Much like their counterparts on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf has hit its equivalent of the playoffs with three straight weeks of play starting in Chicago before going to Indianapolis and then Michigan for the team championship.
The next two weeks will determine the individual champion, as the player standings are locked after the 13th event, shifting full focus to the teams for the final week of the year.
With his fifth win of the season at LIV Golf UK, Joaquin Niemann (206.8) moved back ahead of Jon Rahm (169.16) in the individual standings, with Bryson DeChambeau (136.24) back in third. He’s now won nearly half of the events on the LIV schedule (five out of 11) and Rahm will need some spectacular finishes in the next two events to prevent Niemann from taking home the season-long individual title.
The good news for Rahm is he won in Chicago last year — edging out Niemann in the process — so if he is going to make a final push to challenge NIemann for the individual title, he’s headed to a comfortable spot.
On the team side, Rahm’s Legion XIII added to its cushion over DeChambeau’s Crushers after winning the team competition in the UK. They now have a 46.66-point advantage over the Crushers heading into the stretch run. The battle is much tighter for second between the Crushers (172) and Fireballs (155), while the teams from four to six — 4Aces, Ripper and Torque — are all separated by less than nine points.
The teams at the top of the standings will get to choose their opponents for the match play portion of the team championships in Michigan in three weeks. So for those teams battling for top-six position, the value of being the higher seed is getting first pick of the weaker teams at the bottom.
Here’s how you can watch the first of three straight weeks of LIV Golf action as the individual championship race nears its close and teams jockey for position heading into the team championship.
Where to watch LIV Golf Chicago
Event: LIV Golf Chicago | August 8-10
Purse: $25 million
Location: Bolingbrook Golf Club — Bolingbrook, Illinois
Viewing information (All times Eastern)
- Friday: 12-2 p.m. on FS1, 2-5 p.m. on Fox
- Saturday: 1-3 p.m. on Fox, 3-6 p.m. on FS2
- Sunday: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on FS2, 12-3 p.m. on Fox
Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
Team standings for LIV Golf Chicago
| Position | Name | Captain(s) | Team members | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Legion XIII |
Jon Rahm |
Tom McKibbin, Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt |
218.66 |
|
2 |
Crushers |
Bryson DeChambeau |
Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey |
172 |
|
3 |
Fireballs |
Sergio Garcia |
Abraham Ancer, David Puig, Josele Ballester |
155 |
|
4 |
4Aces |
Dustin Johnson |
Thomas Pieters, Patrick Reed, Harold Varner III |
112.66 |
|
5 |
Ripper |
Cameron Smith |
Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones |
104.16 |
|
6 |
Torque |
Joaquin Niemann |
Carlos Ortiz, Sebastian Munoz, Mito Pereira |
104 |
|
7 |
Stinger |
Louis Oosthuizen |
Dean Burmester, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel |
70.16 |
|
8 |
Smash |
Brooks Koepka |
Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell |
59 |
|
9 |
RangeGoats |
Bubba Watson |
Peter Uihlein, Ben Campbell, Matthew Wolff |
42 |
|
10 |
HyFlyers |
Phil Mickelson |
Cameron Tringale, Brendan Steele, Andy Ogletree |
34.16 |
|
11 |
Cleeks |
Martin Kaymer |
Adrian Meronk, Richard Bland, Frederik Kjettrup |
10.5 |
|
12 |
Majesticks |
Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood |
Sam Horsfield |
5.16 |
|
13 |
Iron Heads |
Kevin Na |
Danny Lee, Yubin Jang, Jinichiro Kozuma |
1 |
|
Wild Card |
n/a |
Anthony Kim, Chieh-Po Lee |