The numbers say that Jon Rahm will win soon

Beyond the third-place finish achieved at the LIV Adelaide, the latest round of the ‘Lion of Barrika’ at the Australian leg of the 54-hole circuit invites optimism. The Spaniard fired a 64 (-8) and statistics indicate that he is the most consistent player alongside Joaquín Niemann throughout the LIV circuit, hence ‘Rahmbo’ is one of the favorites for victory in Singapore, where a new leg of the ‘rebel’ league kicks off this morning.

Jon Rahm, news

The Legion XIII captain ranks second in the league in stroke average, with 67.3 compared to Niemann’s 67.2; furthermore, he’s tied for first place in both par-4 and par-5 averages. In total, Jon has recorded 95 birdies, six more than the runners-up (Oosthuizen and Niemann). He also ranks second in greens in regulation, closely trailing Paul Casey.

In the overall LIV standings, he sits second with 90.42 points, behind Niemann’s 122.40. Although the Basque native hasn’t won any tournaments, he has finished in the top 8 in all six events played on the circuit so far. At the Mayakoba opener, he was truly in contention for victory, although it was in Adelaide where he finally delivered a strong final round. “There were parts of my game that felt like they hadn’t felt in a while,” the Basque commented yesterday.

These numbers indicate that the world’s fifth-ranked player is approaching the level that has characterized him in recent years, although he hasn’t tasted victory since the 2023 Masters. On the LIV Golf website, Rahm reflects on his performance: “I’d be lying if I said I’m not happy with how I’ve been playing. I’ve been in the top 10 every time I’ve played, so I can’t say it’s bad [his game]. Consistency is always good, but still, I’m really looking forward to getting it done [winning].”

Another point of debate, as it is becoming customary, is whether the 54-hole tournaments disadvantage higher-quality players. There isn’t much debate, really, and in this regard, the Barrika native notes: “Everyone tells you it’s a sprint and I think you can too quickly start thinking you need to make birdies right away. But I think you need to play golf like you always do because that’s what’s got you here. Still, I agree that having an extra round would have benefited me sometimes.”