Jon Rahm predicts where Joaquin Niemann is going to finish at LIV Chicago this week after poor first round

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Jon Rahm opened up with a round of three-under par 68 at LIV Golf Chicago, while Joaquin Niemann carded a 74.

Niemann has been totally dominant on LIV Golf this season, winning five times, while Rahm is still looking for his first victory of the year.

Historically, the Spaniard has a far better career record than the Chilean, with two major championship wins on his résumé.

Rahm recently suggested that halfway cuts could be added to LIV if they expand their teams next year.

Three rounds could turn into four as well, and that would help LIV gain world ranking points.

In fact, Rahm is pushing for LIV to switch to 72-hole tournaments, according to Hudson Swafford.

Right now though, Rahm just needs to focus on producing the goods in Chicago and getting the job done.

Jon Rahm responds to Joaquin Niemann question at LIV Chicago

The golf course was playing very difficult indeed at LIV Chicago on day one.

So Rahm would have been happy with his round of 68, especially considering the fact that he didn’t have his best stuff.

Rahm was asked by a reporter whether his mindset about winning has changed after Niemann’s opening round of 74 at Bolingbrook Golf Club.

The Spaniard said: “Well, we have two weeks, and I don’t think I need to worry too much about what Joaco is doing. I need to win regardless. I need a bit of that fortune of him not having his best. But he has had bad first rounds to start and has bounced back with two really good ones. I still would expect him to win that at least in the points. Let’s just hope I can be the one with the most amount of points this week.“

Rahm clearly didn’t appreciate the sentiment behind that question.

He knows full well that his best golf is more than good enough to beat Niemann on any given day, regardless of how the man from Chile is playing.

However, at the same time, it would be no surprise to see Niemann fire a couple of rounds in the mid-60s on Saturday and Sunday in Chicago to force his way back into contention.

Jon Rahm vs Joaquin Niemann: LIV results in 2025

Rahm and Niemann are widely considered to be two of the best three players on LIV Golf, alongside Bryson DeChambeau.

Here are their respective results from the 2025 LIV season so far:

Niemann’s season has clearly been better than Rahm’s due to his five victories.

However, when Niemann doesn’t win, he struggles to maintain any kind of consistency, and often finishes outside the top 10.

There is an argument to be made that Rahm has actually been the most consistent golfer on LIV this season.

However, that won’t mean anything to him, with zero wins so far this year to his name.