Joaquin Niemann saved his best for last, scattering seven birdies to record a final-round 65 and win LIV Golf Adelaide in Australia on Sunday.
He turned in the only bogey-free scorecard of the day and finished the tournament with a 13-under 203. He entered the day three strokes behind a trio of competitors and wound up winning with a three-stroke margin of his own.
The Chilean opened the tournament Friday with a 67 and followed it with a 71 on Saturday. He knew it would take a stellar round on Sunday to win his third career LIV trophy.
“I knew I needed to do something special,” he said.
But the 36-hole co-leaders couldn’t muster the same result at The Grange Golf Club. Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, both of Mexico, each shot a 71 to finish in a tie for second place at 10-under 206. England’s Sam Horsfield turned in a round of six bogeys and three birdies en route to a 75. He finished in five-way tie for seventh.
Ancer was atop the leaderboard until three bogeys in the final five holes knocked him out of the lead. Niemann posted three bogeys on the final nine holes.
“Obviously the last two holes were rough to finish with bogey-bogey, having a chance to win the tournament,” Ancer said. “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.”
Spain’s David Puig made a run up the leaderboard with his 67 to finish 9-under par and in fourth place. A stroke back was England’s Richard Bland (66), with Spain’s Jon Rahm (70) in sixth and 7-under.
The win for Niemann was his second in Australia, having won the Australian Open in 2023.
“Days like today makes me grow as a player,” Niemann said. “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.”
Although Ancer fell short of the individual title, he helped his Fireballs GC to a dominant performance in the team competition. Ancer, captain Sergio Garcia, Luis Masaveu and Puig combined for a 12-under par, giving them a 21-under finish and a six-stroke victory over Rahm’s Legion XIII.
The Fireballs became the first group team to win a title in each of LIV’s four seasons — their fifth in the league’s history.
“Bittersweet with Abe, the way he played,” Garcia said of Ancer’s round. “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.”
–Field Level Media
