Rex Hoggard reveals whether he thinks Jon Rahm is better than Xander Schauffele after he wins the LIV Championship

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Jon Rahm ended his debut LIV Golf season emphatically after claiming the Individual Championship in Chicago.

The Spaniard just had to match Joaquin Niemann’s score to land the lucrative prize. Rahm, however, continued his red-hot form and topped the leaderboard after three days of play at the testing Bolingbrook Golf Club.

Rahm’s season earnings are now near the $40 million mark, and the two-time major winner could yet add more with LIV’s Team Championship set to start on Friday.

Rahm is unquestionably one of the game’s elite players, alongside Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.

And Golf Channel pundit Rex Hoggard has now shared where the Spaniard ranks compared to the stellar PGA Tour duo.

Rex Hoggard drops Jon Rahm vs Xander Schauffele verdict

• READ MORE: Jon Rahm says what people have got completely wrong about LIV Golf after his Chicago win

Rahm is currently ranked third in Data Golf’s world rankings. The OWGR doesn’t take LIV events into account, meaning the 29-year-old has drifted out to number 15.

Hoggard, however, believes Scheffler and Schauffele are the only players operating at a higher level than Rahm.

“When you watch what he did this weekend, not only does he win the individual title, but he does it rather convincingly,” Hoggard told the Golf Channel Podcast.

“I think Data Golf is really the only place we can go now, and he is squarely third in the world. He is behind Scottie and Xander, and they are all right there close in the way they do their strokes gained for the rankings. I thought, yeah, that seems about right.”

Speaking on the performance of those competing on LIV, Hoggard added: “As much as we, and I mean the royal we, for the last year have tried to put our head in the sand and pretend like we have no way of knowing how they are performing on LIV Golf and have no way of comparing. I think that ship has sailed.

“It was a really good leaderboard. Joaquin Niemann has been a solid player all year long, Brooks Koepka has been right in the mix, and Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t too far back, so you have to give hats off to Jon for winning that title.”

Jon Rahm enjoys debut LIV Golf season to remember

Rahm’s move to the breakaway venture drew much criticism after the Spaniard previously nailed his colours to the mast as a PGA Tour loyalist.

However, after two wins and 12 top-ten finishes, Rahm’s decision to jump ship feels vindicated.

For Greg Norman, Rahm’s performance during the 2024 season is exactly what LIV needed. The league needed a genuine superstar to dominate, and that’s precisely what has played out.

Now, as talks between the PIF and PGA Tour rumble on, Rahm will be desperate for an agreement that will allow LIV players to earn OWGR points and appropriately reward his breakaway tour efforts.