JON RAHM SENT STRONG WARNING FROM FELLOW LIV GOLF STAR AHEAD OF $18 MILLION SHOWDOWN

Joaquin Niemann is putting in the reps to ensure he is ready to take on Jon Rahm for the $18 million bonus on offer to the season-long individual champion of LIV Golf.

With one regular season tournament left to play, Rahm is the man who leads the Order of Merit list in his debut season. The Spaniard's form on the Saudi-backed circuit has been impressive, having failed to finish outside of the top 10 in any LIV event, barring a withdrawal in Houston in June.

After a whole host of top-five finishes, Rahm finally broke his duck and got his hands on some silverware after pipping his Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton in a dramatic finish at LIV UK last month.

Since then, the former PGA Tour star finished as a runner-up at Greenbrier, leaving him at the top of the season-long individual list with just 54 holes to play. The man he has overtaken is Niemann, who had led the standings since the very start of the campaign until Rahm's recent burst.

The Chilean has been a revelation on the breakaway circuit this campaign, having won twice in Mexico and Saudi Arabia, which included a round of 59 in the former. And having slipped up at the top, he is keen to return and become the 2024 individual champion, with Flushing It on X reporting that Niemann's team has claimed the Torque GC captain is 'working harder than ever before'.

At the top, the pair are separated by just three points, with 40 handed out to a tournament winner. Looking ahead to the final regular event in Chicago, Niemann said: "Yeah, it'll be great. It'll be a great exhibition for the next round. I think it brings more interest and everything to play for the last tournament of the season. I'll be looking forward to it.

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Assessing the talents of his rival, Rahm, Niemann went on: "Yeah, he's been playing great lately, so obviously he's probably going to keep doing the same. I've got to try to bring my 'A' game and try to show some good golf, and hopefully, it'll be enough."

Rahm meanwhile is more than aware of the task that comes with taking on Niemann at Bolingbrook Golf Club, with the former world No. 1 admitting that he feels he will need to win the event as a whole to get his hands on the $18 million bonus and remain on top.

"I mean, listen, beating Joaquin, I'm probably going to need to win," Rahm commented at Greenbrier last month. "He's going to be up there. I'm going to need another good week, and hopefully get it done." LIV Chicago takes place next week, with the event kicking off on September 13.

2024-09-05T16:20:02Z dg43tfdfdgfd