Jon Rahm blows opportunity to win on LIV Golf debut but his Legion XIII takes team honours at Mayakoba.
When Jon Rahm hit his tee shot into the penalty area on hole 17, he lost a huge chance to win on his LIV Golf debut, and Joaquin Niemann defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff at Mayakoba.
Rahm did, however, find solace in the fact that his new Legion XIII won team honors.
Before the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba, the 29-year-old Spaniard was two strokes behind Niemann in the individual competition.
After dropping on the 13th hole in the second round, Niemann was given a two-stroke penalty for breaking the rules, which changed his round of 70 to a 72 on Sunday morning. Niemann had led by four shots the previous night.
Over the first 12 holes of the final round, tournament favorite Rahm struggled to find his best game due to inconsistent driving, poor iron play, and several missed birdie attempts from within 20 feet.
By the time Rahm reached the turn, he was three strokes behind due to some careless play.
However, starting from the 13th hole, LIV Golf’s reportedly $600 million man made three consecutive birdies, tying his 44-year-old compatriot Garcia for the lead.
Niemann, 25, initially trailed the pair by one shot, but he soon caught up with a brave birdie on the challenging par-4 16th hole.
Rahm hit an iron off the tee on the 17th hole, but it found the penalty area well left of the fairway, resulting in a costly bogey-five that dropped him out of the lead. Garcia was leading the field at 12-under par after his final-round 66.
Rahm attempted a birdie on the final hole, but his tee shot found the bunker. He then made another bogey to tie for third place on 10-under par.
Niemann, who shot an incredible 59 on Friday, was playing with Rahm in the final group. On hole 18, he had a birdie putt to win inside of 12 feet, but he missed it to the left.
It meant facing his old coach Garcia in a round of sixteen in the playoffs.
Due to fading light, Garcia and Niemann were asked by a rules official if they wanted to return on Monday morning after three tied holes in par down the 18th.
However, they decided to play the 18th hole again, so they got back in the cart.
Niemann then hit a wedge into 15 feet after Garcia made his first major error of the playoffs by placing his second shot into the deep rough to the right of the green.
The Spaniard chipped up to about twelve feet, but it didn’t really matter because Niemann won the game in the dark by making a birdie putt.
Niemann wins his first LIV Golf championship in Mexico, taking home a whooping $4 million first prize. He also receives an extra $125,000 for his Torque GC team’s third-place finish in the team competition.
Rahm’s Legion XIII, which included himself, Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt, and Kieran Vincent, lost their LIV Golf debut, but they did at least win team honors by four shots at 24-under par.
In his first professional start on LIV Golf, Surratt, 19, tied for 13th place on 5-under par, a very respectable result. Hatton, on the other hand, contributed significantly to the team’s victory with a fantastic 64-hole final round performance, finishing tied for eighth place on 7-under par.
Rahm’s Legion XIII win as a team in Mexico and split $3 million.
Even though the team won on their debut, Rahm was disappointed with his own performance.
Rahm spoke of his personal heartbreak, saying, “I might need another five minutes, I’m very disappointed in myself and it’s a tough pill to swallow,” before praising his new team.
“But, see, my team—which was only put together on Monday—has come in and left our mark, created an impression, and everyone now recognizes us as a formidable force.”
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