Joaquin Niemann – image LIV Golf 

Just two months after winning the Australian Open in a playoff, Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann has survived a four-hole playoff against Spain’s Sergio Garcia in near darkness to win his first LIV Golf Tour title.

Niemann’s win in the LIV Golf Mayakoba in Playa Del Carmen in Mexico, was made even more dramatic and impressive by the fact that he had incurred a two-shot penalty before even teeing off in today’s final round as a result of a rules infringement yesterday in which he took an incorrect drop.

Instead of starting four ahead of the field, the 25-year-old began the final round two ahead of South African Dean Burmester and new LIV Golf recruit Jon Rahm but after opening with a stunning 59 on Friday, Niemann could only manage a 1 under round today and was caught by Garcia’s 5 under effort.

It took four holes to decide the winner, with darkness ensuring the fourth and what would be final hole of the playoff would be the last of the day and require a return to settle to result tmorrow if either player could not grab the title.

It would be Niemann who would birdie the fourth and final hole under the lights of the adjacent scoreboards and supplementary assistance from the hospitality tents alongside the 18^th green.

Niemann, who has played the LIV Golf Tour since its inception in 2022, is now achieving the level of golf he has promised since turning professional in 2018 as the leading male amateur in the world.

“Yeah, it was a lot of different days” said Niemann when explaining a somewhat roller coaster of a week.

“Obviously, the first day comes with expectations. I was playing good. First tournament of the LIV season, and I was expecting a lot from myself, and I was able to manage myself through the golf course really well and ended up shooting 59, which was — I think it’s a dream to be under 60.

“Then Saturday was a really tricky day. The wind got up. Obviously, I was on the lead by a few strokes. I think it was a little bit harder to play well after that round and then the wind getting up.

“Saturday was still a pretty good day, a good test for what was coming on Sunday. Then Sunday started a little bit different because I got a two-shot penalty on Sunday morning, which was a little bit hard to swallow at the beginning, but then I knew that I had to change the situation and not let the situation beat me.

“I think it gave me more energy to go out and fight and prove to myself that it’s not going to bother me. I’m pretty happy that the day ended up this way, especially how the morning started. I think dinner is going to taste a little bit better than breakfast.”

“I think I have a different mindset for this year,” said Niemann when asked after his win about his after his goals for this year.

“It kind of hurt me a little bit not being in the majors and I think also helped me to get motivation to kind of earn my spot back into the majors, into the elite players.

“I think it helped me a little bit to get focused back, to start working harder, to start working with a purpose.

“I think it’s paying off, and I just want to keep telling myself that I’m capable of doing this, of winning tournaments, and this is a good way to prove that, and I don’t want to stop working the way I’m doing it. I just want to keep going.”

Garcia’s close call was his second playoff loss in LIV events but his final round of 65 was a great boost for him.

The Australians finished one shot out of a cheque in the team’s competition, Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones finishing one shot out of third place.

Cam Smith did best in the Individual competition when he shared 8th place and five shots from the playoff.

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Nick Voke – in action on Friday – photo Australian Golf Media

New Zealand’s Nick Voke has the halfway lead at the Vic Open at 13^th Beach on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, the 29-year-old former Iowa State University standout just one ahead of Gold Coast teenager and amateur Billy Dowling, Queenslander Jack Munro and Shell Harbour’s Travis Smyth.

Voke has played the China, Korn Ferry and Australasian Tours since turning professional in 2018 but has yet to win on the PGA Tour of Australasia, his best finish being when runner-up at the Queensland PGA Championship last November.

Voke has, though, won events on the China Tour and is generally considered a better player than his results in the paid ranks to date would suggest.

Voke added a second round of 68 to his opening 67 on a windswept 36-hole 13^th Beach complex but twelve players are within three shots and essentially many of the 63 players surviving the cut at 1 under will fancy their chances over the weekend.

Voke narrowly missed regaining his Asian Tour playing rights at the recent Qualifying School after struggling for much of the 2023 season and is currently without playing rights for any tour other than the PGA Tour of Australasia so this represents an important weekend for the Aucklander.

18-year-old Dowling is the current Queensland Amateur Champion and has often produced some amazing scoring including twice shooting 59. The slightly built golfer is now a member of the Golf Australia squad and continues to impress.

Smyth performed brilliantly in Asia last year finishing an impressive 4^th on the Order of Merit with earnings of US$560,000 and has been a commercial success since turning professional, taking advantage of starts in International Series events and several starts in the early stages of Liv Golf.

The women’s Vic Open being played alongside the men’s, is led by Japan’s Shina Kanazawa and Korea’s Min A Yoon who lead by one over Gold Coast LPGA Tour player Karis Davidson.

Former Australian Women’s Open, two-time Women’s British Open Champion and defending champion here, Jiyai Shin, is poised to challenge the leaders, the prolific winner of titles worldwide just three off the lead heading into the weekend’

The impressive and seemingly ever-present Malaysian, Ashley Lau, is another shot back.

