Joaquin Niemann (-14) is the true tyrant and lord of LIV Golf in this 2025. The Chilean has shifted into high gear to secure his fifth victory of the season at the LIV Golf UK.
Until Valderrama, he had won all the even-numbered tournaments of the year. The second, fourth, sixth, and eighth. The tenth slipped away… the eleventh is already in his grasp. He will head into Sunday at Rocester with a six-shot lead over Bubba Watson (-8), his ‘immediate’ pursuer.
It seems like he’s playing darts. By the 13th hole at JCB Golf & Country Club, he had already accumulated eight birdies without error. On the circuit, he feels an astonishing comfort that he struggles to replicate beyond the Saudi seas. The control he is demonstrating with the irons is jaw-dropping. In golf, you can never declare anyone the winner with 18 holes to go, but the sense of superiority is overwhelming.
Jon Rahm’s title hopes have become impossible. His first defence will not end successfully. Partly due to the grey first round, partly because Niemann is unstoppable, and partly because today’s round, while better in numbers than the opening one, has proved insufficient. The round started like a shot with two consecutive birdies, and unlike the first day, he managed to capitalise with three birdies on the par fives. A round of 67 strokes leaves him ten shots behind Joaco.
Tied with Jon is David Puig (-4), who is four strokes away from second place. Nothing that can’t be achieved and would allow him to secure his best result of the year. The player from La Garriga couldn’t maintain the pace of the first day and signed a modest card of 70 strokes, with many ups and downs, five successes seasoned with four bogeys.
Josele Ballester (-3) continues to make strides in his adaptation to LIV Golf. After his initial eight rounds over par, he has accumulated three consecutive rounds beating the course. This Saturday, he scored two under in Rocester, and a bogey on his last hole of the day prevented him from finishing among the top fifteen of the tournament. The nerves are dissipating, and the golf that the first Spanish champion in the history of the US Amateur possesses is beginning to shine.
The captain of the Fireballs, Sergio García, is the worst Spaniard and is in T27 with many chances to gain positions on Sunday. Collectively, Niemann’s Torque leads at -24, closely followed by Rahm’s Legion XIII three strokes behind, with a ten-stroke gap to Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC (-14).
