Jon Rahm is the only player who can deny Joaquin Niemann the individual title on LIV Golf this year, with the Spaniard less than 13 points behind the league leaders heading into the final event of the regular season.
Jon Rahm won two of the final three events to snatch the individual title from Joaquin Niemann‘s grasp last year in his debut season on LIV Golf.
Rahm is yet to open his account in 2025. Nevertheless, he still has an opportunity to pip Niemann to the title. The 30-year-old would leap ahead of the Chilean if he finishes first and Niemann fails to finish second in Indianapolis this week.
It has been a remarkable season for Rahm. Some think Rahm should not have a chance to win the title given that Niemann has managed to win five times in 12 events. But the two-time major champion’s consistency has been hugely impressive.
Jon Rahm shares what he wants Joaquin Niemann to keep doing on LIV Golf
Niemann has either won or finished outside the top 10 this year. So the race for the individual title really could go either way.
Nevertheless, when speaking about his battles with Niemann since joining LIV, Rahm explained how he is enjoying seeing the Torque captain’s development and would be happy to see him continue to put himself atop the podium.
“He’s a fantastic competitor, fantastic golfer, great person as well. It’s a lot of fun to share the stage with him,” he said.
“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.
“I guess I never thought about it this year, and 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. 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.
“But I would like him to continue doing what he’s doing and hopefully I can elevate my game to be able to compete with him more often and maybe steal a few of those wins that keep that going.
“Not that I would ever think it’s a rivalry or anything like that, but he’s certainly put himself there. Seven wins in two years is spectacular. It’s somebody that’s a lot of fun to play with. 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.”
Joaquin Niemann has become a superstar on LIV Golf
Niemann has definitely been LIV Golf’s biggest success story. While he has been unable to take that form into the majors, he has been formidable on LIV.
As Rahm notes, he has won seven times since the beginning of last season. And five of those victories have been by at least three shots – in events which only last three rounds.
| Event | Joaquin Niemann’s score | Winning margin |
| LIV Golf Mayakoba (2024) | -12 | Playoff |
| LIV Golf Jeddah (2024) | -17 | 4 shots |
| LIV Golf Adelaide (2025) | -13 | 3 shots |
| LIV Golf Singapore (2025) | -17 | 5 shots |
| LIV Golf Mexico City (2025) | -16 | 3 shots |
| LIV Golf Virginia (2025) | -15 | 1 shot |
| LIV Golf UK(2025) | -17 | 3 shots |
Niemann does potentially have issues on the tougher golf courses LIV play on. However, it is a monumental achievement to have won nearly half of the events this season.
And getting across the line this week and winning the individual title should give him enormous confidence heading into the 2026 major championship season when he will find himself under the microscope once again.
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