Staff WriterThe Sunday showdown at LIV Golf UK delivered everything short of a streaker—though I wouldn’t have ruled that out either, given the crowd’s enthusiasm and the party hole’s playlist.
At the ever-impressive JCB Golf & Country Club, Joaquín Niemann sealed a thunderous individual victory in a final round that had more fireworks than Guy Fawkes Night.
The Chilean sensation outlasted a red-hot Bubba Watson and walked off with the LIV Golf UK trophy, a three-stroke triumph that had all the makings of a Netflix climax.
“If I play my best game, I know I can win,” Niemann said. “I think that’s the only thing that kind of matters for me, is to find that A-game more often.”
And just for good measure? Legion XIII staged a ruthless team comeback, Jon Rahm’s merry band of men taking the team title in a fashion that was part stealth bomber, part sledgehammer.
Niemann’s Calm Amid the Chaos
Niemann began the day with a six-shot cushion, looking for all the world like he’d spend the afternoon signing autographs and trying not to spill his water bottle. And early on, it was cruise control.
Birdies dropped in the opening stretch and the lead ballooned to eight. At one point, I half expected him to break out a picnic blanket and relax on the 10th fairway.
But golf has a way of reminding you that the show isn’t over until someone taps in—and Bubba Watson, bless him, was in no mood to play supporting actor.
Still, give credit where it’s due. Niemann’s wire-to-wire brilliance didn’t come from coasting. The 26-year-old hit fairways like a metronome, rolled putts with the confidence of a man who’s just fired his caddie and coach and said, “Watch this.”
His week at The Open may have ended early, but this was a statement: the boy can bounce back.
“I’ve been playing great. I’ve been hitting my shots, hitting my lines on the putter — they’ve been going in,” Niemann said earlier in the week.
“All I’m thinking about is what I’m doing right now, having a great time out on the golf course. Everything else is going to take care of itself.”
Zen words, and fitting too—because what came next nearly shook that monk-like calm to its core.
Bubba’s Back-Nine Blitzkrieg
For seven holes on Sunday, Bubba Watson turned into something between a wizard and a pyromaniac.
Starting at the 9th, he went birdie–eagle–birdie–birdie–eagle–birdie. Yes, you read that right. It wasn’t a scorecard; it was a fire alarm.
The man was swinging like a possessed conductor, orchestrating an all-out assault on the leaderboard that saw a six-shot deficit vanish quicker than free beer on the 17th. Suddenly, with four to play, Niemann’s once-comfortable lead had shrunk to two, and the JCB grounds were shaking with possibility.
“It’s almost like you black out,” Watson said. “When that stretch happens, you’re just kind of unconscious, right? One of those moments, an hour-long stretch, that was unbelievable. … That was crazy. Throwing in the eagles with two drivers off the deck was pretty special, pretty spectacular.”
Well, Bubba did his part. He brought the fireworks, the flair, and the driver-off-the-deck bravado that’s equal parts genius and madness. One more made putt, and we’d be writing a comeback for the ages.
But alas, even fire needs fuel, and Watson’s tank flickered at the wrong moment—bogeying the 16th just as Niemann calmly birdied 15.
“I never thought he was in the picture,” Niemann said of Watson. “(Then] he started making those moves, started making a big charge, and I was in a way feeling a little bit more uncomfortable with my lead. … Was able to hit a great shot on 15. That put me back into my place.”
Steady Hands, Sweet Finish
As Watson’s rally tapered, Niemann’s resolve stiffened. He padded his lead when it mattered, played mistake-free golf down the stretch, and walked off the 18th with a closing bogey that felt more like a victory lap.
At 17-under, he sealed his fifth win of the 2025 LIV season and a record-setting seventh career title.
Watson, meanwhile, finished second at 14-under with a grin that said, “That was fun,” and a round that reminded us just how dangerous he still is.
Niemann, ever gracious, looked like a man who’d just gone 12 rounds with a heavyweight—and come out with the belt. Somewhere, you could imagine David Feherty saying, “He’s too young to remember Rocky, but that was Balboa stuff.”
Legion XIII: Ruthless, Relentless, and Now Reigning Again
While Niemann took home the individual crown, the team hardware went elsewhere. Enter Legion XIII, LIV Golf’s version of a four-headed hydra with a scorecard.
Jon Rahm’s squad, trailing through two rounds, caught fire on Sunday and left Torque GC eating dirt.
The breakout? Young Caleb Surratt, who played like a lad twice his age and shot a polished 65 to finish solo third at 13-under—his best LIV finish yet. The kid didn’t blink, let alone back down, and looked every bit a future star.
“It means a lot,” Surratt said. “Shows me a lot. It’s very hard to be at the top of the leaderboard out here, especially for the first time … To be able to do it on a day where I knew it was going to be really, really hard means a lot to myself.”
Rahm, ever the engine, carded 65 of his own, while Tyrrell Hatton gave the home fans a reason to cheer, and Tom McKibbin backed them up with dependable firepower. It was a symphony of scoring—and a collective beatdown that might’ve made JCB’s factory whistles blow in appreciation.
Said Rahm: “Getting his first top 10 and finishing third is a big deal, a big week.”
Torque GC faltered at the wrong time. One forgettable round (we’ll be polite and leave the player unnamed) left the door ajar, and Legion XIII barged through like they owned the place—which, based on four team wins this season, they just might.
As Rahm’s crew sprayed champagne and hoisted the team trophy—again—it was hard not to admire the consistency. Feherty might call it “borderline greedy,” and he’d be right. But damn, it’s entertaining.
The Final Word on a Cracking Final Day
All told, LIV Golf UK gave us the kind of Sunday spectacle we’ve come to expect from this upstart league: electric crowds, surprise turns, and just enough chaos to keep you off your phone and on the edge of your seat.
From Watson’s fireworks to Niemann’s iron will, from the party hole’s boozy singalongs to the team race’s razor-edge finish—this was golf served with a twist of theatre and a shot of adrenaline. And it worked. Oh, did it work.
“Obviously I want to win the season,” Niemann said. “I think there is a lot of golf to play yet. Jon, we know how good of a player he is, also Bryson.
“There is not much I can think about other than worry about what I’m doing, how I can improve and get better and play my best golf for the next two weeks. I feel like that’s all I’m worrying about it right now.”
Now the tour packs up and heads for Chicago. But don’t be surprised if folks are still talking about this one by the time they tee off in Illinois. It was one for the books, one for the fans, and one for the very soul of this rebel tour.
As for Niemann? He leaves with another $4 million and the LIV Golf UK trophy—and maybe, just maybe, a text from Bubba that reads, “Well played, hombre.”
If every Sunday is like this one, I might start paying for a ticket. Now someone pass me a drink—I need it after that.
