Robert TheodorsonLIV Golf New York has its Sunday plot, and Joaquin Niemann remains inconveniently central to it. The 36-hole leader survived his first genuine stumble of the week at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, recovering from an opening double bogey to shoot a one-under 70 and retain a two-shot advantage over Harold Varner III at 14-under.
For three rounds, Niemann has largely made Bedminster look less argumentative than it usually has any right to be. Saturday began differently. His first blemish of the tournament arrived immediately at the par-four first, a double bogey capable of making a leader inspect the leaderboard rather earlier than planned.
Instead, the Chilean steadied himself.
Niemann recovers after an ugly opening hole
“Obviously not the best tee shot coming out to start the round, but it was kind of good to just be back into that moment,” Niemann said. “It was a little bit frustrating. I think I was able to handle it pretty good.”
That may qualify as understatement. A leader beginning Saturday with a double bogey can produce all sorts of interesting body language. Niemann’s response was rather more useful: he recovered sufficiently to play the remaining holes in three under and preserve his outright lead.
A weather interruption added another small test. The delay lasted around 40 minutes, disrupting rhythm on a course already demanding a player’s full attention.
“It was definitely more tricky. Coming out of a little rain delay, a 40-minute delay, made a good birdie there, but pretty tricky tee shot after that one,” he said.
His explanation for coping with the prospect of sleeping on another lead was rather less technical.
“Just be grateful. I feel like if I just remember the good things that I have around me and the people around me, it’s just easy to go back to sleep. I have a good life.”
There are worse putting thoughts.
Niemann also sees his current form as something built rather than discovered.
“I feel like everything is a step closer to being better and better every time. I feel like it comes from technique. It comes from the mental aspect. It comes from being surrounded by a great team that I have right now and learning a lot from people that I work with.”
Harold Varner III makes his move
Niemann does not have the final round to himself. Varner produced Saturday’s most threatening charge, firing a six-under 65 to reach 12-under and cut the lead to two.
His form has been gathering rather than arriving suddenly.
“I’ve been playing well the last couple few tournaments and I’ve been working hard, and I feel like things are just going my way, and you want to just keep it stacking and attacking, and I feel like I’m doing that as well,” Varner said.
The result is a Sunday pairing with genuine pressure attached. Two shots is enough to be called a lead, but not enough to be called comfortable, particularly with a player coming off 65 occupying the rear-view mirror.
Varner also offered a broader reflection on his LIV Golf experience.
“I think it’s one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to me. I think everyone knows where I stand on why I play golf. For myself personally, it’s been a blessing to be able to do things, have time with my kids, the things we get to do with my kids and my family. I would hope everyone would take it as an opportunity and not worry about all the negative stuff.”
Lee Westwood refuses to disappear
Then there is Lee Westwood, 53 years old and evidently uninterested in behaving accordingly.
The former world No.1 followed Friday’s 65 with a two-under 69 to reach 10-under, four behind Niemann and alone in third. Victory would make Westwood the oldest player to win on any major professional golf tour.
“I’m just pleased to be in good enough shape, my game still be at an elite level where I can compete with these guys that are some of the best in the world,” Westwood said.
The intriguing part is how he is doing it. Raw distance is no longer his strongest argument, so experience, control and course management are being asked to pay the difference.
“At 53 years of age, I think it’s quite an achievement to still be mixing it with the youngsters. If you go out there and watch us all playing, I’m giving up quite an advantage off the tee. Not all the time, I get the occasional one out there, but in general, I’m playing a different golf course, really..”
Golf has always had room for more than one route to the same number. Westwood is providing the demonstration.
McKibbin and Garcia remain in pursuit
Tom McKibbin occupies fourth at seven-under after a one-under 70, while Sergio Garcia slipped back with a one-over 72 and stands fifth at six-under.
Byeong Hun An, Thomas Pieters and Richard Bland share sixth at five-under. Bland followed Friday’s 64 with a 71, while Scott Vincent is ninth at four-under.
Lucas Herbert, Paul Casey and Younghan Song are tied for 10th at three-under.
The gaps suggest the championship is increasingly concentrated around the leading trio, but Bedminster has already shown enough teeth to discourage premature arithmetic.
Torque GC hold on as Legion XIII close
Niemann’s individual lead has also kept Torque GC narrowly in front of the team competition at one-under, although Saturday was considerably less helpful elsewhere in the line-up.
Sebastian Muñoz and Carlos Ortiz each shot 76, leaving Niemann’s 70 to do much of the stabilising.
Legion XIII moved to second at one-over through Caleb Surratt’s 68, McKibbin’s 70 and Tyrrell Hatton’s 69. Captain Jon Rahm signed for a two-over 73.
Majesticks GC sit third at five-over, with Westwood’s 69 doing double duty for both his individual challenge and the team’s position.
Sunday at LIV Golf New York
Final-round tickets for LIV Golf New York on 9 August remain available, including Grounds Pass admission, limited group tickets and premium hospitality options.
Children aged 12 and under can receive complimentary Grounds Pass access at the gate when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult, while military members are eligible for complimentary Grounds Passes. College and university students, teachers and first responders can receive 25 per cent off single-day Grounds Passes with valid identification.
The more immediate attraction, though, requires no sales pitch. Niemann has a two-shot lead, Varner has Saturday’s hottest hand and Westwood is four back while playing, by his own admission, a rather longer version of Bedminster than most of the men around him.
Niemann’s first mistake of the week did not cost him the lead. On Sunday, he gets to discover how expensive the second one might be.
