Rahm wins LIV Chicago, $18M for points title

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — Jon Rahm ended his first year in the LIV Golf League by closing with a 4-under 66 to win the final individual event Sunday and the season points title with its $18 million bonus.

Rahm missed a pair of short birdie putts on the back nine that kept Joaquín Niemann and Sergio Garcia in the mix. But then he holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that gave him a three-shot lead going to the last at Bolingbrook Golf Course.

Rahm won for the second time in the Saudi-funded league, adding to his title in England last month. In between those wins, he lost in a playoff to Brooks Koepka.

Niemann, a two-time winner at the start of the season, was the only player who could have challenged Rahm for the season title. He opened with two early birdies but never could get ahead, closing within two shots after a birdie on the 15th and a big par save on the 16th.

Niemann shot 66, while Garcia shot 68. They tied for second.

“I wanted to do a good show and get it over the line. I’m really happy,” said Rahm, who said he was nervous on the practice range. “To go bogey-free on the weekend, it’s quite spectacular. I’m very proud of the putt on the 17th, which made 18 a lot easier.”

Crushers won the team title and will go to the team championship in the Dallas area next week that closes out the third season.

Rahm, who finished at 11-under 199, won $4 million from the tournament and $18 million for capturing the season race. He was the biggest name to join the Saudi-backed league last December and was in the top 10 at every LIV event he completed. Rahm had to withdraw from the Houston event with a toe infection, which also knocked him out of the U.S. Open.

Lucas Herbert shot 68 and tied for sixth, moving him into the top 24 that assures him a spot in the LIV Golf League next year. Kalle Samooja at one point played his way into the top 48, meaning he would avoid relegation. But he bogeyed two of the last three holes to fall into the drop zone and must go through a qualifying event to get back in.