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[Herald Economy Sports Desk = Reporter Lee Kang-rae] Joaquin Niemann (Chile) held a share of the 54-hole lead at LIV Golf Korea, a $30 million purse event.
Niemann fired a 4-under 66 on Day 3 at Busan’s Asiad Country Club (par 70/7,024 yards), carding six birdies and two bogeys. His total of 201 put him at 9-under, tied with Taylor Gooch (USA), who trimmed one stroke today.
Niemann sits atop the LIV Golf win list with seven career victories, two clear of Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka (both USA), who are tied with five. He won five times last season and earned roughly 56 billion KRW (about $42 million) in prize money. Niemann hasn’t found the winner’s circle yet this season and is eager to close the deal at LIV Golf Korea.
Despite a compact build, Niemann creates massive clubhead speed through explosive body rotation and strong ground reaction. He ranks second on LIV Golf in driving distance, averaging about 315–322 yards off the tee, behind Bryson DeChambeau. At the 2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba event, he posted a flawless 59—one eagle and 10 birdies with no bogeys.
His long-iron distance fuels an aggressive style. While he primarily favors a fade, coaches and analysts praise his shot-making, saying he can dial in both draw and fade when the situation demands.
Niemann also showed strong touch on the greens, needing just 28 putts over 18 holes today. He jumped out early with three birdies by the fifth hole to take control of the leaderboard, and he drained a clutch 33-foot (10.0 m) birdie putt on the par-4 18th to enter the final round tied for the lead.
Niemann leads the field in greens in regulation at 79.63%. After his round he smiled, “My putter was much better today than the first two days. It felt like the putter loved me, and I loved it back.” By contrast, top-ranked players such as Jon Rahm (Spain) missed multiple birdie chances after struggling to read the subtle breaks on the Asiad CC greens.
Gooch, a four-time LIV winner, held a share of the lead for the second straight day. After a 7-under charge yesterday, he managed just one birdie and 17 pars today. “You have to stay patient and wait for your turn,” he said. “I didn’t get many chances today, so I had to be patient. Tomorrow a chance might come.”
Scott Vincent (Zimbabwe) shot 3-under 67 to move to 8-under 202 and sit alone in third. Vincent will chase his first LIV Golf title against the Niemann–Gooch group. “Winning on LIV isn’t easy,” he said. “But being in this position means a lot to me. It’s a chance to grow and improve as a player.”
Cameron Smith (Australia) posted a 2-under 68 to reach 7-under 203, tied for fourth with Charles Howell III (USA).
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau lost a stroke after three birdies and four bogeys, dropping to 6-under 204 and a tie for sixth with Dustin Johnson (USA) and Ben Campbell (New Zealand). Johnson carded the day’s best round, a bogey-free 6-under 64 with six birdies.
Moon Do-yeop made four birdies but also had three bogeys and a double, finishing 1-over 71 and standing at 3-under 207, tied for 14th with Song Young-han, who improved by one today. Six shots back of the co-leaders, Moon will likely aim for a top-10 finish rather than a comeback victory.
Byeong-hun An, captain of the Korean Golf Club, dropped another shot and is at 4-over 214, tied for 47th with Kim Min-gyu. The Korean Golf Club sits eighth in the team standings at 2-over, 18 strokes behind leaders Crushers GC (16-under).
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