LIV Golf Chicago Fantasy Preview
Seven months after the opening tournament in Mexico, the LIV Golf Individual Championship is down to two contenders: Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann and Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm:
Jon Rahm (Captain, Legion XIII) - 195.17 points
Joaquin Niemann (Captain, Torque GC) - 192.20 points
Niemann has led for most of the season thanks to his victories in two of the first three tournaments of the year (Mayakoba and Jeddah). In the nine tournaments since Jeddah, Niemann has finished in the top-10 in seven events, including four top-five finishes. However, he heads into LIV Golf Chicago second in the standings, with his spot at the top of the pylon occupied by Rahm.
Rahm is the only player in the league this season to finish in the top-10 in every LIV Golf tournament he has completed (he withdrew from Houston due to an infection in his left toe). An individual trophy had eluded the Spaniard for most of the season, but he was able to get over the hump with a victory in the United Kingdom, and he nearly went back-to-back at Greenbrier before losing on the first playoff hole to Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka. That surge over the last two tournaments has Rahm at the top of the season standings.
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Niemann and Rahm are locked into the top-two of the individual standings, but there is an additional bonus for whoever finishes the end of the regular season in third:
Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) - 143.49 points
Sergio Garcia (Captain, Fireballs GC) - 135.49 points
Louis Oosthuizen (Captain, Stinger GC) - 129.10 points
Cameron Smith (Captain, Ripper GC) - 127.66 points
Brooks Koepka (Captain, Smash GC) - 129.73 points
That spot is currently held by Legion XIII's Tyrrell Hatton, who had three consecutive top-three finishes (including a win in Nashville), and he was the only player in the league until Greenbrier to accrue points in every single tournament. Four of the next spots in the standings are occupied by team captains. Oosthuizen has finished T8 or better in the last three LIV Golf tournaments, while Smith has finished T2 three times, and both are seeking their first victory of the season. Garcia finally captured his first individual trophy on home soil in Andalucia, beating Crushers GC's Anirban Lahiri on the second playoff hole. Kopeka beat Rahm on the first playoff hole in Greenbrier, and he joins Niemann as the only players this season to win multiple individual trophies.
The top-24 players at the end of the regular season finish in the Lock Zone, which guarantees a spot on their current team in next year's league. The last spot is occupied by HyFlyers GC's Brendan Steele, whose victory in Adelaide earned him 40 of his 48.10 points on the season. Jason Kokrak and Sebastian Munoz climbed into the Lock Zone thanks to their respective finishes in Greenbrier, while Smash GC's Graeme McDowell and Majesticks GC's Sam Horsfield dropped out of the top-24 after not participating in the previous tournament.
Finally, LIV Golf Chicago is the last opportunity for those in the Drop Zone to avoid relegation from the league. The 4Aces duo of Harold Varner III and Pat Perez currently hold the final two spots in the Open Zone with 8.25 and 7.76 points, respectively. Iron Heads GC's Scott Vincent occupies the first spot in the Drop Zone with 5.90 points, and after finishing ninth in 2023, Brendan Grace sits in 50th this season with just 4.42 points. Those who finish in the Drop Zone would have to earn their way back into the league through the LIV Golf Promotions event.
The stakes are high at Bolingbrook Golf Club, the venue for the regular-season finale for the 2024 LIV Golf season. The par-70 course was designed by Arthur HIlls and is located 30 miles from downtown Chicago. The par-3 sixth is the signature hole of the course; an island green situated 156 yards from the tee where missing long is the only option. The par-4 15th is the most driveable hole at 342 yards, but it's a dogleg left with water on the inside that may dissuade long hitters from aiming at the green.
With the regular-season finale on the horizon, here are my LIV Golf Fantasy picks for Chicago.
Captains (3)
Louis Oosthuizen - Stinger GC
Oosthuizen was never really in contention for the individual trophy heading into the final round at LIV Golf Greenbrier. However, the South African put together a 10-under 60 score on Championship Sunday, which was the best round of the tournament and propelled him to a share of eighth. Oosthuizen has been the best scrambler in the league this season (74.48 percent) and also ranks second in putting average (1.53) and third in driving accuracy (67.44 percent).
Jon Rahm - Legion XIII
Rahm was agonizingly close to winning back-to-back LIV Golf tournaments, but his putt to save par on the first playoff hole against Koepka barely missed to the right. Still, it was a nice bounce back performance for Rahm after he stumbled on the back-nine of the final round of the Olympics. He leads the league in both GIR (74.84 percent) and birdies per round (5.24) and ranks in the top-10 in putting average, driving distance and scrambling.
Brooks Koepka - Smash GC
Koepka was the most consistent golfer in Greenbrier, scoring 6-under or better in all three rounds and going bogey-free in the first and final rounds. He joined Niemann as the only players this season to win multiple individual trophies, and Koepka now has five LIV Golf tournament victories under his belt, the most out of any player in the league. Koepka finished Greenbrier with the best GIR (87.04 percent) and he finished the tournament eighth in putting average (1.54).
