Joaquin Niemann opened his 2024 season with the spherical of each golfer’s desires.
The Chilean captain of Torque GC fired a 12-under-par 59 Friday on the primary day of LIV Golf Mayakoba, LIV’s season opener in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
The glowing efficiency put Niemann 5 photographs away from the sphere. Patrick Reed of 4Aces is second after a bogey-free, 7-under 64, and Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia of Spain opened with a 6-under 65 to take third place.
Niemann started his spherical on the second gap at El Camaleon Golf Course and rapidly went on a birdie spree, making 5 straight at Nos. 3-7. On the par-4 eleventh, his second shot took one hop on the inexperienced and dunked into the outlet for an eagle that introduced him to 9 below par.
He added the ultimate three of his 10 birdies at Nos. 13, 15 and 17 to get to 12 below par with two holes to spare. His par-par end secured the course document and the second sub-60 spherical in LIV’s three-year historical past; Bryson DeChambeau shot a final-round 58 to win at Greenbrier final season.
“It was clearly an incredible spherical,” Niemann mentioned. “… It was good to hit good tee photographs on the final couple holes the place they’re sort of difficult, particularly 16, 18, and No. 1. I gave myself just a few probabilities additionally the final couple holes to go even decrease, however yeah, nonetheless actually, actually completely satisfied.”
Niemann mentioned he didn’t wish to “do the maths” of how shut he was to a 59 throughout his spherical.
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“I knew if I saved myself calm and if I saved myself the identical means I used to be on the primary couple holes, I knew it was going to be a extremely low day, and I felt that I used to be in a position to do this throughout the entire day,” he mentioned. “I felt like I used to be calm the entire day. I by no means went forward of myself. I caught to my routine. I visualized my photographs, and I simply went forward and compromised with all these photographs, and I used to be actually assured on all of them.”
World No. 3 Jon Rahm of Spain made his LIV debut after switching allegiances from the PGA Tour in December. The captain of the all-new Legion XIII opened with 5 birdies in seven holes and was 7 below by means of 15, however a bogey-bogey end set him again to a tie for fourth at 5-under 66 with Englishmen Laurie Canter and Richard Bland.
Rahm, a two-time main winner and the reigning Masters champ, mentioned he felt strain on the primary tee of his debut spherical.
“I believe it’s nearly unattainable to be one hundred pc certain of the way you’re going to play, however I’m at all times assured that I can carry out,” Rahm mentioned. “I believe the story for me was how I stroked the tee photographs on 1 and a couple of. These two had been picture-perfect drives. To start out like that was one thing that clearly gave me a whole lot of confidence for the remainder of the day.”
Torque leads the group competitors by 5 photographs, as nicely, because of Niemann’s 12-under spherical plus the scores of Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz (3-under 68) and Chile’s Mito Pereira (2-over 73).