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New Straits Times
16 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sebastian Munoz wins first LIV event, Jon Rahm clinches 2025 individual title at Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS: Colombia's Sebastian Munoz birdied the final two holes of regulation and won a one-hole playoff over Spain's Jon Rahm to win the LIV Golf Indianapolis event on Sunday in Westfield, Indiana. Rahm, who surged up the leaderboard in the third round by shooting an 11-under-par 60, lost the event but narrowly won his second consecutive LIV Golf Individual Championship over Chile's Joaquin Niemann. Munoz entered the day tied with Dustin Johnson atop the leaderboard at 16 under. A bogey on the par-4 15th hole dropped him to 20 under for the tournament while Rahm ended his round on a run, shooting his final six holes at 5 under to get into the clubhouse at 22 under. After a par on the 16th hole, Munoz rallied with back-to-back birdies on the final two holes to force a playoff and birdied the 18th hole once again to end the playoff after Rahm's birdie putt drifted just left of the hole. It was Munoz's first career LIV victory after he previously had six top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes over his three years on the tour. "There's no words to describe it right now. I'm proud of myself," Munoz said. "It's been a long time coming, six years since my last win, and it's awesome right now being able to take it in with my daughter, my family, everyone here, it's great." Rahm, who entered the day tied for ninth at 11-under, was sensational throughout the final individual round of the 2025 LIV season. He finished a bogey-free front nine with five birdies. On the back nine, he scored an eagle on the Par-5 13th, and then birdied the final four holes after a bogey on the par-3 14th. Rahm won the individual title despite not winning a single event this season. He stormed past Niemann at the wire with three second-place finishes in the last four LIV events. But he admitted the feelings weren't all joy because he lost a playoff for the second straight tournament. "Slightly bittersweet. Like I know I'm supposed to be happy. It's a great moment. But it just doesn't feel great to finish the year losing two playoffs," Rahm said. "That part doesn't feel great, so I'm sure over time I'll get over that, and I really appreciate what I've done this year. To be able to win the season without actually winning a tournament, I know eventually I'll be proud of that." Niemann entered the week No. 1 in the individual championship standings, with five wins in the first 12 events of the season. He finished tied for fourth in Indianapolis to total 223.66 points in the individual standings, just behind Rahm's 226.16. "We all know how good of a player he is, and yeah, he played amazing," Niemann said. "I feel like he didn't miss many shots, made a lot of putts, left his ball close to the hole pretty much every time. I played good. I started playing my best golf on the back nine, which I'm proud of it, but at the end of the day, the putts didn't drop, and it wasn't enough." Niemann and Munoz are teammates on Torque GC, which won the team title at Indianapolis with a team score of 64 under, 10 strokes clear of second-place Legion XIII (54 under). England's Ian Poulter entered the day in the relegation zone, but he birdied four of his final holes to finish 48th in the LIV individual standings, the final secure spot for the 2026 season. Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Andy Ogletree, Chile's Mito Pereira, Yubin Jang of South Korea, Anthony Kim and Denmark's Frederik Kjettrup are the six players who finished in the relegation zone (49th through 54th in the individual standings). They will have to play their way back onto the tour by winning the International Series or through LIV Golf Promotions. The 2025 LIV season comes to an end Aug. 22 through 24 with the Team Championship event at The Cardinal at St. John's in Plymouth, Michigan. - REUTERS
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Sebastian Munoz wins first LIV event, Jon Rahm clinches 2025 individual title at Indianapolis
