The LIV Golf League heads back to Chicago this week for the second to last individual event of the season. Bolingbrook hosted the LIV Chicago event for the first time last season in 2024 and was welcomed back again this season to host again. Jon Rahm won last year's event at -11, with Sergio Garcia, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrell Hatton and Ian Poulter rounding out the top five.
A key storyline to take place this week is the drop zone. This is the second to last individual event of the season so players currently in the drop zone will need to make a push to ensure their spot in the league. A couple of big names in the drop zone currently include Ian Poulter, Mito Pereira, Frederik Kjetterup and wild card, Anthony Kim. Andy Ogletree, Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood are currently the last men in and will also need to play well to keep their spot in the league.
The event will be played Friday-Sunday and will air on the Fox Sports Network in 100% of U.S. markets, as well as the Fox Sports App and LIV Golf Plus. Globally, the event will be broadcast in over 160 international territories Live and On-Demand, via LIV Golf Plus.
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LIV Golf Chicago Course Breakdown
Below is the official round one scorecard provided by LIV Golf.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 |
| Yardage | 529 | 396 | 562 | 231 | 400 | 156 | 440 | 482 | 457 | 3653 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 |
| Yardage | 430 | 434 | 621 | 154 | 600 | 342 | 408 | 173 | 443 | 3605 |
Bolingbrook Golf Club was designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 2002. Hills re-designed an old cornfield in his creation Bolingbrook, moving more than 2.4 million cubic yards of earth according to a Golftime magazine feature back in 2012. Bolingbrook is a links-style layout with seven lakes spread throughout the course. The two signature holes are the island green on 15 and the 600-yard par five that players will face on hole five.
The course will play as a 7,224 yard par-71. The big change this year is on hole 12, which has been changed from a par four to a par five, due to a new pushed back tee box. Looking at last year's leaderboard, distance is not a prerequisite to perform well at this course but will help on several holes. The top three of Rahm, Niemann and Garcia can all hit their drivers well and take advantage of longer holes. However, any course that features Ian Poulter in the top five shows that players do not have to overpower the course to have success. This is a course that players can and will have to strategize around, rather than just overpower.
One statistic that I found interesting when looking at last season's tournament stats was scrambling. Four players that finished inside the top five on the leaderboard ranked in the top ten on scrambling for the week. Additionally, Henrik Stenson, Lucan Herbert and Anirban Lahiri who all finished tied for sixth, also finished inside the top ten in scrambling. It wasn't necessarily a statistic I had marked down based on course appearance or scorecard, but the results from last season clearly state the importance of scrambling.
In 2021, Bolingbrook hosted a PGA Forme Tour event. This event was won by Mac Meissner at -21. Nine players shot -13 or better on the week. Last season in LIV Chicago 2024, Jon Rahm was the only player who finished double digits under par. In fact, only five players in the field finished better than -5 on the week. Although birdies are out there on the course, LIV clearly has this course set up harder than it was at other events. I would be looking for a winner this year somewhere in the -10 to -12 range.
LIV Golf Betting Odds - Chicago
Below are the current odds of winning, as presented by BetUS. Odds on different sportsbooks are subject to change.
LIV Golf Betting Strategy & Selections - Chicago
Cameron Smith +2700 (FanDuel)
It has been an overall disappointing year for Cam Smith in 2025. With that being said, the Aussie is trending in the right direction recently. Smith has finished 10th, 7th and 13th in the last three LIV starts and has gained strokes on approach in all three. In his last LIV start in the UK, Smith gained strokes both off the tee and on approach. Ironically, his putter which he is known for, held him back as he lost 0.59 strokes on average per round on the greens.
The perfect approach shot ✅
The perfect putt ❓ pic.twitter.com/t2Ue6ZNr8Z— Ripper GC (@rippergc_) July 26, 2025
Despite a bad finish at this course last season, I believe Smith is a nice fit for what I am looking for here. When I look at scrambling as a key statistic, there are few players that I would put ahead of Cam Smith in that category. Smith has gained strokes around the green in every single LIV start this season but one and currently ranks 8th on the season in scrambling. He has also had success in Chicago before, winning the LIV Chicago event in 2022.
Brooks Koepka +5000 (FanDuel)
Although statistically there isn't much to love about Koepka, it's hard to deny the way Koepka has closed seasons throughout his LIV career. In both 2022 and 2023, Brooks won the final event of the season in Jeddah. Last year, the five-time major champion won the second to last event of the season at The Greenbrier. Could we be looking at another end of the season victory for the Smash GC captain? Winless in 2025, this would be the first season since joining LIV that Brooks has failed to win an event if he does not win either of the next two.
Fascinating presser by Brooks Koepka on swing mechanics. He's the greatest Major champion in the last decade yet his golf swing can fall apart if positions are off by inches
Meanwhile, us hackers get mad when the ball doesn't go straight, are we crazy?pic.twitter.com/1upkk45lwO
— Lets Freakin Golf (@_LFGolf) June 13, 2025
Ryder Cup motivation? It may seem like a longshot but if Brooks is able to win this week, he may get himself back into the discussion for a final captain's pick at the Ryder Cup. We know that Keegan Bradley invited him to the dinner back in May that included many Ryder Cup hopefuls. Despite not giving Keegan a ton of reason up to this point to select him, I believe a win this week could peak the captain's interest. Brooks is an alpha that the USA roster could use and won the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage.
Thomas Pieters +5000 (FanDuel)
There is a bit of home game narrative this week surrounding Thomas Pieters, who played his college golf at the University of Illinois. Pieters finished T11 at this event last season and has two top five finishes already this season in LIV events. The bomber has been great off the tee since Mexico, gaining strokes in six of seven starts. He has been speaking very confidently about his game and my bet is that he hits it well again this week.
Chicago… You know what time it is ⏰🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/s9roWQCFTB
— 4 Aces GC (@4AcesGC_) August 6, 2025
The irons and putter have been a bit up and down this year and he will need both to cooperate this week to get a win. However, one statistic that stuck out to me about Pieters was his scrambling. While he is known for his big driver off the tee, the Belgian ranks 7th this year on LIV in scrambling. With scrambling being a key stat that I noted above, Pieters checks the box.
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