Joaquín Niemann, captain of Torque GC, waits on the 14th green during the second round of LIV Golf UK by JCB in Rocester on Saturday. Image courtesy LIV Golf
From a Correspondent
Rocester, England: A combination of power tee shots, brilliant iron play and a hot putter left Joaquin Niemann on the verge of his fifth LIV Golf win this season.
It is also set to give him a commanding lead in the individual championship race.
The Torque GC captain shot an 8 under 63 in Saturday’s second round at LIV Golf UK by JCB for a six-shot advantage over his closest competitor, Bubba Watson.
Torque also top the team leaderboard, three strokes ahead of defending UK champions Legion XIII as they seek their first win since 2023.
If current projections hold in the individual standings, Niemann would increase his margin in the race to nearly 50 points, which would give him the opportunity to wrap up the championship at LIV Golf’s next event in Chicago in August.
But he plans to remain focused on completing the task at hand rather than let his mind drift toward season-long glory.
Clear focus
“All I’m thinking about is what I’m doing right now, having a great time out on the golf course,” Niemann said after coming within one shot of tying the course record at JCB Golf & Country Club.
“I’ve been playing great. I’ve been hitting my shots. I’ve been hitting my lines on the putter. They’ve been going in.
“All I’m worried about is that, and I’m going to keep being worried about that, and I think everything else is just going to take care of itself.”
Niemann is 14 under through the first two days after shooting 65-63. He leads the field in driving distance as well as greens in regulation; he hit all 18 greens on Saturday and missed just two greens in the first round.
He’s also gained strokes with his putter, which has been his trouble spot recently.
It’s an impressive 36-hole performance after making significant changes to his support staff, including a caddie switch, after a disappointing missed cut at last week’s Open Championship.
“It’s been a little weird the last two, three weeks,” Niemann said. “There’ve been obviously a few movements on my team. At the same time, it is what it is.
“I’m really grateful for them, for the two people that are not working with me anymore on the team.”
Tough task
His closest pursuers know that catching Niemann – who won earlier this year in Adelaide, Singapore, Mexico City and Virginia – will be a very difficult task.
“It’s his golf tournament to win as of right now,” said Watson, the RangeGoats GC captain who shot a 68 that leaves him at 8 under.
“If he goes out and plays half of what he’s doing today, he wins it. We’ve got to shoot 10 under or something like that.”
Added Crushers GC’s Paul Casey, who’s at 7 under and tied for third with Legion XIII’s Caleb Surratt and Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk: “When a guy is ahead, you go, could I be there if I eliminate my mistakes?
“Even if I eliminate every single mistake I’ve made, I’m still not there. That’s pretty telling. That means the guy is playing unbelievable golf. You tip the cap, don’t you? It’s amazing stuff.”
If Niemann seals the deal Sunday, it would be his eighth individual win since the last time his Torque team won a tournament.
But they’ll have to hold off Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII and Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers, the top two teams in the league this season, to sweep both trophies Sunday.
“We know we’re due for a win,” Niemann said. “We know we can do it. We’ve been close for a few chances. … I think it’s going to be an exciting day for all of us tomorrow.” (courtesy LIV Golf)
Round 2 scores
1. Torque GC -24 (Niemann 63, Muñoz 66, Ortiz 70, Pereira 72; Rd. 2 score: -13)
2. Legion XIII -21 (Rahm 67, McKibbin 68, Surratt 68, Hatton 71; Rd. 2 score: -10)
3. Crushers GC -14 (Casey 68, Howell III 68, DeChambeau 69, Lahiri 70; Rd. 2 score: -9)
4. Ripper GC -13 (Leishman 69, Jones 70, Smith 70, Herbert 72; Rd. 2 score: -3)
5. Fireballs GC -12 (Ancer 67, Ballester 69, Garcia 69, Puig 70; Rd. 2 score: -9)
6. HyFlyers GC -10 (Ogletree 69, Steele 69, Mickelson 70, Tringale 72; Rd. 2 score: -4)
T7. Cleeks GC -9 (Kaymer 68, Meronk 70, Bland 71, Kjettrup 71; Rd. 2 score: -4)
T7. Stinger GC -9 (Burmester 68, Oosthuizen 72, Schwartzel 72, Grace 74; Rd. 2 score: +2)
9. Majesticks GC -6 (Stenson 69, Poulter 71, Westwood 72, Horsfield 75; Rd. 2 score: +3)
10. Smash GC -2 (Gooch 66, Koepka 71, Kokrak 71, McDowell 74; Rd. 2 score: -2)
11. 4Aces GC -1 (Pieters 69, Reed 70, Varner III 71, Johnson 73; Rd. 2 score: -1)
12. RangeGoats GC +5 (Watson 68, Campbell 74, Uihlein 74, Wolff 78; Rd. 2 score: +10)
13. Iron Heads GC +15 (Jang 72, Lee 72, Na 76, Kozuma 77; Rd. 2 score: +13)
Wild Cards: C. Lee 73, Kim 74
Round 2 stats
Driving accuracy: Cam Smith, David Puig, Josele Ballester, Henrik Stenson, Abraham Ancer, Lucas Herbert, Ben Campbell, Graeme McDowell, Chieh-Po Lee, 78.57% (11 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance average (for measured holes 8 and 10): Joaquin Niemann, 326.1 yards avg.
Longest drive (among measured holes 8 and 10): Joaquin Niemann, 347.6 yards, 8th hole
Greens in regulation: Joaquin Niemann, 100% (18 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Charles Howell III (6 of 6), Tom McKibbin (5 of 5), Bubba Watson (3 of 3), 100%
Putting: Talor Gooch, Sebastián Muñoz, 1.33 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Charles Howell III (68), Tom McKibbin (68)
Also read; Three-way ties for individual and team leads at LIV Golf UK
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