August 18 - Colombia's Sebastian Munoz birdied the final two holes of regulation and won a one-hole playoff over Spain's Jon Rahm to win the LIV Golf Indianapolis event Sunday in Westfield, Ind. Rahm, who surged up the leaderboard in the third round by shooting an 11-under-par 60, lost the event but narrowly won his second consecutive LIV Golf Individual Championship over Chile's Joaquin Niemann. Munoz entered the day tied with Dustin Johnson atop the leaderboard at 16 under. A bogey on the par-4 15th hole dropped him to 20 under for the tournament while Rahm ended his round on a run, shooting his final six holes at 5 under to get into the clubhouse at 22 under. After a par on the 16th hole, Munoz rallied with back-to-back birdies on the final two holes to force a playoff and birdied the 18th hole once again to end the playoff after Rahm's birdie putt drifted just left of the hole. It was Munoz's first career LIV victory after he previously had six top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes over his three years on the tour. "There's no words to describe it right now. I'm proud of myself," Munoz said. "It's been a long time coming, six years since my last win, and it's awesome right now being able to take it in with my daughter, my family, everyone here, it's great." Rahm, who entered the day tied for ninth at 11-under, was sensational throughout the final individual round of the 2025 LIV season. He finished a bogey-free front nine with five birdies. On the back nine, he scored an eagle on the Par-5 13th, and then birdied the final four holes after a bogey on the par-3 14th. Rahm won the individual title despite not winning a single event this season. He stormed past Niemann at the wire with three second-place finishes in the last four LIV events. But he admitted the feelings weren't all joy because he lost a playoff for the second straight tournament. "Slightly bittersweet. Like I know I'm supposed to be happy. It's a great moment. But it just doesn't feel great to finish the year losing two playoffs," Rahm said. "That part doesn't feel great, so I'm sure over time I'll get over that, and I really appreciate what I've done this year. To be able to win the season without actually winning a tournament, I know eventually I'll be proud of that." Niemann entered the week No. 1 in the individual championship standings, with five wins in the first 12 events of the season. He finished tied for fourth in Indianapolis to total 223.66 points in the individual standings, just behind Rahm's 226.16. "We all know how good of a player he is, and yeah, he played amazing," Niemann said. "I feel like he didn't miss many shots, made a lot of putts, left his ball close to the hole pretty much every time. I played good. I started playing my best golf on the back nine, which I'm proud of it, but at the end of the day, the putts didn't drop, and it wasn't enough." Niemann and Munoz are teammates on Torque GC, which won the team title at Indianapolis with a team score of 64 under, 10 strokes clear of second-place Legion XIII (54 under). England's Ian Poulter entered the day in the relegation zone, but he birdied four of his final holes to finish 48th in the LIV individual standings, the final secure spot for the 2026 season. Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Andy Ogletree, Chile's Mito Pereira, Yubin Jang of South Korea, Anthony Kim and Denmark's Frederik Kjettrup are the six players who finished in the relegation zone (49th through 54th in the individual standings). They will have to play their way back onto the tour by winning the International Series or through LIV Golf Promotions. The 2025 LIV season comes to an end Aug. 22 through 24 with the Team Championship event at The Cardinal at St. John's in Plymouth, Mich. -Field Level Media
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
LIV Indianapolis Round 1 Recap: Sebastian Munoz Shoots Record-Setting 59
LIV Golf LIV Indianapolis Round 1 Recap: Sebastian Munoz Shoots Record-Setting 59 Published Aug. 15, 2025 9:15 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link WESTFIELD, Ind. – Torque GC star Sebastian Munoz shot a record-setting 59 in Round 1 at LIV Golf Indianapolis while Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann and Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm continued to battle it out for the season-long Individual Championship. Here are some other news, notes and stats from the first round. PROJECTIONS AFTER RD. 1 The LIV Golf Individual Championship and Zone status for players will be decided after LIV Golf Indianapolis, the regular-season finale. Here's a look at the various projections after Friday: INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP. Joaquin Niemann shot a 64 and is tied for third while Jon Rahm is tied for 12th after shooting 67. Niemann is now projected to win by 27.18 points. THIRD PLACE. Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau entered the week in the final bonus-paying position and remains there after shooting 67. Patrick Reed did pass him at one point during the day when Reed held the solo lead, but the 4Aces GC star slipped back into a tie for third after shooting 64. Sebastian Munoz, who started the week in seventh, cannot catch DeChambeau. ADVERTISEMENT LOCK ZONE. 