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Niemann beats Gooch in playoff to win LIV Golf Korea / Photo: © AFP
Niemann beats Gooch in playoff to win LIV Golf Korea
Chile's Joaquin Niemann outlasted American Talor Gooch in a playoff to win LIV Golf Korea on Sunday, as Bryson DeChambeau fell just short with a final-day charge.
Niemann birdied the par-4 first extra hole at Asiad Country Club in Busan after a sublime approach shot to claim his first win of the season on the troubled breakaway circuit.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced last month that it would cease bankrolling LIV after the 2026 season.
PIF had reportedly ploughed more than $5 billion dollars into the breakaway circuit since it was founded in 2021.
Niemann claimed his eighth career victory on the circuit and admitted he was "pretty nervous" going into the playoff.
"I think my heart rate is a little bit up," the 27-year-old said.
"I feel like it's just part of it. I just love this game. I love being in these moments."
Two-time major champion DeChambeau finished one stroke behind Niemann and Gooch after a 5-under-par final round.
DeChambeau, last season's LIV Golf Korea champion, had six birdies and a bogey after starting the day three shots off the pace.
"There was times where it felt amazing and times where it just leaked on me a little bit," the American said.
"I gave myself some chances, just wasn't my day today."
Spain's Jon Rahm finished eight shots behind the leaders.
DeChambeau told reporters this week that he was "surprised" that LIV's Saudi backers had pulled their funding.
PIF's abrupt withdrawal, announced on April 30, plunged LIV into uncertainty, with executives scrambling to create a new business plan to attract investors and sponsors.
CEO Scott O'Neil is reportedly seeking $250 million to keep the league afloat.
K. Petersen--BTZ
