'13 out of 14 is insane': Sebastian Munoz leads LIV Golf Indianapolis with birdie barrage
Munoz, born in Bogota, Columbia, opened the LIV Golf Indianapolis event on the course's second hole with a pair of back-to-back pars and a birdie on the fourth hole before a double-bogey on the fifth setup a spectacular run to cement him atop the leaderboard.
Munoz flipped the switch with 13 birdies in his final 14 holes, including eight consecutive, to finish 12-under par 71 at 59, marking the first sub-60 since Torque GC teammate Joaquin Niemann's 59 at Mayakoba last year.
'Awesome, awesome day. There was a lot of mental strength out there. I started decent, a couple of birdies and then a couple of bad shots in a row,' Munoz said. 'I ended up making a double, and you know, kind of forgave myself.'
Ranked seventh in the LIV individual standings, Munoz, who joined LIV in 2023, nearly broke the LIV record of 58 with his comeback round. Bryson DeChambeau of the United States shot a 58 in 2023 at Greenbrier in his final round to set the mark.
After his initial eight holes, Munoz lingered in the leaderboard's top six before steadily climbing upward, while Chile's Neimann, who is chasing the LIV individual championship this weekend, flirted with the top spot.
'Honestly, I didn't want to hold on and have a grudge all day, so I kind of forgot to forgive myself,' Munoz remarked on his early struggles. 'Ended up chipping in for birdie on six, birdie seven and eight and nine and 10 and then 12 and 13.'
Munoz pared on 14 before finishing out with five straight birdies.
'Something I've never done. I mean, I've done eight birdies in a row, I've tied my personal record, but 13 out of 14 is insane,' Munoz said. 'I've never sniffed that, so really proud of the way I handled the day, started the day and how I just came out and sorted through.'
Dustin Johnson of 4Aces GC is second behind Munoz at 9 under with a 62, followed by four-way tied for third between Cameron Smith (Ripper GC), Patrick Reed (4Aces GC), Thomas Pieters (4Aces GC) and Niemann. Each golfer shot 7 under at 64.
Niemann held the advantage after the front nine, posting six pars and three birdies followed by four birdies and two pars on the back before a double-bogey on the 16th hole pushed him down the board, as Munoz got locked in.
'I saw he was like 8 under, and (Jon) Rahm (Legion XIII) told me that he started with a double and then eight birdies in a row, so yeah, he's hot and he's a really hot player. We've seen that a lot of times, and yeah, it was pretty cool. It's nice to have one of those rounds,' Niemann said. 'Now, I can't say that I'm the only one on the team with a 59.'
With Mito Pereira tied for 24th at 3 under and Carlos Ortiz tied for 38th at 1 under, Torque GC led the team leaderboard with a 23 under ahead of 4Aces GC at 19 under following the first round.
'We talked about it early in the week. The whole thing is in a way about good momentum,' Niemann said. 'I feel like we've been playing great golf lately. You can see Mito; how good he's playing. You can see the confidence of his swing and the tee shots and on every shot that he's hitting right now.'
Torque GC has placed second in the past two tournaments, including at Chicago last weekend, which was determined by a playoff finale with Stinger GC winning on a pair of birdies.
Currently, Legion XIII leads the team standings in front of Crushers GC, Fireballs GC and Torque GC.
Indianapolis marks the final regular-season tournament, which puts a heavy emphasis on team results with seedings for next week's Michigan Team Championship up for grabs.
Teams with the highest seedings after LIV Golf Indianapolis will be able to select their opponents for the quarterfinal round. Torque GC hasn't won a team tournament championship this season.
Munoz changed that potential with a near-record setting day.
'Yeah, I got a sense, like, when I was watching Joaquin with Carlos on one of the screens in the course. We saw that he started hot, and I'm like, 'Oh, he's going to have a chance for 59,' and then I just kept making birdies. Kept making birdies, and then all of a sudden I'm like, 'Oh, I got the chance,'' Munoz said.
Another strong two days in front of the event's second straight sellout for ground passes at The Club at Chatham Hills today could give Munoz a shot at more.
'Chipping was really good for me just to kind of forget about the double and just kind of get in the flow with things,' Munoz said. 'I hope that I can, you know, keep playing good and having a lot cooler moments in the next couple of days.'
Torque GC's Niemann came to Westfield seeking to become the fourth different season individual champion in LIV Golf history, and while he faded in the standings slightly, the team captain remains right on course.
Niemann sits in a four-way tie for third at 7 under on the leaderboard, but his 208.43 points accumulated to date allotted him some breathing room over his closest pursuer, Rahm (196.16).
The 12.27 margin difference keeps the door open for Niemann, who is attempting to dethrone Rahm. Last week, Rahm lost in a three-way tiebreaker playoff in Chicago to champion Dean Burmester (Stinger GC), but he was able to close the gap on Niemann.
Rahm must place seventh or better to potentially pass up Niemann, who can fend off the Spaniard by either winning or placing second in LIV Golf Indianapolis.
If Neimann finishes third or fourth, then Rahm can claim a repeat by winning the regular-season finale. If Rahm places second, then Niemann must fall to fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth.
If Niemann is ninth through 13th, then Rahm can seize the title by finishing third or better. A Niemann 14th or 15th finish means Rahm can win at fourth or higher.
The worst case for Niemann is failing to break the top 25, which would allow Rahm to win by placing seventh or better.
'It's a new week. We've got to have a good start, and we gotta keep that momentum going,' Niemann said. 'It's definitely on my mind. I mean, it's something that I really focus on trying not to think that way. I feel like whenever I play my best game, my best golf, my best swings are whenever I'm present in the moment.'
While paying attention to Munoz throughout the day, Niemann stayed grounded in his game, especially being paired with Rahm and DeChambeau.
Rahm is locked in a 12-way tie for 12th on the leaderboard with the likes of former Majors champion Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers GC) at 4 under at 67.
'I'm not thinking about what might happen. I'm not thinking about points. I'm not chasing any points, any score. I'm just getting the shot that is right in front of me,' Niemann said.
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