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson (28 to 13) and HyFlyers GC's Cameron Tringale (27 to 23) moved into the projected top 24 that earns guaranteed playing privileges for next season. Johnson is solo second on the leaderboard after shooting 62, while Tringale is tied for ninth after his 66. Dropping below the projected top 24 are Stinger GC's Charl Schwartzel (from 21 to 25) and Crushers GC's Charles Howell III (24 to 26). DROP ZONE. HyFlyers GC's Andy Ogletree (50 to 47) moved out of the projected Drop Zone that will result in relegation after the season after shooting 67. Falling into the projected Drop Zone was Majesticks GC Co-Captain Lee Westwood (47 to 49), who shot a 70 and is tied for 38th. "I'm obviously at risk and I can't play super-conservative," said Ogletree. "I have to go try to post a good score and make some birdies." MUÑOZ'S LAST PUTT Sebastian Munoz faced an uphill 3-foot putt on his final hole Friday to finish off his historic round of 59. He said it was reminiscent of a short putt he failed to convert during an attempt to make the U.S. Open field. "Kind of reminded me of a putt I hit in the U.S. Open qualifier in sectionals that I had a 3-footer to make it through, and I missed it, and I felt like I rushed it. I wasn't all of myself there," he said. "So, I just reminded myself, just stay here in the moment, keep breathing, one more time, just keep it simple, and it worked." JOHNSON'S LATE BID 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson is trying to post his first win of the year; he has only failed to record a win in a calendar year just one time in his professional career, and he has won a LIV Golf tournament in each of his first three seasons. Friday's 9-under 62 sets him up for a potential weekend run. "I know it's late in the season, but I've been working at it hard," Johnson said. "It just hasn't really clicked. … It would be nice to finish off the year with a win, but obviously there's two more rounds and a lot of good players and still 36 holes to go." GOOD SCORING AT CHATHAM HILLS The field average of 68.519 in the first round is nearly 2-1/2 strokes under par at The Club at Chatham Hills. A total of 17 eagles were made on Friday, including 10 at the 554-yard par-5 seventh, which played to a stroke average of 4.148. That made it the easiest hole in any single round in LIV Golf history. "With this type of golf course, you've got to be able to put on the gas and get going," said 4Aces GC star Patrick Reed after shooting a 7-under 64 that left him tied for third. GROUNDS PASSES UPDATE LIV Golf announced that grounds passes for Indianapolis sold out for Friday's opening round and are also sold out for Saturday's second round. Fans can still access the action through a limited number of VIP and Premium Hospitality experiences. A limited number of grounds passes remain available for Sunday's final round. LIV GOLF SUB-60 ROUNDS There have now been three sub-60 rounds shot in the first four seasons of LIV Golf. Bryson DeChambeau, 58 (12 under), 2023 LIV Golf Greenbrier, Rd. 3 Joaquin Niemann, 59 (12 under), 2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba, Rd. 1 Sebastián Muñoz, 59 (12 under), 2025 LIV Golf Indianapolis, Rd. 1 Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! What did you think of this story? share
Fox Sports
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
LIV Golf Andalucia Preview: Sergio Garcia Eyes Repeat At 'My Favorite Course'
LIV Golf returns to historic Real Club Valderrama for the third consecutive season for this week's LIV Golf Andalucia, the 10th tournament of the 14-event 2025 season. BASIC INFO When: July 11-13, 2025 Where: Real Club Valderrama, San Roque, Cádiz, Spain Competition: Three rounds/54 holes of stroke play Field: 54 players — 13 teams of four players each, and two wild cards Defending champions: Sergio Garcia (individual), Fireballs GC (team) Shotgun Start (ET)Rd. 1, Friday - 7 2, Saturday - 7 a.m. Rd. 3, Sunday - 6:30 a.m. KEY STORYLINES LIV Golf returns to Andalucía for the third consecutive season at the historic Valderrama course Spanish legend Sergio Garcia and his Fireballs GC seek to defend their individual and team titles from last year The Fireballs won last year's title at Valderrama in a team playoff over Crushers GC, who finished third the previous year Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers will seek to match the LIV Golf record of four consecutive team wins set by 4Aces GC during the inaugural 2022 season The Crushers moved atop the season-long team standings with their dominant 11-shot victory in Dallas; they also won the previous two tournaments in Korea and Virginia 4Aces GC's Patrick Reed won his first individual LIV Golf title in Dallas, claiming a four-man playoff that included Paul Casey (Crushers), Louis Oosthuizen (Stinger GC) and Jinichiro Kozuma (Iron Heads GC) Four Spanish natives are in the 54-man field – Garcia and his Fireballs teammates David Puig and recently signed Josele Ballester, and Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner and winner of the 2024 LIV Golf Individual Championship Latin star Joaquin Niemann of Chile is the current individual points leader with four wins in the first nine tournaments this season Andalucía is the last LIV Golf tournament prior