DRIVERS OFF THE DECK
Bubba Watson eagled the par-5 10th and 13th holes thanks to drivers off the deck with his second shots that found the greens.
On his shot at the 10th that was 300-plus yards from the pin: “I was just trying to get it over there where I could chip down to the bowl, right? I was like, man, that might have hit the downslope and about that time, 30-40 seconds later, everybody starts cheering. I was like, must have hit the downslope.”
On his shot at the 13th: “A different shot. I was trying to fit that in there, but I don’t go to the range and practice them. I never practice those until we’re playing practice rounds, and I need that shot.”
The eagles were part of a six-hole stretch that also included four birdies. “Birdieing that many holes in a row is one thing,” Watson said. “Doing it with a couple eagles in there was pretty crazy.”
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
With two regular-season tournaments left, the season-long Individual Championship is now down to three players – Joaquin Niemann, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. With 40 points for each individual tournament win, no other players are within 80 points of Niemann going into the final two tournaments of the regular season.
ANOTHER STRONG FINISH FOR GOOCH
Smash GC’s Talor Gooch followed his LIV Golf Andalucía victory with a solo fourth after consecutive rounds of 5-under 66 on the weekend left him at 11 under. He’s now fourth in the individual standings and has a chance to move into a bonus-paying top-three position.
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to catch Joaco, but we just gave another good crack at it,” Gooch said. “Hopefully we’re still within shooting distance and we can have another two good tournaments coming up.”
Gooch won the 2023 Individual Championship in a season in which he won three times and held the points lead for the majority of the season. That’s allowed him a unique perspective on Niemann’s five-win season.
“You just try to bottle it up and make it last for as long as you can,” he said. “He’s obviously a phenomenal player and I don’t foresee him slowing down anytime soon. You enjoy it. You don’t take good golf for granted When it’s easy, it’s a fun game.”
LEGION XIII’S SUCCESS RATE
As LIV Golf’s first expansion team, Legion XIII has made 24 regular season starts since joining the league prior to the 2024 season. They’ve won eight times – a phenomenal 33.3% success rate.
Certainly having Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton as arguably the league’s best 1-2 punch is one thing, but the maturation of Caleb Surratt and the offseason addition of Northern Ireland phenom Tom McKibbin has made the roster even more potent as the league adjusted its format to count all four player scores in every round this season.
“The rule change of all four scores counting, I thought, was going to be beneficial for us,” Rahm said.
Added Hatton: “Certainly this year we have a very strong team and obviously it’s nice that Caleb has been playing better this season. The result this week is great for him to grow in his confidence and prove to himself that he’s good enough. He just needs to trust himself more.”
NIEMANN’S CHANGES
Joaquin Niemann started the week making some significant changes to his support team, including a caddie switch. But he said that his victory Sunday shouldn’t be construed as a justification for his staff adjustments.
“Because I played good this week, it doesn’t mean that it was because of the decision that I took,” he said. “I feel like I’m trying to get better every week, and I feel like I don’t have to justify anything, any decision that I make. I feel like every decision is the right decision.”
BIG DAY FOR BALLESTER
Fireballs GC’s newest addition, Josele Ballester, shot a final-round 6-under 65 to tie for seventh at 9 under. It’s the rising Spanish star’s best result in his four starts since joining the league as a mid-season replacement for Luis Masaveu. It was Ballester’s first point-scoring finish of the season, moving him up to 42nd in the standings.
STINGER ON PODIUM
On Saturday, LIV Golf announced it will play in South Africa in 2026 – the first time the league will have an event on the African continent. On Sunday, the all-South African Stinger GC produced the lowest team score of the day, shooting a collective 17 under to move into third place. It’s the first podium result in the last eight tournaments for Stinger.
ENGLISHMEN UPDATE
Six English-born players were playing at home this week. Here’s how they fared Sunday:
Paul Casey, Crushers GC – Shot an even-par 71 to finish at 7 under and tied for 11th.
Tyrrell Hatton, Legion XIII – Shot a 70 to finish at 5 under and tie for 21st.
Richard Bland, Cleeks Golf Club – Shot a 68 to finish at 3 under and tie for 29th.
Lee Westwood, Majesticks GC – Shot a 3-over 74 to finish at 1 under and tie for 37th.
Sam Horsfield, Majesticks – Shot a 2-under 69 to finish at 1 under and tie for 37th.
Ian Poulter, Majesticks – Shot a 1-over 72 to finish at 1 over and tie for 42nd.