this year, and Jon Rahm remains at zero, but with only two events remaining, the Spaniard can still take the season's No. 1 ranking from the Chilean and thus retain his 2024 crown.
The points system of the multimillion-dollar Saudi Super League and Rahm's consistency, finishing in the top 10 on every course except one, explain why the Basque player can still overtake Niemann, champion in Adelaide, Singapore, Mexico, Virginia, and Great Britain, the last tournament he played.
Jon Rahm, statements
"This is how the points system works right now. I think they should probably give more points for winning, that would be great for me, but it could be the other way around next year: if I'm not going to win and I still have a chance to win with two tournaments left, I'm fine with that. It all depends. In the current situation, I'd obviously love to have more points for winning, but this is how the system is set up now," reflected Niemann, 26.
The Chilean admitted that being consistent is "the hardest thing in this game" and, since "Jon Rahm is the most consistent player in the world," he understands why the Spaniard remains so close to him in the standings: Niemann has 206.80 points, 37.64 more than Rahm (169.16). American Bryson DeChambeau, third with 136.24, is the other golfer still with a mathematical chance of reaching the throne, albeit a very remote one.
Each victory at LIV Golf awards 40 points, second place earns 30, and the points continue to decrease from there, with the last players to earn a point being those who finish between 21st and 24th. No points are awarded outside the top 24.
Rahm's assault on the No. 1 ranking will begin this Friday at LIV Golf in Chicago, at Bolingbrook GC, where the Basque golfer will defend his title from last year, hoping to get closer to and even surpass Niemann in the overall standings if he wins.
Someone told me that in the weeks he hasn't won, Joaqun hasn't been at his best or scoring many points, so with my consistency, I've had a chance to stay close, conceded Jon, whose team, Legion XIII, leads the standings (218.66 points) ahead of the Crushers GC, captained by DeChambeau (172.00).
Rahm raided the bank last year in Chicago, which closed out the Saudi Super League season. The Spanish golfer won the four million reserved for the tournament champion and was crowned No. 1, also taking home the $18 million bonus. Jon pocketed $22 million in one day, about 19 million at current exchange rates.
