{"id":706000,"date":"2026-05-31T15:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T15:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/706000\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T15:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T15:18:11","slug":"niemann-wins-liv-golf-korea-in-playoff-crushers-gc-claims-team-trophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/706000\/","title":{"rendered":"Niemann wins LIV Golf Korea in playoff; Crushers GC claims team trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

BUSAN, South Korea \u2013 To win a record eighth LIV Golf individual title, Joaquin Niemann outdueled another highly decorated player in Talor Gooch. To win a record 10th regular-season team title, Bryson DeChambeau\u2019s Crushers GC received help from a golden-haired reserve from Australia.<\/p>\n

Niemann beat Gooch, the OKGC captain, with a birdie on the first playoff hole Sunday to claim LIV Golf Korea. The win is Niemann\u2019s first in 2026 after winning five times last season; he now has three more wins than any other player in league history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun out there,\u201d said the 27-year-old Niemann, the league\u2019s youngest captain. \u201cI really enjoy the feeling of winning again.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: FINAL LEADERBOARD<\/a><\/p>\n

Niemann and Gooch, who shared the 54-hole lead, each finished at 12 under in regulation after they each shot final-round 3-under 67s at Asiad Country Club. Niemann had four birdies in a five-hole stretch on his front nine to take the lead, but Gooch made a 28-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to tie for the lead during their tense back-nine battle.<\/p>\n

In the playoff, Niemann\u2019s approach from 150 yards finished inside six feet to set up his winning birdie putt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like every hole was kind of like a match play,\u201d Niemann said. \u201c\u2026 I love having that pressure, knowing that you’ve got to hit the shot and you win the tournament. I feel like that’s what I always dreamed when I was a kid, hitting that last shot and making that last putt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said a disappointed Gooch, who was seeking his fifth LIV Golf individual title: \u201cIt’s frustrating when you have a chance to win. That doesn’t come too often in this game, so you want to capitalize on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Crushers successfully defended their LIV Golf Korea title won on a different course last year in Incheon, shooting a collective 23 under to beat OKGC by three shots. With their second win of this season, the Crushers now have 10 regular-season victories, breaking a tie with Legion XIII and 4Aces GC for most by any team.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust grateful, super grateful that I’ve got amazing guys, an amazing team,\u201d said DeChambeau, who finished solo third individually at 11 under, one shot out of a playoff. \u201cWe all click in different ways, but we all work to make our team the best out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those 10 wins have come in 50 regular-season starts since the core group of DeChambeau, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri and Paul Casey were established midway through the inaugural 2022 season.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s win, however, was the first with a lineup adjustment, as reserve player Travis Smyth filled in for Casey, who was sidelined with a wrist injury.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"Crushers<\/p>\n

Smyth was critical for the team\u2019s success, finishing in a four-way tie for eighth at 7 under that also included Howell. He played his final 10 holes in a bogey-free 3 under, providing some critical birdies en route to shooting 67.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t want to be the fill-in guy that disappoints the team and stops them from standing on the podium,\u201d said Smyth, who unfurled his blond shoulder-length hair during the team\u2019s post-round press conference. \u201cI’m over the moon. I’m super-proud of myself, super-proud of these guys, and couldn’t have asked for a better first week.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Australian becomes just the second reserve player to celebrate any kind of LIV Golf trophy; John Catlin won as a reserve with Smash GC at Greenbrier during the 2024 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, the week that Travis had, shooting those scores around this golf course,\u201d Howell said. \u201cWhen you’re playing for a team and you’re up there at the top and you’re wanting to win, it’s just one of the really, really cool things about LIV Golf \u2013 and it happens every week.\u201d<\/p>\n

FINAL LEADERBOARDS <\/p>\n

Individual Top 10<\/p>\n

1 (-12) \u2013 Joaquin Niemann, Torque (66-69-66-67) *<\/p>\n

2 (-12) \u2013 Talor Gooch, OKGC (69-63-69-67)<\/p>\n

3 (-11) \u2013 Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (65-68-71-65)<\/p>\n

