Overnight leader Jon Rahm of Legion XIII tees off on the first hole in the third round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec on Saturday. Image courtesy LIV Golf.
From a Correspondent
Mexico City: Jon Rahm will have a familiar face alongside him in Sunday’s final group at LIV Golf Mexico City — and a familiar position atop the leaderboard.
The Legion XIII captain carded his second consecutive 4 under 67 par on Saturday at Club de Golf Chapultepec to reach 14 under, giving him a two-shot lead entering the final round.
It will be the fifth time in his LIV Golf career that he’s started the final round with the lead.
Just behind is teammate Tyrrell Hatton, who fired a 5 under 66 to move into solo second at 12 under, setting up a compelling final-group pairing between two teammates who have already proven to be a formidable duo.
It’s the first time since joining LIV Golf prior to the 2024 season that Rahm and Hatton are in the final group in the final round.
“I don’t see the dynamic changing a lot, but I can imagine we’re going to be speaking a little bit less than we do normally just because of the situation we’re going to be in,” Rahm said.
“Down the stretch, no matter who we’re playing with, the conversations are very limited.”
Hatton knows the challenge that awaits as he tries to chase down Rahm, the league’s current points leader and reigning two-time individual champion.
Tough ask
“I’ll be trying to make as many birdies as I can to overtake Jon, but that’s going to be a difficult task,” he said.
“He’s proved many times how to win golf tournaments. He’s been incredibly consistent this season so far on LIV. It’s going to be a tough day, but hopefully I can play well and see what happens.”
Rahm and Hatton have gone 4-0-1 together in Ryder Cup play — and while this will be the first time they’ve been paired in the final round of a LIV Golf event, their history suggests a compelling showdown on Sunday.
Lurking just behind them is another Legion XIII member, Tom McKibbin, who is tied for third with Southern Guards GC’s Branden Grace at 11 under, just three shots off the lead and firmly within striking distance.
McKibbin acknowledged the unique dynamic of competing against his teammates while also contributing to the team effort.
“Tomorrow we’ll all be going out there just to shoot the best score possible, and we’ll see where that stands after four days,” McKibbin said.
“It’s sort of a weird position. We’re all playing against each other but then playing with each other … it’ll be an interesting day.”
A group of five players sit at 10 under – Smash GC’s Harold Varner III, Fireballs GC’s Josele Ballester and David Puig, HyFlyers GC’s Scott Vincent and RangeGoats GC’s Matthew Wolff.
Standout show
Puig delivered the standout performances of the week, firing a 9 under 62, just one shot shy of the course record. The Spaniard even had a historic number briefly on his mind late in the round.
“A little bit, yeah,” Puig said when asked if 59 crossed his mind. “I was actually 2-under teeing off on hole 16 on the course, and I played the next six holes 7-under, which is pretty unbelievable.”
Puig said the closing stretch at Club de Golf Chapultepec made it difficult to fully chase the number.
“Holes 4, 5 and 6, they’re pretty demanding, so I played the holes pretty good, but I didn’t really hit them that close,” he said.
“And 7 to finish, I knew that maybe an eagle was an option, so I definitely thought about the 59. But at the end of the day, I was still a little far behind.”
Rahm extended his consecutive rounds in the 60s to eight; of his 23 rounds played this season, he’s broken 70 a remarkable 21 times as he continues to showcase impressive consistency.
But the chasing pack will be dangerous on a course that offers up plenty of opportunities for birdies as well as risks of big numbers on the scorecard.
While the individual battle remains tight, Legion XIII continued to dominate the team competition.
Solid advantage
After building the largest team lead after any round in LIV Golf history through 36 holes (19 shots), Legion XIII will enter the final round with a 15-shot advantage over Fireballs GC.
Even more intriguing, with three players in the top three, Legion XIII have a chance to do something that hasn’t been done since LIV Golf’s inaugural tournament in London in 2022 – sweep the individual podium.
Southern Guards GC (then called Stinger GC) took all three individual podium spots that week.
Grace, who was part of that sweep along with London winner Charl Schwartzel and runner-up Hennie du Plessis, knows the task is much tougher now for one team to claim all three places.
“Things are a little bit different since back then, I must say,” said Grace said, whose Southern Guards start Sunday in solo third, 19 shots behind.
“The fields have gotten a lot stronger. The guys are phenomenal players. Not that it wasn’t back then, but I feel that now there is nothing that’s given to you. You have to really go out there, play good golf and give yourself a chance and push.
“They are four fantastic players, but around this place, anything can happen. Greens get crusty those last four or five holes and the wind gets swirling. Listen, I’m going to try for it not to happen; let’s put it that way.”
Legion XIII, of course, would love to not only capture their first win of the season but join the South Africans in the record book.
“There’s a lot of players within close distance that are probably going to come out firing tomorrow, so I’m hoping all three of us play really good, as well,” Rahm said.
“That would be a sight to see – to win individually, clean podium, team championship, everything. Would be something special.” (courtesy LIV Golf)
Leaderboards
Individual Top 10
1. (-14) – Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (65-67-67)
2. (-12) – Tyrrell Hatton, Legion XIII (69-66-66)
T3 (-11) – Branden Grace, Southern Guards GC (71-66-65); Tom McKibbin, Legion XIII (68-65-69)
T5 (-10) – Harold Varner III, Smash GC (67-66-70); Josele Ballester, Fireballs GC (71-67-65); Scott Vincent, HyFlyers GC (67-71-65); David Puig, Fireballs GC (69-72-62); Matthew Wolff, RangeGoats GC (68-65-70)
10. (-9) – Luis Masaveu, Fireballs GC (69-65-70)
Team Top 3
1. (-38) – Legion XIII (Rahm 65-67-67, Hatton 69-66-66, McKibbin 68-65-69, Surratt 73-70-69)
2. (-23) – Fireballs GC (Puig 69-72-62, Masaveu 69-65-70, Ballester 71-67-65, Garcia 75-74-71)
3. (-19) – Southern Guards GC (Grace 71-66-65, Burmester 69-72-65, Oosthuizen 73-68-68, Schwartzel 71-77-68)
Day 3 stats
Driving Distance: Luis Masaveu, 382.5-yard avg.
Longest Drive: Lucas Herbert, 417.8 yards (12th hole). Official measured drives taken only on holes 7 & 12.
Driving Accuracy: Ben Campbell, 78.57% (11 of 14)
Greens in Regulation: Martin Kaymer, Charles Howell III, 88.89% (16 of 18)
Scrambling: Ian Poulter (6 of 6), David Puig (4 of 4), Tyrrell Hatton (3 of 3), Charles Howell III (2 of 2), 100%
Fewest Putts: Branden Grace, 22
Bogey-free rounds: Tyrrell Hatton (66), Ian Poulter (67)
Also read: Legion XIII open record lead in Mexico as Rahm seizes control
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