Seeking his first win of the year, Joaquin Niemann shares lead at LIV Golf Korea
· Yahoo Sports
Joaquin Niemann won five times on LIV Golf last year. This year, he's winless.
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The 27-year-old Chilean star is looking to change that at LIV Golf Korea, where he shares the lead with Talor Gooch after three rounds. But victory doesn't seem to be top-of-mind for the man nicknamed Joaco. Instead, he just wants to hit the ball well.
“Last year was an exceptional year. Winning five times, it was pretty cool,” said Niemann, whose seven total LIV Golf wins are the most of any player in the league's five-year history. "It's obviously a nice feeling to win, and we're out here for that. But I'm just more focused on what I'm doing now and the way I'm hitting the ball, just trying to keep chasing that trajectory that I'm seeing in my head, so that's what I need to do.”
What he's doing is working through 54 holes at Asiad Country Club in Busan, South Korea. Niemann fired a 4-under 66 in the opening round, followed it up with a 69, then posted another 66 in the third round to get to 9 under. He credited a hot putter for his stellar outing Saturday.
“Putter did behave a lot better today than the first two days, so pretty happy about that,” said Niemann. “It did love me a lot. I did love it a lot, too.”
Gooch, meanwhile, made 17 pars and one birdie for a 69 Saturday, just one day removed from pouring in eight birdies en route to a 7-under 63 in the second round.
“You've got to stay patient and just wait for your time and hope that it comes, and it unfortunately didn't come much today,” said Gooch, who's seeking his fifth career win on LIV Golf. “But that's why we stay patient. Maybe tomorrow it'll come.”
One shot behind Niemann and Gooch at 8 under is Scott Vincent, who's looking to secure his first LIV Golf victory. The 34-year-old Zimbabwe native was relegated from the circuit in 2024 but earned his way back by finishing atop the season-long International Series standings last year.
“Winning out here is not easy,” said Vincent, who entered the week coming off two straight top-10 finishes. “I think just big picture-wise, just putting myself in this position is just great for me, try and get better and develop as a player.”
To win in Korea, Vincent will not only need to overtake Niemann and Gooch, but he'll also have to hold off a trio of major champions lurking close behind. Cameron Smith is tied for fourth at 7 under, just two shots off the lead, while Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson are part of a tie for sixth at 6 under.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: LIV Golf Korea: Joaquin Niemann, Talor Gooch share 54-hole lead