The LIV Golf Chicago 2025: Top 5 Bets for $20M Penultimate Event Explored

The LIV Golf 2025 season is nearing its conclusion. One thing is evident: this has been the year of Joaquin Niemann. The Chilean has broken through the ranks and been the best performer on the Tour as he has dominated it while traveling the world. 11 events down and he already has 5 wins in his bag. He is in touching distance of the LIV 2025 Individual Championship. Only one man can still chase him down, and that is the 2024 champion, Jon Rahm. And they will go head-to-head in LIV Golf Chicago 2025.

Stakes are high for both individuals as they play at the Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago, Illinois, this week. But it’s not just them who will be eager to bag the largest paycheck from the $20 million pot. There are three others who will also be favorites to win the penultimate tournament of the season. So let’s discuss why these five golfers have the best odds in favor to win LIV Golf Chicago.

Joaquin Niemann

What hasn’t already been said about Joaquin Niemann? Yes, he has won 5 titles this year. Yes, he is the best LIV Golf player this season. But there is something he still has to prove. Can the 26-year-old deliver back-to-back wins? Niemann just came off an emphatic triumph at LIV Golf U.K. a few days ago. Despite a strong show from Bubba Watson in the last round, the veteran golfer couldn’t chase down the Torque GC captain’s big lead.

However, Niemann has yet to win consecutive tournaments in LIV Golf this year. In fact, in its 4-year run, only Talor Gooch has achieved that feat once in 2023, when he won consecutive events in Adelaide and Singapore. This is Joaquin Niemann’s chance to not only become the second golfer to do that, but also ward off any threat from Jon Rahm on the LIV 2025 Individual Championship. Considering that he finished as the runner-up in the event last year, there is no doubt that he can better that record in 2025.

Jon Rahm

The last time LIV Golf went to Chicago, it was Jon Rahm to came out on top. The Spanish giant was in outstanding form all through 2024 as he dominated the Tour in his rookie season. He was certainly the best golfer in Greg Norman’s portfolio and justified his $500 million price tag. While he may be winless this year, Rahm is still performing extremely consistently. He has finished outside the top-10 only once this year and is ranked second behind Niemann on the individual standings. Going back to Chicago will be a great opportunity for Jon Rahm to not only defend his LIV Golf title but also pick up vital points to close in on Niemann in the Individual standings.

Bryson DeChambeau

In 2023, it was Bryson DeChambeau who won LIV Golf Chicago after he warded off threats from Marc Leishman and fellow Crushers GC teammate Anirban Lahiri. Back then, the tournament was hosted on Rich Harvest Farms and was also the 12th event of the season. The win helps DeChambeau push into the top-3 of the individual rankings as he was aiming to win a big paycheck at the end of the season. Unfortunately, bitter rival Brooks Koepka stole that spot after he captured the LIV Golf Jeddah 2023 a week later and finished third for the season.

With two events to go, DeChambeau finds himself in a similar position once again. While he may find it difficult to chase down Niemann, he will be aware of the threat from Talor Gooch at 4th place. If Talor gets two great finishes while Bryson finishes outside the top 25, then we can see the latter miss a big paycheck once again this year. However, considering the form he has been in this year, we can assume Bryson DeChambeau might push for second place rather than worry about finishing fourth.

Cameron Smith

The first time LIV Golf went to Chicago, it was Cameron Smith who reigned supreme over his rivals. He beat Peter Uihlein, Dustin Johnson, & Co. by 3 strokes to win at Rich Harvest Farms. This was Smith’s first-ever win in LIV Golf in his second-ever appearance in it. However, since then, the Australian golfer hasn’t been as consistent. That was before 2025. This year, the Ripper GC captain has had quite a few top-10 performances. He has come off a T7 and a T10 in Andalucia and the U.K., respectively. Going into Chicago, Cameron Smith would certainly hope he could improve his 16th place on the individual leaderboard with his first win of the season.

Tyrrell Hatton

Tyrrell Hatton’s only goal this season is Ryder Cup qualification. While he may have made it through points alone, the two FedEx Cup events could still push him out of the rankings. Both Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka are very close to him on the Team Europe points table, and he could easily be pushed to 6th by the end of the 2025 BMW Championship. If Justin Rose, Ludvig Aberg, or Viktor Hovland gets a good result, then he will lose his automatic qualification spot to either of them.

That means the Englishman will need to focus on plan B. That is to impress Luke Donald for a Captain’s Pick. Hatton has had a roller-coaster of a season so far in LIV Golf. He will need a strong finish in Chicago to show that he can outperform the best. It would be even better if Tyrrell Hatton ends up winning his second LIV Golf title after finishing 4th at the Bolingbrook Golf Club last year.