Co-leader in the Women’s Vic Open Min A Yoon – file photo 

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WOMEN’S SCORES

Lydia Ko – near miss cost her Hall of Fame entry but her time will come – file image LPGA / Getty Images

The final hour of play at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Bradenton, Florida provided some of the most dramatic and high-quality golf as former World Number One’s, Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko, duked it out in a tense final-round battle before Korda prevailed at the second extra hole of a playoff to win her 9^th LPGA Tour title.

It was a day that saw massive lead changes. Korda began the final round four ahead of Ko and was actually six ahead of the New Zealander after Ko had double-bogeyed her 3^rd hole of the day.

Korda, though, would struggle for much of the round and by the time she reached the 17^th tee she was 5 over for the day and three behind Ko who had bounced back from her early stumble with several birdies to eagle the 17^th after a stunning hybrid to less than a foot.

Behind Korda needed a near miracle to catch Ko and she was about to produce just that. Her approach to the 17^th finish 20 feet behind the flag and when she holed that her chances of an unlikely victory depended on a birdie at the last.

Her approach finished a foot from the hole and when she converted Ko and Korda were headed to a playoff which Korda would eventually win with a save from behind the green while Ko, who had also saved par on the first playoff hole, three putted from 25 feet.

“Gosh, I thought that the tournament was over going into 17,” said Korda who is a member at the venue. “I just kind of gave myself a chance. I knew that if I rolled that eagle in, I had to birdie the last hole.

“Yeah, I seem to always make it very dramatic and interesting, so there is no better feeling than to do it in front of a home crowd.

“I think even when I was down they were so, so positive and keeping me in it. It was such a grind out there, so back and forth. I felt like I never really got anything going. But, I mean, I just can’t even believe it right now.”

For Ko the loss was doubly disappointing as not only did she not win her opening two events of the year, she missed out on qualification for the LPGA Hall of Fame which the victory would have given her.

Still, her time will surely come and she said as much after the playoff.

“To be honest, obviously I three-putted the second playoff hole, but other than that I don’t feel like I lost the tournament. You know, I made a great eagle on 17, great par on 18, and then Nelly just went eagle as well and then birdied the last.

“So, it’s kind of like what can you do? We played our hearts out until the very end and we put ourself into the playoff. You know, I tried my best out there. I don’t know, like I think every situation a very different. I think I was a lot calmer last week than I thought I was going to be. I was a lot calmer I think today than I thought I was going to be.

“So, it’s just I think depends on the situation. Always nice to be able to come down the last with a few-shot lead or cushion. It’s always nice.

“All I can do is play the best golf I can and keep giving myself opportunities and hopefully it will happen.”

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Nelly Korda – image courtesy of Getty Images 

Lydia Ko – wins 20th LPGA Tour title – image Getty Images 

Lydia Ko has completed a unique trifecta for New Zealand golfers this weekend by closing out the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona in Orlando Florida, winning the opening event of the LPGA Tour season by two shots over Alexa Pano.

The victory comes on top of Steve Alker’s eighth PGA Tour Champions win in Hawaii yesterday and the victory by Kazuma Kobori in a PGA Tour of Australasia event also over the weekend.

Ko, who led into the final round by two, opened up a five-shot lead midway through the final nine but a  strong finish by Pano closed the gap to just two.

For Ko, who resides at the Lake Nona estate, it is her 20^th LPGA Tour victory since, and including, her win at the Canadian Women’s Open as an amateur in 2012 and takes her earnings on the LPGA Tour beyond US$17 million.

Ko, who also won her opening event of 2023 when successful in Saudi Arabia before her form deserted her for much of the year, appears back close to her best following a lot of work with her new Korean coach and a confidence-boosting win when pairing with Jason Day at the Grant Thorn Invitation in December.

Ko was asked her thoughts on her form turnaround after such a disappointing season for much of 2023

“I think the finish that I had last year, not only winning Grant Thornton but I played really well in Korea and in Malaysia,” said the 26 year old. “Maybe if I had found the keys that I found then a little earlier, maybe I could have had a better season.

“I think if you keep going down a spiral of thinking like what if, it’s endless. I worked hard in the two weeks leading up to this event. To win at home has been nice.

There were definitely nerves, but a little less just because it is my home course. To see so many of the members come out and clap and cheer me on, I think that was the best part of this week.

“I won last year my first event and kind of went sideways very quickly, so to not get too cocky. I’m playing next week in Bradenton and that’s a new golf course for me. I’m excited to go out there.

“It’s a short turnover, but maybe I can take all the goods from this week and take it to next week. Florida has been great to me so hopefully another good week next week.”

Grace Kim was the only Australian in the field and finished 29th in the 35-player field.

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