Joaquin Niemann has a five-shot lead after two rounds at LIV Golf New York. He appears in total command of all facets of his game and is the only player in the field yet to make a bogey. It\u2019s very reminiscent of 2025 when he won a record five LIV Golf tournaments.<\/p>\n
But the Torque GC captain, seeking his second win in his last four league starts, isn\u2019t interested in comparing his current form to last year. He doesn\u2019t want to get stuck trying to simply duplicate the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019m never going to be the same as I was in 2025,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like you\u2019re always changing. You\u2019re always evolving and you\u2019re always a different person. 2025, I played amazing golf. I had five wins on LIV. Probably not the best results in major. But I feel I\u2019m a better player now. I feel like I have matured a lot more and whenever time goes on, there\u2019s always something to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 27-year-old Niemann, the league\u2019s youngest captain, followed his opening 7-under 64 with a bogey-free 65 on Friday, leaving him at 13 under entering the weekend at Trump National Bedminster. Fueled by Niemann, Torque also has a five-shot lead on the team leaderboard.<\/p>\n
Niemann\u2019s closest pursuer is the oldest captain in the field, 53-year-old Lee Westwood of England. The Majesticks co-captain is at 8 under after matching Niemann\u2019s 65. Another stroke back is 47-year-old Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia of Spain, who also shot 65.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Scott O\u2019Neil announces LIV Golf has new lead investor to keep league going in 2027<\/a><\/p>\n Both of those European legends realize that catching Niemann will be a difficult task \u2013 especially if the Chilean star keeps starting his rounds so strongly. In each of the first two days at Bedminster, he\u2019s shot 5-under 30 on the front nine.<\/p>\n \u201cJoaco is obviously a world-class player. For me, he\u2019s top 20 in the world,\u201d Westwood said. \u201cWhen he\u2019s on his game, he can run away with a tournament. But everybody is human, and everybody makes mistakes, and everybody feels pressure. So, we\u2019ll just see what happens, really. I\u2019ll just try and control what I can control.\u201d<\/p>\n Added Garcia: \u201cIf Joaco keeps shooting 5- or 6-under every day, it\u2019s going to be very difficult to catch him; it\u2019s as simple as that. When Joaco gets going the right way \u2026 it feels like he can birdie pretty much every hole.\u201d<\/p>\n Garcia faces the same 36-hole deficit as he did in the 2024 season opener at Mayakoba when he was six shots behind after Niemann opened with a 59 at the 54-hole tournament. Garcia managed to force a playoff that Niemann eventually won in the fading light in Mexico.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be nice hopefully on Sunday to have a playoff with him again,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n That win was the first of Niemann\u2019s LIV Golf record eight individual titles. Two of those victories came when Niemann led after the first round in 54-hole tournaments. When Niemann won his first 72-hole LIV Golf title in May in Korea, he was three strokes off the lead with 36 to play before reeling in Talor Gooch and beating the OKGC captain in a playoff.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously I\u2019ve been in this situation before, but like I say, I feel like every situation is different to the other ones,\u201d Niemann said. \u201cThere\u2019s just experience that you can learn from. I\u2019m just excited to go out there for the weekend and see what I can learn. I feel like there\u2019s so much golf to play. There are so many shots to hit. I\u2019m just excited to have the opportunity to go and see my shots, try to deliver the best I can, and go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media<\/p>\n