Staff WriterBy a whisker or a wedge, Joaquin Niemann is making LIV Golf UK his personal playground.
The Chilean charger strolled into JCB Golf & Country Club this week wearing the season-long Individual Championship crown — and he might just leave with a vice grip on the whole thing.
After a bogey-free 65 on Friday, Niemann shares the opening round lead at LIV Golf UK with Branden Grace and Adrian Meronk, all sitting at eight under par.
One shot back? A familiar cast of characters, including Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson, and Niemann’s own Torque GC sidekick Carlos Ortiz.
But this isn’t just about Niemann adding another first-round feather to his well-feathered cap — it’s about rewriting the script.
A year ago, Jon Rahm nicked the UK title and clawed back the season-long lead in the final sprint. Now, with Rahm marooned in T32 after an uninspired 71, and Bryson DeChambeau loitering in T11, Niemann’s path to LIV Golf immortality looks a little clearer.
If projections hold, he’ll leave Staffordshire with a 44-point cushion heading into next month’s finale in Indianapolis.
“I’m in a really privileged situation to be on the top of the rankings and being chased by Jon and Bryson,” said Niemann, who came out swinging with four birdies in his first six holes. “It just makes me a better athlete. I like that pressure.”
Good thing he does, because there’s plenty of it behind him — and not all of it comes from the usual suspects.
Branden Grace, the smooth-swinging South African who’s spent more time in the Drop Zone this year than a paratrooper, looked reborn on Friday.
Having battled wrist injuries and the threat of relegation, Grace opened his round with three birdies in four holes and closed with a flourish to post his lowest round of the year.
Adrian Meronk, who looked lost in the LIV wilderness for much of the season, finally flashed the firepower that saw him win the opener in Riyadh. His 65 wasn’t just clean — it was his best round (relative to par) in 25 starts.
“Finally, I’m enjoying myself on the course and playing good golf again, which is quite exciting,” said Meronk, after torching the closing stretch with four birdies in five holes. “It’s great to be back in this position, and I’m really looking forward to this weekend and to three more tournaments this year.”
The leaderboard has a distinctly British flavour too — as it should at LIV Golf UK — with three Englishmen parked in the top eight. Chief among them is the ageless Westwood, who only last week at The Open tied a record with a back-nine 29 at Royal Portrush.
He’s playing like a man with something left to prove — and doing so in front of a home crowd that gave the entire English contingent a hero’s welcome.
Well, some of the crowd.
In truth, the Friday turnout felt a little thinner than last year’s opening round at LIV Golf UK, and the volume at fan-favourite hotspots like The Party Hole was more “mildly tipsy pub quiz” than “football terrace at full tilt.”
Even the famously rowdy par-3 14th, usually a cauldron of cheers and cheeky chants, lacked a bit of the bite and bravado that made last year’s event sing.
Still, the players noticed — and appreciated — the support they did get.
“It feels like our home event, and it’s always nice to perform in front of home fans,” said Westwood, who teed it up Friday alongside Majesticks GC teammates Ian Poulter and Sam Horsfield.
“There was a lot of people there, and the music was good too,” added Tyrrell Hatton, who’s lurking just one stroke off the lead after a crisp 67. “I think most of us probably enjoyed a sing-along down that hole.”
Hatton, Westwood, and Paul Casey (also T7) added some needed spark to the local leaderboard, giving English fans plenty to cheer for — even if they weren’t quite in full voice just yet.
Meanwhile, in the team standings, it’s another logjam. Defending UK champions Legion XIII are tied at the top with Torque and Stinger GC at 11-under.
Six more teams are still within five shots. That’s not a leaderboard — that’s a mosh pit with scorecards.
Still, all eyes remain on Niemann. He’s tasted four victories already this season. But the real prize — the Individual Championship — is now within reach, provided he can keep Rahm and Bryson behind him and the wheels from wobbling in the English countryside.
Two rounds remain, the leaderboard’s tighter than a tour bag zipper, and while the galleries might be a touch subdued, the golf certainly isn’t.
It’s LIV Golf UK. Expect the unexpected — and don’t rule out a Saturday roar.
