Joaquin Niemann graces Jon Rahm’s christening at LIV Golf
Jon Rahm began a new era of his career at LIVGolf, the club that provided a sky-high contract (500 million) for his great-grandchildren to thrive. He was greeted at the Tour by mariachis who turned up the music in order to secure a place in management early on and satisfy Greg Norman, the boss who sold the Saudis on the idea of another golf course. The final two bogeys put him at 66 strokes and seven behind reluctant leader Chilean Joaquin Niemann, who signed a stellar 59-stroke card with 10 birdies and an eagle. Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, finished with a 65.
If Ram had started on the right note – a bird in his baptismal pit, and then two on the next three, one from four meters -, Sergio did it at full speed. The one from Borriol, who has not had a win since October 2020, looks strong at 44 years old. Buoyed by two good shots, he made two more birdies with two brilliant irons.
First hour of play in the LIV Golf 2024 season It was a Spanish monologue. Niemann and Charles Howell, who hails from the same Augusta and speaks broken Spanish but does not finish launching, reinforced the language spoken in the Chameleon of the majestic Mayakoba, rising above the Caribbean Sea.
Ram, for the first time, as far as I remember, in shorts – his twins’ asymmetrical figure visible due to surgery at birth with a clogged right foot – he doubled down with birdie four after the first par 5. With it, he tracked down Sergio, who had stumbled on the green of the 7th. hole – he started playing with three of us – and stopped the fireworks. Niemann hasn’t gone bald yet.
Mass drawing
El Camaleon and its cenotes, limestone caves of extraordinary beauty, were kind. Garcia regained the lead with his fifth success in six holes. This happened after a shot on the par 3 8th hole, in which the ball bounced a meter from the flag and went about four. It was a curious fall, from right to left and down the slope. And Sergio read it like a GPS. In addition, Niemann and Dustin Johnson also appeared at 5 under par, a score that Barrick would later reach taking advantage of the second par 5 7th hole, the Devil’s Mouth, an iconic Mayakoba site.
The quality of LIV, with 25 great people in its ranks, is undeniable.. Who doesn’t have it yet but is a great candidate is Niemann, a golfer as elastic as a slingshot. He hits long, keeps them close, and when he doesn’t, shows off a lethal stick. He took advantage at -7 and broke the tie with Sergio, who made another good birdie and, in addition, on his tenth hole, the eleventh, he birdied the ball from 120 meters with his second bounce. Head and 9 under par. No one stopped him until he finished the day as the leader. Not even Rahm, who would have made two more birdies anyway, offset by two bogeys on the final two holes.
Garcia also received support from the outside – chip at 13 -, which heated his irons again. He made four birdies on four par-3s, which was unusual. Real magic.