INDIVIDUALS
GROUP 1
Joaquin Niemann – Captain, Torque GC
It’s been a feast or famine season for the Torque GC captain. While he’s won five LIV Golf tournaments, Joaquin Niemann has earned just 6.80 points across the other six tournaments with just one top-15 finish. Even so, the dominance of his wins makes it difficult for anyone to surpass Niemann, especially when he has or is close to the clubhouse lead entering Championship Sunday. He leads the league in birdies made, second in GIR and driving distance and top-20 in driving accuracy, scrambling opportunities and putts per hole this season.
Jon Rahm – Captain, Legion XIII
Jon Rahm will have a second opportunity to defend a tournament this season, and his performance this weekend will be a major factor in his attempt to win the Individual Championship in each of his first two seasons of the year. While the chances are slim, there is a path for him to take the top spot of the standings from Niemann with a big performance at Bolingbrook. Rahm enters Chicago as the league leader in GIR and ranks second, fourth and seventh in birdies made, scrambling opportunities and driving distance, respectively.
Honorable mentions: Talor Gooch (Smash GC – first appearance in Group 1 this season on the heels of a victory in Andalucia and solo fourth in the United Kingdom), Sergio Garcia (Captain, Fireballs GC – has gone T10-T21 over the last two LIV Golf tournaments, finished T2 in Chicago in 2024 to secure his spot at third in the individual standings).
GROUP 2
Paul Casey – Crushers GC
Paul Casey was in the mix at LIV Golf UK after going 7-under through the first two rounds before fading to a T11 finish after scoring an even-par 71 on Championship Sunday. Still, the Englishman is rounding into form late in the season, and he has the stats to put him in contention for a strong performance in Chicago (T3 in driving accuracy and fifth in GIR).
Tom McKibbin – Legion XIII
Tom McKibbin went through a rough patch with finishes of T34 or worse in three straight LIV tournaments, but the Northern Irishman has turned things around to go T5-T4-T11 in the last three LIV Golf tournaments, which has raised him to 15th in the individual season standings. McKibbin ranks sixth in scrambling opportunities and driving distance, seventh in GIR and T20 in driving accuracy, and an improved performance on the putting green (T44 in putts per hole) would put him in contention for his first LIV Golf win.
Honorable mentions: Adrian Meronk (Cleeks GC – coming off a T7 finish, his best performance since winning in Riyadh in early February), Bubba Watson (Captain, RangeGoats GC – made the final round of LIV Golf UK more interesting with a memorable six-hole stretch that propelled him to a solo second finish)
GROUP 3
Martin Kaymer – Captain, Cleeks Golf Club
Martin Kaymer struggled on the LIV Golf tour for two and a half seasons, but the two-time major winner has turned things around as of late. He’s coming off a T11 finish at LIV Golf UK and has accrued points in three of the last four LIV tournaments to lift him to 35th in the individual standings. Though he ranks middle-of-the-pack in GIR, he finished T16 in that category at JCB Golf and Country Club two weeks ago.
Caleb Surratt – Legion XIII
The 21-year-old Caleb Surratt has earned points in just four LIV Golf tournaments this year. However, his potential for how good he can become was on full display at LIV Golf UK, when he used a 6-under final round to surge to solo third, his first LIV podium finish. Surratt ended the tournament T3 in GIR and T6 in driving accuracy, and he will enter Chicago as the best putter in the league while also ranking in the top-10 in birdies made and driving distance.
Honorable mentions: Lucas Herbert (Ripper GC – his recent string of performances had him drop to Group 3 for the first time this season, but he is one of the best scramblers and putters in the league and finished T6 in Chicago last year), Harold Varner III (4Aces GC – finished outside the top-24 at LIV Golf UK for just the second time this season but ranks third in GIR and T12 in driving accuracy).
GROUP 4
Henrik Stenson – Co-Captain, Majesticks GC
Henrik Stenson has earned points in just two of 11 LIV Golf tournaments this season. However, he enters this as the league leader in driving accuracy and is 11th in GIR. What’s more, Stenson has had plenty of success at Bolingbrook, where he has finished sixth in back-to-back years.
Josele Ballester – Fireballs GC
Following his T23 performance in front of a home crowd in Andalucia, Josele Ballester followed that up by finishing T7 in the UK, the first top-10 finish of his young LIV Golf career. His performance at JCB earned him 12 points and has him comfortably above the Drop Zone.
Honorable mentions: Ian Poulter (co-captain, Majesticks GC – time is running out for the Englishman to escape out of the Drop Zone, but he did finish solo fifth in Chicago last year, which should be enough to avoid relegation), Andy Ogletree (HyFlyers GC – coming off a T18 finish at LIV Golf UK to rise up to 48th in the individual standings, the last spot in the Open Zone).
