Folks, the excitement is building at LIV Golf Mexico City! Jon Rahm has seized the lead and enters the final round with a two-shot advantage. But the competition isn't sleeping, especially his Legion XIII teammates Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin, who are hot on his heels and aiming to challenge him for his second individual victory of the season.
Rahm, who triumphed last month in Hong Kong to claim his third individual title, played a really strong 4-under 67, bringing his total to 14-under par. Just one shot back lurks Tyrrell Hatton, who carded a flawless 66. Tom McKibbin shares third place with Branden Grace of the Southern Guards GC, both at 11-under par. Five other golfers, including young guns Josele Ballester and David Puig from the Fireballs GC, share fifth place at 10-under par.
Podium Sweep in Sight?
For the Legion XIII trio of Rahm, Hatton, and McKibbin, not only is the individual title at stake, but also a historic opportunity: they could become the first team since the inaugural LIV Golf event in London in 2022 to sweep all three individual podium spots. That would be a real statement! Rahm and Hatton will be playing in the same final-round pairing at a LIV Golf tournament for the first time. Branden Grace, incidentally, was part of the previous podium sweep in London in 2022 with the South African Stinger GC team, now known as the Southern Guards.
Drama on the Green
Rahm, the current leader in the season-long individual standings and reigning two-time individual champion, did suffer an early double-bogey in his round but continued his charge on the back nine at Chapultepec, playing a bogey-free 5-under par, including a run of three consecutive birdies late in his round. He is now 11-under par on the back nine after the first three rounds. Hatton continued the momentum from Friday, when he birdied six consecutive holes late in his second round. On Saturday, he eagled the par-5 seventh hole with a hole-out from the bunker, added a birdie on the par-5 12th hole, and two more late in his round. Although McKibbin battled stomach issues, he briefly held the solo lead on the front nine but played the back nine at 1-over par. His bogey on hole 17 cost him a spot in the final pairing with Rahm and Hatton.
Thanks to their top-three guys, Legion XIII also holds an impressive lead in the team standings. At 38-under par, they are a full 15 shots ahead of the Fireballs. The Southern Guards follow another four shots back. Legion XIII had started the round with a league-record 19-shot advantage. Let's see if they can hold onto the lead!
