By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Captain Jon Rahm of Legion XIII putts on the fourth green during the second round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec on Friday, April 17, 2026 in Naucalpan, Mexico. (Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf).
Defending LIV Golf Mexico City team champions Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm used a strong back nine during second round to take a narrow lead at the halfway point in Naucalpan, Mexico.
Rahm overcame a rocky front nine to shoot 4 under on the back nine, post 67 at Club de Golf Chapultepec and sit at 10-under-par 132.
The Spaniard was in second place after the opening round at 6 under. He’s now one stroke clear of Matthew Wolff, Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland and Harold Varner III, who are all tied at 9 under.
“Anytime you have to count and do some math to realize how many ahead you are, it’s an amazing thing,” Rahm said. “… I’m hoping we all keep playing to the same level, and come Sunday, the last few holes is not even a contest, and we have a 20-something, 30-something-shot lead. That would be amazing.
“But you have to expect other teams are going to come in swinging and play good, so we still need to do what we’ve been doing and play really good golf.”
First-round leader Victor Perez slipped into a tie for sixth after a 2-over 73, now three shots off the pace alongside Tyrell Hatton and Wild Card player Richard T. Lee.
Rahm, the league’s current points leader and reigning two-time Individual Champion, once again showed his ability to stay steady — even if Friday wasn’t as smooth as the scorecard suggested.
“Today was a bit of a frustrating day,” he said. “I think whether it was the wind or the altitude, there was quite a few shots that were on a really good line and were very far off … there’s things that can happen, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
Despite that, Rahm continues to give himself chances as he chases his second win of the year and fourth of his LIV Golf career. The outright lead Friday is the 16th (solo or tied) since joining the league prior to the 2024 season.
“I’m clearly playing good enough, I just need to take advantage of the opportunities I’ve been giving myself,” he said. “As good as I’m playing, I still feel like it could be better.”
Meanwhile speculation was running rampant on Wednesday that LIV’s main source of funding — Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund — was on the verge of drying up. Liv Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said in a memo to staff that the 2026 season would proceed without interruption and at “full throttle.”
The reality is that you’re funded through the season, and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going,” O’Neil said. “But that’s not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of mankind.”
He said he met with 50 people at the Masters and rolled out a plan that “might surprise people.” LIV Golf has said some of its metrics such as ticket sales and team sponsorships have increased, and O’Neil is projecting 10 of the 13 teams and four of the 14 events will be profitable.