Also consider: Joaquin Niemann, Torque GC (ranks second in birdies per round (4.89), and third in both GIR (73.46 percent) and driving distance (319.3 yards)), Cameron Smith, Ripper GC (he's finished in the top-10 in each of the last four LIV Golf tournaments, and while he ranks 48th this season in driving accuracy, he has finished 20th or better in that category in two of the last three LIV Golf tournaments).
Non-captains (5)
Richard Bland - Cleeks GC
Bland is enjoying a career renaissance at 51 years young. He was in the mix at Greenbrier and even held the lead briefly during Championship Sunday, but he wasn't ultimately able to keep up with Rahm and Koepka. Still, Bland's T4 finish at Greenbrier was his best outing of the season outside of his two senior major victories. He ranks third this season in GIR (73.46 percent) and 10th in driving accuracy (63.1 percent).
Talor Gooch - Smash GC
Gooch has finished T6-T11 over the last two LIV Golf tournaments after failing to crack the top-40 in the prior two events. He joined Rahm and Koepka in the featured group in the final round in Greenbrier, but he fizzled out on Championship Sunday with a one-under 69. Gooch, who won the 2023 Individual Championship, can finish as high as fifth with a win in Chicago. He ranks sixth, seventh and 11th this season in driving accuracy, scrambling and putting average, respectively.
Marc Leishman - Ripper GC
After withdrawing from LIV Golf UK due to appendicitis, Leishman bounced back nicely with a T4 in Greenbrier, his third top-five finish of the season. He has accrued points in six of the last eight LIV Golf tournaments. Leishman ranks fourth in scrambling (69.73 percent) and sixth in putts per hole (1.56) this year.
Tyrrell Hatton - Legion XIII
Hatton saw his streak of top-24 finishes at a LIV Golf tournament come to an end in Greenbrier after carding a one-under 69 in the final round. His putting at the Old White Course let him down, but the Englishman ranks third in that category this season (1.54 putts per hole), and he also ranks fifth and 10th in scrambling (68.78 percent) and GIR (70.83 percent), respectively.
Cameron Tringale - HyFlyers GC
Tringale finished LIV Golf Greenbrier strong with a 7-under 63 in the final round to finish tied with Gooch for 11th. Tringale is 26th in the individual season standings and is nearly 12 points behind teammate Brendan Steele for the final spot in the Lock Zone. Tringale ranks in the top-20 this season in GIR, putting average and driving accuracy.
Also consider: Paul Casey, Crushers GC (despite a T28 finish in Greenbrier, Casey has been one of the most accurate golfers in the league this season, and his putting game will dictate whether he finishes in the top-10 in Chicago), David Puig, Fireballs GC (finished Greenbrier with back-to-back five-under 65 rounds, sits one spot out of the Lock Zone at 25th in the season standings)
Teams (2)
Ripper GC (Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones)
The all-Australian foursome have finished second in back-to-back LIV Golf tournaments. While Smith has led the way for most of the season, contributions from Leishman and Herbert have raised Ripper GC to third in the team standings behind Crushers GC and Legion XIII.
Smash GC (Brooks Koepka, Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell)
Koepka was able to lift both the individual and team trophies at Greenbrier, marking the fourth LIV Golf tournament this season that the individual winner was also on the winning team. Kokrak had his best finish of the season in Greenbrier, and Smash will get a boost in Chicago with McDowell returning from a one-tournament absence.
Sleepers (4)
Anthony Kim - Wild Card
Kim has improved with every single tournament, and his 36th in Greenbrier ended on a high note with a 5-under 65 in the final round. Chicago will be his final tournament of the season as a Wild Card.
Jinichiro Kozuma - Iron Heads GC
Kozuma followed up a T20 finish at LIV Golf Greenbrier with a victory at the Japan Tour's Sansan KBC Augusta, beating Yuwa Kosaihira on the second playoff hole. Kozuma finished Greenbrier tied for the best putting average (1.46) and eighth in driving accuracy (71.43 percent).
Lucas Herbert - Ripper GC
Herbert's T6 finish in Greenbrier tied his best outing of the LIV Golf season. He ranks towards the bottom this season in driving accuracy and GIR, but at Greenbrier he ranked 16th in 10th, respectively, in both of those categories.
Branden Grace - Stinger GC
Grace finished T20 in Greenbrier, which was his first top-20 finish since Jeddah (T15). His 2024 season has been night and day compared to 2023, but he has one more tournament to avoid relegation from the LIV Golf league.
Prediction
Rahm has been the most consistent golfer this season, and it was that prolonged effort that led to him finally overtaking Niemann for the top of the individual season standings. I think that remains the same when Chicago is over, and while Rahm will come away with the season championship, it'll be Talor Gooch who puts it together and captures his first individual trophy of the season (and the fourth of his career). The top-24 in the Lock Zone will remain the same, but Brendan Grace will build off his performance in Greenbrier to sneak into the Open Zone with a top-15 finish in Chicago. Finally, Ripper GC will solidify their spot in the top-three of the team standings with a victory at Bolingbrook and earn a first-round bye at the Team Championship in Dallas.
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