Joaquin Niemann delivered a clutch finish on Sunday at LIV Golf Korea, winning his first singles title of the season in a playoff against Taylor Gooch.
Going into the final round, the Torque GC skipper was tied with Gooch at nine-under. After going stroke for stroke on the front nine with the OKGC captain, Niemann took the lead with a par on the par-4 12th hole.
Bryson DeChambeau charged back to catch Gooch going down the stretch, but in the end it wasn’t enough to get into the playoff as Gooch drained a long birdie putt at the par-3 16th to pull ahead of DeChambeau and take the lead.
Even with two holes left to play and the leaderboard tightening around him, Niemann never wavered. He finished his round with an 18 to force a playoff with Gooch.
Niemann wasted no time in overtime. He quickly set the tone with a terrible drive on the left side of the fairway. Gooch, on the other hand, overcooked his ball and found his way into the right rough – leaving the door wide open.
With a wedge in hand, Niemann seized the opportunity and clipped his approach to three feet, followed by a clutch putt to secure his first individual LIFE Golf season title.
In a post-round press conference, Niemann reflected on the shot that produced his winning birdie, saying “It’s probably the best feeling.”
“I like having that pressure, knowing that you have to hit the shot and win the tournament. I feel like that’s what I’ve always dreamed of as a kid, hitting that last shot and making that last shot,” he continued.
With his win in Korea, Niemann now has eight individual LIV Golf titles – the most of any player in league history.
While DeChambeau finished one shot short of the individual title this week, it’s not all bad. Thanks to strong finishes from Travis Smyth and Charles Howell III, who both shot seven-under to finish tied for eighth, the Crushers secured another team title as they aim to close the gap on the 4Aces – who are currently atop the team standings.
The purse at LIV Golf Korea this week was huge 30 million dollars. With his individual victory, Niemann goes home with a $4 million payout, while Gooch walks away with $2.25 million. With his third-place finish, DeChambeau will walk away with $1.5 million plus his share of the $3 million payout the Crushers earned with their victory.
