Red Hot Chilean Leads The Way By Two In New Jersey

9 hours ago by 0

Red Hot Chilean Joaquín Niemann (Torque GC) has set himself up to capture a 22nd pro career title and a ninth LIV victory after moving two shots clear thanks to an first round  7-under 64 in grueling heat at LIV Golf New York at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

Niemann played bogey-free golf and made seven birdies, including carding a 5-under 30 on the front nine.

Ian Poulter (Majesticks Golf Club) continued his recent strong play with a bogey-free 5-under 66.

Australia’s own red hot star as present Lucas Herbert (Ripper GC) also sits T2 at 5-under after opening with a 66, while Brendan Steele (HyFlyers GC) and Thomas Pieters (4Aces GC) are tied for fourth at 3-under following rounds of 68.

Torque GC leads the team competition at 4-under, two shots ahead of HyFlyers GC. Ripper GC sits third at 1-under, while Majesticks GC is fourth at 1-over.

Torque GC is aiming for its first team victory of the 2026 LIV Golf season.

Friday’s Round 2 shotgun start time has been moved up to 10:05 a.m.

Key Player Quotes

  • “It’s super nice to be back here at Bedminster. It’s a proper golf course. Conditions are unbelievable. It’s one of those courses that is asking you to be committed on every shot. So I did that really good today. I was able to commit on every shot, trust my swing, see my ball flight, and just try to deliver the best I can. Yeah, pretty happy how the day came out…” — Niemann, Torque GC 

  • “It was a great day. I birdied the first two holes of the day, and my game has been feeling really good for a long time. I don’t know why, but you put the work in, you get contact lenses put in, you do little tweaks and bits and pieces. It turned into a nice round of golf today.” — Poulter, Majesticks Golf Club

  • “It’s just more fun. It’s more fun to try to do that together, to try to accomplish something together, and have guys to play practice rounds with and lean on and travel with. Cameron lives close to me in California, so we practice a ton at home. There’s just a ton of stuff I really enjoy about it.” — Steele, HyFlyers GC on the LIV Golf experience 

Leaderboard Snapshot

Individual Top 5 (full individual leaderboard)

1. Joaquín Niemann, Torque GC (-7, 64)

T2. Ian Poulter, Majesticks Golf Club (-5, 66)

T2. Lucas Herbert, Ripper Golf Club (-5, 66)

T4. Brendan Steele, HyFlyers GC (-3, 68)

T4. Thomas Pieters, 4Aces GC (-3, 68)

T6. Scott Vincent, HyFlyers GC (-2, 69)

T6. Harold Varner III, OKGC (-2, 69)

T6. Bubba Watson, RangeGoats Golf Club (-2, 69)

T6. Lee Westwood, Majesticks Golf Club (-2, 69)

T10. Yosuke Asaji, Wild Card (-1, 70)

T10. Sergio Garcia, Fireballs GC (-1, 70)

T10. Tom McKibbin, Legion XIII (-1, 70)

T10. Paul Casey, Crushers GC (-1, 70)

Team Top 5 (full team leaderboard)

1. Torque GC (-4) – Joaquín Niemann (64), Abraham Ancer (71), Carlos Ortiz (71), Sebastian Muñoz (74) 

T2. HyFlyers GC (-1) – Brendan Steele (68), Scott Vincent (69), Michael La Sasso (72), Cameron Tringale (74)

T2. Ripper Golf Club (-1) – Cam Smith (75), Lucas Herbert (66), Marc Leishman (71), Travis Smyth (71)

4. Majesticks Golf Club (+1) – Ian Poulter (66), Lee Westwood (69), Laurie Canter (73), Sam Horsfield (77)

5. RangeGoats Golf Club (+4) – Bubba Watson (69), Peter Uihlein (71), Matt Wolff (72), Ben Campbell (76)


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