Niemann claims victory — and tacos — at LIV Golf Mexico City tournament

Calaveras arsenic tee markers. Mariachis and folkloric dancers performing connected the archetypal tee anterior to each day’s shotgun start. Spicy tamarind candy for the players.

There was a distinctly Mexican spirit to the latest tourney of the Saudi-backed LIV play tour, held Friday, Saturday and Sunday astatine the Club de Golf Chapultepec, a prestigious backstage people located conscionable extracurricular Mexico City due successful Naucalpan, México state.

TERCER TÍTULO DEL 2025 🔥

Joaquín Niemann se luce en LIV Golf con una sólida victoria en México. 🥳
pic.twitter.com/7VJwyzzAUj

— Golf Channel LA (@GolfChannelLA) April 27, 2025

Two Mexican players — Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer — were portion of the 54-man field, raising hopes of a section victory, but it was yet Joaquín Niemann of Chile who prevailed, earning himself US $4 cardinal and extending his pb successful the 2025 play standings aft six tournaments played.

Niemann finished the three-round, 54-hole tourney astatine 16 nether par aft rounds of 68, 64 and 65 connected the par-71 course.

Bryson DeChambeau — a big-hitting California autochthonal who led the $25 cardinal tourney astatine the decision of rounds 1 and 2 — finished 3 shots backmost astatine 13 nether par to necktie for 2nd spot with Australian Lucas Herbert, who changeable a people record-equaling 61 connected Sunday to complaint up the leaderboard aft starting the time good backmost successful the field.

DeChambeau, whose powerfulness crippled got an other boost acknowledgment to the debased aerial density successful high-altitude Mexico City, was inactive starring the tourney erstwhile he, Niemann and Australian Cameron Smith arrived astatine the 13th tee connected the well-manicured people connected Sunday afternoon. But his grasp connected the trophy slipped erstwhile an out-of-bounds tee changeable led the 31-year-old two-time large victor to marque a treble bogey six.

Niemann, who started the time 3 shots down DeChambeau astatine 10 under, made a par astatine the 13th to bargain the lead, and contempt making a bogey astatine the precise adjacent hole, held connected to triumph his 3rd LIV tourney of the play and a record-equaling 5th overall.

A last dainty for Mexico City spectators 

The odor of cigar fume lingered successful the aerial astir Club de Golf Chapultepec arsenic galore well-heeled chilangos (Mexico City residents) and a not insignificant fig of foreigners took the accidental to spot large winners specified arsenic Phil Mickelson, Sergio García, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson successful action.

It was the archetypal clip that an LIV tourney had been held successful Mexico City, aft the El Camaleón (Mayakoba) people successful Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, hosted events during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The lucrative breakaway circuit is bankrolled by the sovereign wealthiness money of Saudi Arabia, a state that has been accused of “sportswashing” done the instauration and backing of LIV Golf.

Saudi Arabia’s past of terrible quality rights abuses didn’t look to beryllium beforehand of caput for spectators, galore of whom enjoyed the play portion downing a brew oregon tequila cocktail arsenic they caught up with friends successful lukewarm Mexico City weather.

With neither Ortiz nor Ancer successful contention for triumph connected Sunday, galore successful the assemblage adopted Niemann, a chap Latin American, arsenic their favorite, and the 26-year-old Chilean affectionately known arsenic “Joaco” didn’t disappoint, making a birdie connected the par-three 18th spread to seal his triumph and supply 1 past dainty to a assemblage that witnessed plentifulness of prime play implicit the past 3 days.

“I benignant of felt similar I was fitting beauteous good with the crowd,” the Santiago autochthonal told a property league aft his win.

“They were giving maine a batch of vigor astatine the opening of the round, pulling for me, and I was capable to play well,” said Niemann, whose parent witnessed her lad triumph a nonrecreational tourney for the archetypal clip successful Mexico City.

🔥🇲🇽 How did Joaquin Niemann observe tying Brooks Koepka atop the all-time LIV Golf League triumph column?

Just similar the remainder of america would…tacos 🌮 pic.twitter.com/YNJkr26czJ

— 54 Golf | LIV’s New Media (@_54Golf) April 28, 2025

The Chilean — who arrived and near the media halfway for his property league portion munching connected a well-deserved taco — provided galore highlights passim the tournament, including connected time 1 erstwhile helium holed a deft spot for birdie connected the 18th.

Among the different highlights of the three-day lawsuit held successful conjunction with the Grupo Salinas conglomerate were players specified arsenic DeChambeau and Spaniard Jon Rahm reaching the greenish with their tee shots connected par 4 holes (thanks CDMX altitude!), Englishman Richard Bland making lone the 2nd albatross (a people of 3 nether par connected a azygous hole) successful LIV past and Herbert chipping successful for eagle during his singular 61 successful breezy conditions connected Sunday.

Crowd cheers connected Mexicans, but neither made apical 10 

Spectators offered plentifulness of enactment and encouragement to the 2 Mexican players, who showed disconnected (or attempted to amusement off) their non-golfing section cognition during tourney week astatine Club de Golf Chapultepec, big of the World Golf Championship tourney betwixt 2017 and 2020 and country of 1 of Tiger Wood’s astir memorable shots.

However, some mexicanos fell good abbreviated of glory, without performing poorly per se.

Ortiz, a autochthonal of Guadalajara, finished the tourney successful 16th spot astatine 4 nether par aft a disappointing +2 circular connected Sunday to spell with duplicate rounds of -3. Ancer — a United States-born dual U.S.-Mexico national who represents Mexico — tied for 26th presumption astatine adjacent par aft 54 holes.

Ortiz is presently 11th successful the LIV play standings aft 2 top-10 finishes this year, including a tied 2nd spot successful the tourney successful Adelaide, Australia, successful February.

Ancer, who tied with Ortiz successful Adelaide, is presently successful 15th spot successful the standings, with 2 top-10 finishes successful 2025 arsenic well.

Events connected the LIV circuit — truthful named due to the fact that LIV is the roman numeral for 54, and that fig is some the fig of holes played successful an LIV tourney and the people a subordinate records if he/she birdies each spread connected a par-72 people — are not conscionable idiosyncratic competitions, but besides squad ones.

In each LIV tournament, thirteen four-man teams with names specified arsenic Fireballs GC and RangeGoats GC vie for a $3 cardinal archetypal prize.

In Mexico City, the winning squad was Legion XIII, led by skipper Jon Rahm, who, with his 3 teammates, changeable a corporate 28 nether par successful the three-day tournament.

Mexico News Daily main unit writer Peter Davies attended days 1 and 3 of the LIV Mexico City tournament.