Jon Rahm has suggested that the improvement of one LIV Golf star this season has been ‘incredible’, insisting that he has all of the tools to be a world-class player.
Jon Rahm has definitely had a very good first season on LIV Golf, despite only winning his first individual title at LIV Golf UK at the weekend. The Spaniard is yet to finish outside the top 10 when he has teed it up on the breakaway tour.
Some think Rahm has suffered in the majors because of his move to LIV, but there is no question that his win at JCB felt almost inevitable. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old is still not top of the individual standings for the season.
That honour actually goes to Joaquin Niemann, with the Chilean finishing in the top seven in nine of the 11 events this season – that includes wins at Mayakoba and Jeddah.
Jon Rahm lauds Joaquin Niemann after superb final round at LIV Golf UK
Niemann finished in a tie for second in England, shooting a six under par final round to fly up the leaderboard to within one shot of Rahm – no-one went lower on Sunday. And speaking in his press conference after winning both the individual and team titles, Rahm spoke about just how much he admires the 25-year-old.
“He had a fantastic Sunday and tied for second so I didn’t really catch up as much as I wanted. I think he has two wins. An incredible season so far,” he said.
“He’s a fantastic player. Clearly last year he didn’t have the year he could have had. It could have been better. But it’s important that he finished the year by winning overseas and then he continued the momentum into LIV Golf, winning early on a couple of times.
“And the weeks he is not winning he is pretty much always up there. He’s a great competitor. Great golfer. He is someone who has all the tools to keep putting himself in great position and keep giving himself chances.
“Hopefully I can keep doing my job and do it well and keep putting myself in a good position, hopefully get more wins, and maybe we have a nice little showdown on the last day in Chicago for the individual title.”
What Chilean now needs to do in 2025
The consistency from Niemann and Rahm this season has been outstanding, while Tyrrell Hatton is chasing the pair down after his three podium finishes on the spin.
LIV will definitely hope that there is a dramatic finish on the cards, but it is also important for the credibility of the league that players such as Niemann are able to impress in the major championships.
Niemann received a lot of credit for how hard he worked to get into The Masters, the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, and he managed to make the cut at all three events. But he was unable to finish in the top 20 at any – and that may play into the hands of those who are inclined to dismiss the level of quality on LIV.
There is no question that LIV boasts a handful of the world’s best players – regardless of what the world rankings say. But they really need someone to win their first major after jumping ship to LIV – Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau were already major champions before their moves – to silence any debate over how good some of the better players on LIV truly are.
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