In an exhilarating finish that stretched well past sunset, 25-year-old Joaquin Niemann outlasted Spanish star Sergio Garcia in a playoff to capture his maiden LIV Golf victory at the tour’s season opener in Mexico. Niemann rolled in a 12-foot birdie on the fourth extra hole played under the illumination of a large video board to seal the win.
Summary
- Joaquin Niemann won the LIV Golf Mayakoba event in a playoff over Sergio Garcia, birdying the fourth extra hole in near darkness
- Niemann overcame a 2-stroke penalty earlier in the day for incorrect relief to capture his first LIV Golf individual title
- Jon Rahm and his new Legion XIII expansion team won the team competition in their LIV Golf debut
- 19-year-old amateur Caleb Surratt impressed by shooting 67 on Sunday, including 5 straight birdies to end his round
- Garcia said he was happy to contend despite not feeling great with his game or swing
It completed a dramatic comeback for the Chilean after beginning the day with a two-shot penalty. Niemann had taken incorrect relief from a cart path during Saturday’s round, turning his four-shot overnight lead into a two-shot advantage. He admitted breakfast “tasted a little bitter” after the ruling but was thrilled to rebound with the victory.
“I got lucky in that first playoff hole,” said Niemann, referring to Garcia’s tee shot that struck a tree. “I think that made up for the two-shot penalty from this morning.”
In regulation, Niemann grinded out an even-par 70 while the 44-year-old Garcia fired a flawless six-under 66 featuring seven birdies and no bogeys. The pair finished knotted at 12-under 201 total. On the first three trips down the par-4 18th in extras, both players could not convert birdie chances to end it.
So with daylight fading, they agreed to go back out for a fourth hole as boisterous chants of “one more hole!” rang out from the Mexican fans. Niemann ultimately prevailed to capture the $4 million top prize.
“It was super dark so I think it probably helped me just not being so picky on picking my spot and just getting a feel for it,” Niemann said of the winning putt. “It was the best way to end it.”
While Niemann celebrated alone, Jon Rahm led his new Legion XIII expansion squad to the team crown in their LIV Golf debut. Rahm finished T3 individually but got plenty of help from his cohorts en route to a four-shot team triumph over defending champs Crushers GC.
| Team | Score | Individual Scores (Rd. 3 score) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. LEGION XIII | -24 | Hatton 64, Surratt 67, Vincent 69, Rahm 70 (-14) |
| 2. CRUSHERS GC | -20 | Lahiri 67, DeChambeau 68, Howell III 68, Casey 68 (-13) |
| 3. TORQUE GC | -17 | Niemann 70, Muñoz 70, Ortiz 70, Pereira 70 (-4) |
| 4. STINGER GC | -16 | Oosthuizen 67, Grace 68, Schwartzel 70, Burmester 70 (-8) |
| 5. RIPPER GC | -16 | Jones 66, Smith 67, Leishman 70, Herbert 71 (-10) |
| 6. FIREBALLS GC | -13 | Garcia 66, Ancer 67, Chacarra 71, Puig 71 (-9) |
| 7. SMASH GC | -12 | Koepka 68, Gooch 68, McDowell 72, Kokrak 73 (-3) |
| 8. CLEEKS GC | -9 | Bland 67, Kaymer 67, Samooja 70, Meronk 73 (-7) |
| 9. MAJESTICKS GC | -7 | Westwood 69, Horsfield 69, Stenson 70, Poulter 71 (-5) |
| 10. RANGEGOATS GC | +2 | Wolff 68, Uihlein 71, Watson 73, Pieters 73 (+1) |
| 11. HYFLYERS GC | +2 | Steele 70, Ogletree 70, Tringale 71, Mickelson 74 (+1) |
| 12. 4ACES GC | +3 | Johnson 67, Perez 71, Reed 73, Varner III 77 (+4) |
| 13. IRON HEADS GC | +6 | Na 70, Kozuma 71, Vincent 74, Lee 75 (+6) |
Englishman Tyrrell Hatton fired Sunday’s low round with a seven-under 64 while unheralded teenager Caleb Surratt impressed mightily. After a disastrous triple bogey, the 19-year-old amateur rattled off five straight birdies to sign for a four-under 67.
“I told myself after that triple bogey that I wasn’t going to let anything shake me,” said Surratt, who only recently moved from his dorm room at the University of Tennessee. “I put my head down and played.”
Rahm was thrilled to snag some hardware after stumbling home with two closing bogeys left him two shots out of the playoff.
“It’s very nice that on a day I probably would’ve been upset with my finish, I actually have something to celebrate,” said Rahm, still beaming from his Masters triumph last April. “That is one of the big reasons why I decided to make the transition to LIV Golf.”
The fledgling league kicked off its 2024 campaign this week in Mexico with an exciting playoff and some new “enhancements” to its oft-criticized format. CEO Greg Norman implemented shotgun starts for all three rounds and introduced some tweaks that place more emphasis on the final round, including counting all four team scores rather than just the best three.
While Norman hailed the changes as “fan-friendly,” LIV Golf still faces an uphill battle trying to reshape golf’s competitive landscape. With no world ranking points awarded yet, it remains to be seen how many top stars will ultimately be swayed to defect from the PGA Tour.
But if LIV events can replicate this week’s drama and crown other emerging young talents like Niemann, the controversial circuit figures to remain a compelling draw despite its many detractors.
