An early glance at LIV Golf Chicago, the 13th tournament in the 2024 LIV Golf League.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
When: September 13-15, 2024
Where: Bolingbrook Golf Club, Bolingbrook, Illinois
Competition: Three rounds/54 holes of stroke play
Field: 54 players – 13 teams of four players each, and two Wild Cards
Purse: $25 million US ($20 million individual, $5 million team)
Winner’s Share: $4 million USD (individual), $3 million USD (team)
Local Tee Times: Shotgun Start for Rds. 1-2 at 12:15 p.m. CDT; Rd. 3 at 12:05 p.m. CDT.
KEY STORYLINES
LIV Golf returns to Chicago for the third consecutive season but the first time at Bolingbrook
LIV Golf Chicago marks the final tournament of the 2024 regular season, followed by next week’s Dallas Team Championship
Season-long races and player status for 2025 will be determined, including the season-long Individual Championship, which will be decided for the first time in the United States
Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm and Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann will compete for the Individual Championship, while the next five players in points will vie for the final podium position
Chicago is the last tournament for players to move into the top 24 Lock Zone, which guarantees a spot in the 2025 LIV Golf League; other players at the bottom of the points standings will seek to play their way out of the relegation Drop Zone
The seeding order for the Dallas Team Championship will also be determined in Chicago, with the top three seeds in points earning first-round byes
Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka comes off his league-best fifth career individual tournament title at LIV Golf Greenbrier, defeating Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm in a playoff, and his Smash team come off their second team victory of the season
Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith (2022) and Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau (2023) previously won individual titles at LIV Golf Chicago held at Rich Harvest Farms
4Aces GC (2022) and Crushers GC (2023) are previous team tournament winners in Chicago
RAHM VS. NIEMANN
Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm and Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann are the only players mathematically eligible to win the 2024 Individual Championship, with Rahm currently leading Niemann by 195.17 points to 192.20 points, a difference of 2.97 points.
The close race promises a thrilling finish at LIV Golf Chicago.
In his first season with LIV Golf, Rahm has one win while finishing inside the top 10 in each of his 11 completed events. Niemann, in his third LIV Golf season, won two of this season’s first three tournaments and opened the season with a round of 59.
Niemann had been the points leader since his win in Jeddah until Rahm passed him after Greenbrier.
“He’s been playing great lately, so he’s probably going to keep doing the same,” Niemann said of Rahm. “I’ve got to try to bring my ‘A’ game.”
Said Rahm: “I’m probably going to need to win. He’s going to be up there. I’m going to need another good week.”
Jon Rahm leads Joaquin Niemann by 2.97 points, which means Rahm will win the Individual Championship as long as he finishes ahead or tied with Niemann in Chicago.
ABOUT THE COURSE
BOLINGBROOK GOLF CLUB
Bolingbrook, Illinois
Par: 70
Yardage: 7,076
Designed by Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest, the course opened in 2002 and is ranked by GolfPass as the No. 1 public course in Illinois (2024)
The ample space and terrain make Bolingbrook a great spectator course
Elevated tees, rolling fairways and seven lakes are scattered throughout the layout
The members’ nines have been flipped for LIV Golf Chicago, and two of the par 5s (Nos. 1 and 12) will be played as par 4s
The signature hole is the par-3, 165-yard island green 6th, with rough behind the green for shots that may be slightly long
The par-5 14th is the longest hole on the course at 600 yards, which usually plays with a prevailing wind
The par-4 15th is expected to be drivable at 342 yards
Tees, fairways and greens are Bent/Poa, with Kentucky Bluegrass in the first cut and rough
Projected green speed is 11.5
Main Image: LIV Golf
