Jon Rahm turns attention to $18m LIV Golf showdown as Ryder Cup future remains unclear

While Jon Rahm's future at the Ryder Cup remains uncertain, his attention this week is on his performance on the course as he vies for LIV Golf's individual title in Chicago.

After transitioning to the LIV setup at the end of 2023, Rahm has the opportunity to become the league's 2024 champion in his debut season. He currently tops the season-long standings with just one regular season event remaining. A face-off with Joaquin Niemann is on the horizon, with a hefty $18m bonus at stake.

This could certainly validate Rahm's decision to switch from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed league for 2024. However, his move to the LIV setup has not been without its challenges, particularly concerning the Ryder Cup.

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Although his move to the breakaway league hasn't rendered him ineligible for Team Europe in 2025, it has brought his future participation in the event into question. Despite maintaining his DP World Tour membership, Rahm's obligations to the breakaway league might force him to relinquish this.

To retain membership in the Wentworth-based circuit, players must participate in four DP World Tour events throughout the year. In Rahm's case, the Spaniard has only competed in one Tour-sanctioned event in 2024, playing the rest of his golf on the Saudi-backed circuit.

Jon Rahm, the golf titan and former king of the world rankings, faces a crucial finish to his year. He needs to hit the greens in three DP World Tour events to secure his membership and Ryder Cup qualification. Back at July's Open Championship, Rahm indicated he's been hashing things out with the Tour, pledging to tick off those tourneys by year-end.

Taking the helm at Legion XIII, Rahm marked the calendar for the Spanish Open in October, yet this hinged on the arrival of his baby with wife Kelley. Fast forward two months, and we're short on chatter about Rahm's tour agenda, something he'll have to shelve as he sets his sights on Chicago now.

The spotlight's firmly on him as he aims to wrap up an ace debut season with the cash-rich LIV Golf series. After clinching his first victory at JCB Golf and Country Club this summeredging out squadmate Tyrrell Hatton for the LIV UK gloryhe swiftly snagged a second-place finish right behind Brooks Koepka, leapfrogging Niemann, the early pace-setter, in the standings.

Fully tuned to the challenge posed by his Chilean counterpart, Rahm admits that it's a winner-takes-all scenario if he wishes to be crowned the 2024 champ. On facing down Niemann, Rahm declared succinctly, "I'm probably going to need to win," adding, "He's going to be up there. I'm going to need another good week."