The bottom line story at the LIV Individual Championship is the battle between Spain’s Jon Rahm and Colombia’s Joaquin Niemann. They’re the only players mathematically eligible to win the $18 million bonus, to be awarded to the season-long champion after Sunday’s final round at Bolingbrook Golf Club.
Neither did anything special in Friday’s first round. Rahm and Niemann, played together. Niemann started the day three standings points behind Rahm and shot a 2-under-par 68, one better than his rival. That enabled Niemann to regain the point lead he held for most of the season until Rahm had a win and runner-up finish in the two tournaments immediately preceding the visit to Bolingbrook.
Brooks Koepka was the star of Friday’s show, shooting a course record 8-under-par 62, to climb into third place in the point race and in position to capture the last of the bonus money on the line. The second place finisher gets $8 million and the third $4 million.
That bonus money is very much up for grabs. Neimann has 204.95 points to Rahm’s 199.17. Koepka, who won the final individual tournament last year to get third-place bonus money, can’t catch either Rahm or Niemann. It remains a two-man show but $20 million for individual competition at Bolingbrook and $5 million for team play is still available for the rest of the 54-man field.
“This was a goal, to have a chance to win – and hopefully win,’’ said Rahm, whose wife is expecting their third child imminently. “I consider myself a seasoned veteran. I’ve got to go and play golf and, if at some point it’s time to go, then I’m gone. I can’t be thinking about that.’’
Rahm and Niemann won’t play together in today’s second round.
“It’s always nice to play with Jon,’’ said Niemann.“I’m going to miss him. Maybe on Sunday we might get together again.’’
Niemann won two of the first three tournaments of this season and was the point leader until Rahm got hot the last month.
“The first half of the season I played amazing,’’ said Niemann. “The last part hasn’t been the best, but I feel it’s getting there.’’
All three players at the top of the individual leaderboard are team captains. Koepka’s Smash is tied for second, Niemann’s Torque is tied for seventh and Rahm’s Legion XIII is down in 12th place. Team play at Bolingbrook will affect the seedings for the season-ending LIV Team Championship Sept. 20-22 in Dallas.
Koepka’s 62 on Friday opened a four-stroke lead on Paul Casey in the tournament standings. Casey is a member of the team-leading Crushers, captained by Bryson DeChambeau, the individual winner in Chicago last year. The Crushers are trying to repeat as both Chicago and the LIV Team champions.
“A good player gets hot and they can shoot 62 pretty easy,’’ said Koepka. “There’s a bunch of guys out here who can do that. When it’s your day, it’s your day.’’
Koepka erased the Bolingbrook record set by Mac Meissner by one stroke. Meissner set in it the third round of a Forme Tour event, held at Bolingbrook in 2021. The course was set up as a par-72 when Meissner set the record. It’s a par-70 this week.