4 (-10) \u2013 Dustin Johnson, 4Aces (70-70-64-66)<\/p>\n

5 (-9) \u2013 Scott Vincent, HyFlyers (65-70-67-69)<\/p>\n

T6 (-8) \u2013 Brendan Steele, HyFlyers (70-69-68-65); Harold Varner III, OKGC (68-69-68-67)<\/p>\n

T8 (-7) \u2013 Travis Smyth, Crushers (72-66-68-67); Lucas Herbert, Ripper (71-66-69-67); Marc Leishman, Ripper (69-68-68-68); Charles Howell III, Crushers (65-70-68-70)<\/p>\n

* Won on first playoff hole with birdie<\/p>\n

Team Top 3<\/p>\n

1 (-23) \u2013 Crushers GC (DeChambeau 65-68-71-65, Smyth 72-66-68-67, Howell III 65-70-68-70, Lahiri 68-73-70-71; Rd. 4 total: -7)<\/p>\n

2 (-20) \u2013 OKGC (Gooch 69-63-69-67, Varner III 68-69-68-67, Kokrak 68-70-69-70, McDowell 68-71-73-71; Rd. 4 total: -5)<\/p>\n

3 (-15) \u2013 Ripper GC (Leishman 69-68-68-68, Herbert 71-66-69-67, Smith 67-68-68-73, Smylie 71-69-74-69; Rd. 4 total: -3)<\/p>\n

Click here for full leaderboard<\/a><\/p>\n

ROUND 4 NOTES <\/p>\n

DECHAMBEAU WAKES UP: Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau was 6 under on his first 10 holes of the week. He then played the next 45 holes in even par.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of went to Never Never Land,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Specifically, DeChambeau said his swing got out of sync and that his hands were getting ahead of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt continued that way for the next two rounds, and it was very frustrating,\u201d he explained. \u201cI spent some long hours on the range trying to figure some stuff out and I was talking to AI quite a bit last night trying to go through some different physics principles that makes the club turn over, having some alpha torque and gamma torque put in there. I was like, what makes that possibly do that, and was talking about just grip pressure and tension.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suffice to say, he figured it out Sunday. Starting with the second hole, he posted five birdies in a 10-hole stretch to climb into contention before coming up a shot short of making the playoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I’m on the right path now, and I had it OK in the first round, but I felt really good this round,\u201d DeChambeau said. \u201cI felt better than I did in the first round, which is a good trend.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ\u2019S BOGEY-FREE FINISH: Dustin Johnson went bogey-free for his last 40 holes at Asiad Country Club, shooting 64-66 on the weekend to finish in solo fourth at 10 under. That\u2019s the 4Aces GC captain\u2019s best individual result of the season.<\/p>\n

Making the result even more impressive is that Johnson was ill most of the week, battling a cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cI barely made it through Thursday and Friday. It was everything I could do just to finish the rounds Thursday and Friday,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThen felt a little better yesterday and a little bit better today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson said he feeling better about his game now than at any point in the last two years. \u201cFinally, I feel like it’s consistent, like I’m finally driving it like I normally do,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, it obviously takes a lot of pressure off the rest of your game.\u201d<\/p>\n

TOUGH DAY FOR GOOCH: Talor Gooch is a huge fan of his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder team. He watched the broadcast of their Game 7 Western Conference finals loss in the NBA playoffs prior to teeing off Sunday, then endured his own tough loss in the playoff to Joaquin Niemann. \u201cDefinitely a disappointing day overall to say the least,\u201d said Gooch, who will now turn his attention to defending his title at LIV Golf Andalucia this week. \u201cHopefully we can get this day behind us quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