to next week's Open Championship, in which 19 of the league's players will compete at Royal Portrush LEGENDARY VALDERRAMA Spanish-born Sergio Garcia, the captain of Fireballs GC, calls Real Club Valderrama "my favorite course in the world." Given that Garcia has won four professional tournaments there, including his breakthrough LIV Golf individual playoff in 2024, it's no wonder a smile crosses his face whenever he talks about Valderrama. The 45-year-old Garcia certainly is happy to return to the course for this week's LIV Golf Andalucía for the third consecutive year. "It's super special," Garcia said. "Not only for me but for all of us because of how much Valderrama means to all of us, to Europe, all the amazing things that have happened here on this golf course." Last year was certainly amazing for both Garcia and his Fireballs, as they swept both trophies via playoff – the only time in LIV Golf's young history that a tournament has produced a double playoff for the individual and team titles. "It's been great to me," Garcia said. Garcia is not the only Spanish-born captain in LIV Golf. Legion XIII's Jon Rahm also enjoys returning to his home country to play Valderrama, the first course in Continental Europe to host the Ryder Cup in 1997. "It's all subjective, but it's probably the best golf course we have in Spain," Rahm said. "It's something that we all grew up wanting to play." Cleeks Golf Club Captain Martin Kaymer was born in Germany but now resides in the Sotogrande area that includes Valderrama. He's been close on several occasions in his pro career to lifting a trophy there. "One of those venues where I wanted to put my name on the trophy," Kaymer said. "I came close. I think I finished five or six times in the top 5. So, it's a golf course that I like, that I enjoy playing, that I can play well. It's a matter of time, hopefully." CHASING THE RECORD Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers GC have won the last three LIV Golf team titles and will seek a fourth straight trophy at LIV Golf Andalucía. If they win at Valderrama, it would match the LIV Golf record for longest win streak by either a team or individual. LIV GOLF WIN STREAKS 4 – 4Aces GC (2022 Portland/Bedminster/Boston/Chicago) 3 – Crushers GC (2025 Korea/Virginia/Dallas) 3 – Fireballs GC (2025 Adelaide/Hong Kong/Singapore) 2 – Ripper GC (2024 Adelaide/Singapore)2 – Crushers GC (2024 Jeddah/Hong Kong) 2 – Torque GC (2023 DC/Andalucía) ABOUT THE COURSE REAL CLUB VALDERRAMA San Roque, Cádiz, Spain Par: 71Yardage: 7,010 Meters: 6,410 Ranked among the top courses in the world, Real Club Valderrama has hosted numerous professional events, including LIV Golf Andalucía in 2023 and 2024, along with the 1997 Ryder Cup – the first time the event had been held in Continental Europe Valderrama was originally designed by famed golf architect Robert Trent Jones in 1974. Jones was brought back to work on the course when Jaime Ortiz-Patiño bought the course in the mid-1980s Valderrama is widely considered to be the "Augusta of Europe" for its championship pedigree and immaculate maintenance The golf club is one of two in Europe to be awarded the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program Certification for its commitment to conserve and restore natural ecosystems The course will have four par-4 holes under 400 yards; the longest par 3 is 225 yards, the longest par 4 is 490 yards and the longest par 5 is 564 yards The 564-yard par-5 fourth, known as La Cascada, has a pond to the right of a two-tiered green The memorable 536-yard par-5 17th provides a natural amphitheater for fans Sergio Garcia (2024) and Talor Gooch (2023) have won individual LIV Golf titles at Valderrama, while Fireballs GC (2024) and Torque GC (2023) have team wins In 2024, the hardest hole was the par-4 18th with a stroke average of 4.340; the easiest hole was the par-5 11th (4.716) The 212-yard par-3 12th was the hardest hole in 2023 and the second-hardest in 2024 Green types: Bermuda Tifway 419 on fairways and rough; T1 Creeping Bentgrass on greens KEYS TO SUCCESS Bogey Avoidance: Much more important than birdie rate. The average top-5 finisher at this course has made 2.75 bogeys per round vs 4.25 for the other players finishing in the top 50. Finding Fairways: The value of distance is the lowest all season, averaging at just +0.11 per hole. There is also severe miss fairway penalty in play, average +0.40. Driver will likely only be used 6/7 times at the most. Inside 150 Yards: Players will face 52% of their approach shots this week with the wedges inside of 150 yards vs the season average of 32.5%. Lag Putting: Because the penalty for missing greens is so severe, players focus on the middle and larger parts of the greens instead of aiming for flags. Thus, longer lag first putts are more impactful. This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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