Robert TheodorsonJoaquin Niemann defeated a star-studded field and secured his fourth win of the 2025 LIV Golf season.
Niemann’s 8-under par 63 was good enough to defeat Anirban Lahiri (T2; 14-under par) who started Championship Sunday with a two-stroke advantage over Graeme McDowell who finished T2 alongside Lahiri.
Niemann Stands Alone in First Place
The Torque captain put on a clinic during a messy affair that was rain delayed twice, including some flooding which turned greens into swimming pools.
Finishing the day with eight birdies, Niemann strengthened his stranglehold on the season-long individual standings in which he sits alone in first place, almost forty points better than Bryson DeChambeau and approximately fifty better than Jon Rahm, the 2024 Individual Champion.
After having the individual trophy gradually slip out of his grasp last season, Niemann looks like a lock to runaway with the individual championship for 2025.
Perhaps the most amazing fact about Niemann’s four-win season is that no other LIV golfer has more than one win, with Sergio Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau being the only members of the league with a win and a Top 3 podium finish to their credit thus far.
LIV Virginia Brings Out the Best in Star Players
Golf fans couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion than what transpired on Sunday.
The final Top 10 pleased the sell-out crowds, cheering on their superstar captains Joaquin Niemann (1), Bryson DeChambeau (T4), Phil Mickelson (T4), Bubba Watson (T4), Martin Kaymer (T8), Lee Westwood (T8), and Dustin Johnson (T10).
The beauty of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville may have been worth the price of admission alone, but fans on the grounds and at those watching at home were treated to an absolutely amazing finish.
It was something really special, seeing many of the stars that made us all start watching LIV in the first place, do so well, and finish so high in the standings.
Crushers Gunning for First Place
The Brooks versus Bryson team showdown did not end quite as dramatically as expected. DeChambeau and Anirban Lahiri guided the Crushers to a relatively safe lead over Brooks Koepka’s Smash as the day transpired, pulling away with relative ease.
The Crushers would end their day with a score of 15-under par and conclude LIV Virginia in 1st place with a cumulative score of 36-under par. It was the Crushers second win of the season, and second consecutive victory after winning LIV Korea.
Thanks to the mediocre back-to-back results of Legion XIII, Bryson’s Crushers now sit only ten points out of first place.
Important to note that LIV Dallas, after the U.S. Open, will be a home game of sorts for DeChambeau who played collegiate golf at SMU.
What happened to Smash?
While the scores of Koepka and Kokrak didn’t hurt Smash, they certainly didn’t help them either.
Smash was eventually eclipsed by a resurgent 4 Aces squad led by Belgian Thomas Pieters who had an incredible 8-under par Sunday, ultimately finishing T4.
Captain Dustin Johnson may have turned his season around (again) by putting on a masterclass Sunday performance with seven birdies. The former U.S. Open winner would finish the tournament T10, his third Top 10 finish of the season.
We will be looking for DJ to parlay his recent performance into something special next week at Oakmont, where he won his first major championship nine years ago.