NIEMANN BACK TO WINNING WAYS: After winning five times last season, Joaquin Niemann had high expectations going into 2026. While being shut out in the first seven tournaments this season, he started to force things.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in the last group in Singapore on Sunday, and looking back to that day, I felt like I was just wanting it so bad to win. I just wanted to win,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like sometimes it just takes you out of the focus. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI just look back to 2025, and it was so easy to win. It just happened and I feel like that’s the way it should be, and I feel like I was forcing everything a little bit too much. Just let things happen and just stick to my stuff, stick to my routine and just be part of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

VINCENT\u2019S TOP 10: Scott Vincent\u2019s final round started and ended with bogeys, but he still managed a 1-under 69 to finish in solo fifth at 9 under. It\u2019s his third consecutive top-10 result since joining HyFlyers GC as a fill-in for captain Phil Mickelson. \u201cThere’s so many positives to take away from the week as a whole,\u201d Vincent said. \u201cToday didn’t quite happen. But yeah, lots of credit for just hanging in there because for a while I was, like, four shots out of it. To get right back into it was exciting and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

ORIGINAL CRUSHER: Travis Smyth played in LIV Golf\u2019s inaugural 2022 London tournament as a member of Crushers GC when Peter Uihlein was the captain. Bryson DeChambeau then joined the league for the next tournament in Portland, Oregon, and Smyth played two more times that season for other teams. \u201cI was one of the founding fathers of the Crushers when LIV first started,\u201d Smyth said. \u201cWe came second then as a team, and we came first this week. So, I don’t know. There’s something to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

RAHM\u2019S STRONG FINISH: Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, the current season-long points leader and two-time reigning Individual champion, birdied five of his final nine holes Sunday to shoot a 3-under 67, his lowest round of the week. Rahm finished in a four-way tie for 16th, just the second time he\u2019s finished outside the top 10 in any LIV Golf event that he\u2019s completed. He tied for 11th last year in Dallas.<\/p>\n

STATS LEADERS <\/p>\n

Round 4<\/p>\n

Driving Distance: Dean Burmester, 319.6-yard avg.<\/p>\n

Longest Drive: Dean Burmester, 345.3 yards (11th hole). Official measured drives taken only on holes 11 and 12.<\/p>\n

Driving Accuracy: Victor Perez, 92.86% (13 of 14)<\/p>\n

Greens in Regulation: Travis Smyth, Younghan Song, Laurie Canter, 88.89% (16 of 18)<\/p>\n

Scrambling: Nine players tied at 100%, led by Richard Bland (7 of 7), Miguel Tabuena (7 of 7)<\/p>\n

Fewest Putts: Danny Lee, 24<\/p>\n

Bogey-free rounds: Brendan Steele (65), Laurie Canter (65), Louis Oosthuizen (65), Dustin Johnson (66), Branden Grace (67), Richard Bland (67), Miguel Tabuena (68)<\/p>\n

Cumulative<\/p>\n

Driving Distance: Jon Rahm, 311.3-yard avg.<\/p>\n

Driving Accuracy: Ben Campbell, 76.79% (43 of 56)<\/p>\n

Greens in Regulation: Laurie Canter, 81.94% (59 of 72)<\/p>\n

Scrambling: Richard Bland (27 of 33), 81.82%<\/p>\n

Fewest Putts: Danny Lee, 104<\/p>\n

Lowest Rounds: Rd. 1 \u2013 Bryson DeChambeau, Charles Howell III, Scott Vincent (65); Rd 2 \u2013 Talor Gooch (63); Rd. 3 \u2013 Dustin Johnson (64); Rd. 4 \u2013 Bryson DeChambeau, Brendan Steele, Laurie Canter, David Puig, Cameron Tringale, Josele Ballester, Louis Oosthuizen (65)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BUSAN, South Korea \u2013 To win a record eighth LIV Golf individual title, Joaquin Niemann outdueled another highly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":706001,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-706000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=706000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/706001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=706000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=706000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=706000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}