Torque GC captain Joaquín Niemann with his LIV Golf Adelaide individual title trophy on Sunday. Image courtesy LIV Golf/Chris Trotman.
From a Correspondent
Adelaide, South Australia: Joaquin Niemann began Sunday’s final round of LIV Golf Adelaide three strokes off the lead. That left him with a fairly straightforward objective.
“Do something special,” the Torque GC captain said.
Task completed.
Niemann produced the day’s only bogey-free round, shooting a 7 under par 65 to eventually reel in Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer, who led the majority of the day until suffering three bogeys on his final five holes.
Niemann’s 13 under total was good enough for a three-shot victory over Ancer and Torque teammate Carlos Ortiz, who each shot 71.
It was the second straight LIV Golf season in which Niemann has posted an early victory.
A year ago, he won the first and third events of the season and led the season-long points standing until finishing second to Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm in the Individual Championship.
In December, Niemann won the PIF Saudi International presented by SoftBank Investment Advisers and also won the season-long International Series championship.
He said his current form was better than a year ago – and that he’ll only keep improving.
“Days like today makes me grow as a player,” said Niemann, who won for the second time in his career in Australia, having captured the Australian Open in 2023.
Learning curve
“There is a lot I have to take from today and learn from it because today was a really good day. If I could have these Sundays more often, chasing leaders, it would be really good for my game.”
Ancer, also a former Australian Open champ, was still able to celebrate atop the Adelaide podium, with the Fireballs claiming the team title by six strokes over Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII, and Torque finishing third.
“Obviously the last two holes were rough to finish with bogey-bogey, having a chance to win the tournament,” said Ancer, who’ll enter LIV Golf’s next tournament in Hong Kong as the defending champion.
“It’s always tough, but I think it’s just fuel for the rest of the season. I feel like my game is trending in the right direction. I like where things are headed.”
Ancer shared the 36-hole lead with Ortiz and Majesticks GC’s Sam Horsfield but took command early with birdies in his first two holes. He remained bogey-free until finding the bunker at the par-3 14th and failing to get up-and-down.
Niemann, playing in the group ahead of Ancer, posted his sixth birdie of the day at the 15th to grab the solo lead.
Precise play
His iron play was terrific on Sunday, as he hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation. His 65 tied for the low round of the day with Riyadh winner Adrian Meronk.
“The way I played today, I feel like it talks a lot on how I’ve been working, how I’ve been practicing,” Niemann said. “Being able to see those little steps forward all the time, it’s always satisfying.”
The Fireballs certainly were satisfied after winning their fifth tournament in club history, four of them on different continents.
They’re also the only team to have won at least one team title in all four LIV Golf seasons. Captain Sergio Garcia and David Puig each shot 5 under 67s, while Ancer and newcomer Luis Masaveu, the 22-year-old, shot 71s.
“Bittersweet with Abe, the way he played,” Garcia said. “He was there the whole day, and it would have been nice to get the double. But super proud of the way they all fought.
Fireballs members celebrate following their team win at the Grange in Adelaide on Sunday. Image courtesy LIV Golf/Mateo Villalba.
“A win in every single season,” added Garcia. “It’s something that is not easy. A lot of great teams, and every year they seem to get stronger and stronger, but we do, too.
Proud moment
“It’s a very proud moment, but that’s not where we want to stop. We want to keep getting better and better. I think that we can all improve for sure. I think the sky is the limit for this team. …The atmosphere within the team is just amazing.”
For Masaveu, Sunday’s champagne celebration in front of the massive Adelaide crowd was part of his indoctrination into LIV Golf. “I asked what I needed to do because it was the first time,” he said. “But I think I did it all right.”
One of the accomplishments this week in Adelaide was teaching Masaveu to play poker. “It’s been awesome,” said Masaveu.
Meanwhile, the Majesticks continued to suffer heartbreak. For the first time in their LIV Golf existence, they entered Sunday with the final round lead. Never having finished on the podium, the all-European side shot a collective 1-over to finish tied for fifth at 9 under.
Final scores
1. Fireballs GC -21 (Garcia 67, Puig 67, Ancer 71, Masaveu 71; Rd. 3 score: -12)
2. Legion XIII -15 (Hatton 72, McKibbin 69, Rahm 70, Surratt 71; Rd. 3 score: -6)
3. Torque GC -13 (Niemann 65, Ortiz 71, Muñoz 71, Pereira 71; Rd. 3 score: -10)
4. Crushers GC -12 (Lahiri 69, Casey 73, DeChambeau 71, Howell III 68; Rd. 3 score: -7)
T5. HyFlyers GC -9 (Mickelson 68, Steele 69, Tringale 69, Ogletree 71; Rd. 3 score: -11)
T5. 4Aces GC -9 (Pieters 68, Varner III 69, Reed 72, Johnson 70; Rd. 3 score: -9)
T5. Majesticks GC -9 (Westwood 71, Stenson 71, Poulter 72, Horsfield 75; Rd. 3 score: +1)
8. Stinger GC -6 (Schwartzel 69, Burmester 70, Oosthuizen 71, Grace 74; Rd. 3 score: -4)
9. Ripper GC -1 (Leishman 70, Smith 70, Jones 73, Herbert 75; Rd. 3 score: E)
10. Iron Heads GC +5 (Na 69, Jang 71, Lee 74, Ormsby 75; Rd. 3 score: +1)
11. RangeGoats GC +6 (Uihlein 69, Campbell 71, Watson 71, Wolff 72; Rd. 3 score: -5)
12. Cleeks GC +7 (Meronk 65, Bland 66, Kaymer 72, Kjettrup 74; Rd. 3 score: -11)
13. Smash GC +13 (Koepka 70, McDowell 70, Gooch 76, Kokrak 77; Rd. 3 score: +5)
Wild Cards: Lee 75, Kim 76
Final round stats
Driving accuracy: Abraham Ancer, 85.71% (12 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Peter Uihlein, 348.1 yards avg.
Longest drive: Peter Uihlein, 366.8 yards, 17th hole
GIR: Joaquin Niemann 88.89% (16 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Joaquin Niemann, 2 of 2 (100%)
Putting: Tom McKibbin, 1.33 putts per hole
Also read: Three-way tie for LIV Adelaide lead as Majesticks head team race
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