'Win in Extra Holes' Joaquin Niemann, "A Scene I've Dreamed of Since Childhood"... Crushers Team Wins 10th Title in Team Event at LIV Golf Korea

*This content was translated by AI.

Joaquin Niemann (28, Chile) claimed victory in LIV Golf Korea (total purse $30 million) after a tense extra-hole playoff.

On the 31st, Niemann shot a 3-under-par 67 with four birdies and one bogey in the final fourth round at Busan Asiad Country Club (par 70).

Finishing with a total of 12-under-par 268, Niemann tied with Taylor Gooch (USA). He secured the win by making a birdie on the first extra-hole at the 18th (par 4). He also took home the winning prize of $4 million (approximately 6.028 billion won).

After achieving two wins on the PGA Tour, Niemann moved to LIV Golf upon its launch in 2022. He claimed his first win in 2024, followed by five more victories, and also captured the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. With this win, Niemann has now recorded his eighth career victory in LIV Golf. This is the most individual wins in LIV Golf history, three more than the second-place group including Gooch.

Starting the final day tied for the lead with Gooch through three rounds, Niemann was unable to pull away decisively on this day. The match remained closely contested throughout.

Gooch birdied the first hole (par 4) first, but Niemann responded with a birdie on the fourth hole (par 5). Later, Gooch birdied the fifth hole (par 4), and both Niemann and Gooch birdied the sixth hole (par 3), leaving them one stroke behind. However, Niemann added another birdie on the seventh hole (par 4) to retake the shared lead.

On the ninth hole (par 4), Gooch made a bogey to take sole possession of the lead and held it until the 15th hole (par 5). However, Gooch birdied the 16th hole (par 3) to tie for the lead again. Neither player could reduce their score on the remaining two holes, sending the competition into extra holes.

The winner was decided in a single extra hole. Niemann hit a perfect iron shot, placing his second shot about 2 meters from the hole. Gooch also reached the green, but the distance was significantly greater. While Gooch's birdie putt failed, Niemann sank his champion's putt.

According to LIV Golf, Niemann said after the match, "It was really fun. It feels so good to win again. I love this game." He added, "Looking back at today's round, especially the back nine, I felt a huge passion for this game. Golf seems to teach me how to improve every time."

He continued, "It's the best feeling. I love the pressure of that moment when you know you have to make this shot to win. Making the last shot and sinking the final putt to win is a scene I've always dreamed of since I was a child." He also said, "It's truly unbelievable, and it passed by so quickly. I hope I get the same opportunity next week."

Bryson DeChambeau (USA), who aimed for back-to-back titles, finished alone in third place with a total of 11-under-par 268, one stroke behind Niemann and Gooch, expressing his disappointment.

In the team event, he smiled. Crushers GC, consisting of Charles Howell III (USA), Travis Smith (Australia), and Anirban Lahiri (India), recorded a total of 23-under-par, overtaking OKGC led by Gooch (20-under-par) to claim the top spot.

Crushers GC recorded their 10th team title of the regular season, surpassing the previous co-record holders Legion XIII GC and 4Aces GC to become the team with the most team titles in LIV Golf history.

DeChambeau said, "I'm just grateful to have such great players and a great team. We each contribute to the team in different ways, but everyone is working hard to become the best team."

Among Korean players, Song Young-han (35) achieved the highest finish, tying for 12th place with 6-under-par 274. Moon Do-yeop (35) tied for 23rd at 2-under-par, Ahn Byung-hoon (35) tied for 37th at 1-over-par, and Kim Min-gyu (25) finished at 54th with 6-over-par.

The Korean Golf Club, formed by Korean players, finished 10th out of 13 teams in the team event with a total of 1-under-par.

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*This content was translated by AI.