Joaquin Niemann Wins LIV Golf UK for a Record Fifth Title of 2025 as Legion XIII Takes the Team Crown

Bubba Watson gave Joaquin Niemann a real Sunday scare at JCB Golf & Country Club. It lasted six holes, and then Niemann did what he has done all season.

Niemann closed with a 3-under 68 to win LIV Golf UK by JCB at 17 under, finishing three shots clear of Watson in a wire-to-wire victory at 196. It is his fifth win of the 2025 season, making him the first player in LIV history to win five times in one year, and his seventh LIV title overall, the most of any player in the league. On the team side, Legion XIII stormed past Torque GC with a 14-under final round to win by seven at 35 under.

Eight Under in Six Holes

The six-shot cushion Niemann carried into Sunday looked safe until Watson caught fire. The RangeGoats GC captain went birdie or better on six straight holes from the 9th through the 14th, four birdies and two eagles, and both eagles came on the par 5s at the 10th and 13th after he hit driver off the deck, according to LIV Golf. Arab News, citing LIV, called it the best six-hole stretch in league history.

That burst cut the margin to two with four holes to play, and for the first time all week the outcome felt open. Watson later described the stretch as the kind of zone where a player is almost unconscious over the ball.

Niemann answered right away. A strong approach at the 15th set up a birdie that pushed the lead back to three, per FOX Sports, and the closing holes became a formality. Watson signed for a 65 and solo second at 14 under, his best finish since joining LIV and a result that lifts him from 31st to 13th in the season standings.

Five and Counting

Sunday was not Niemann's most dominant round of the week, but it did not need to be. The Torque GC captain led the field in greens in regulation for the tournament at 94.4 percent and ranked first in driving distance on measured holes, and his Saturday 63 was the low round of the event.

The context makes the week remarkable. Niemann arrived in England after missing the cut at The Open and split with both his caddie and his coach before the first tee. Diego Salinas was on the bag on Sunday. Niemann summed it up simply afterward: "It was a crazy week."

The result also tightens his grip on the Individual Championship. He leaves JCB with a lead of more than 37 points over Jon Rahm and can clinch the season-long title at LIV Golf Chicago. The evidence is all over the schedule: wins at LIV Golf Adelaide, LIV Golf Singapore, Mexico City, Virginia and now here, with a $4 million winner's check to match.

Surratt Arrives

The breakout story belonged to Caleb Surratt. The youngest player in the league posted a 65 on Sunday to finish solo third at 13 under, his first top 10 and best result since joining LIV. Rahm, his Legion XIII captain, called it a big week for his young teammate, and Surratt spoke about how hard it is to get near the top of a LIV leaderboard for the first time.

Talor Gooch of Smash GC was fourth at 11 under after a closing 66. Rahm and Dean Burmester shared fifth at 10 under, Rahm getting there with a 65 after an even-par start on Friday. Josele Ballester, Patrick Reed and Adrian Meronk tied for seventh at 9 under, with Ballester's closing 65 the latest sign that the midseason Fireballs GC signing belongs.

Legion XIII Takes It Back

Torque GC began the day three shots clear of Legion XIII, but the team race turned on the back of Legion's two 65s. Rahm and Surratt did the heavy lifting, Tom McKibbin added a 70, and Legion XIII posted 14 under for the round to finish at 35 under.

Torque could not keep pace. Niemann's 68 led the way, with Sebastian Munoz at 69 and Mito Pereira at 70, but Carlos Ortiz's 73 left the team at 4 under for the day and 28 under overall, seven back in second. Stinger GC, sparked by 66s from Burmester and Charl Schwartzel, finished third at 26 under.

For Legion XIII it was a second straight team win, the fourth of the season and the eighth in the last two years, per FOX Sports. It also strengthens their hold on the top seed heading into the Team Championship in Michigan. Rahm's team now leads the season-long standings by more than 46 points over Crushers GC.

The Scorer's Course

JCB gave up plenty on Sunday. The field averaged 1.87 under par, the easiest scoring day of the week, which made Niemann's job a little harder: on a day built for chasing, the leader still had to post. A 68 was enough because he refused to give away anything that mattered, and because his Saturday 63 had already put the event out of reach for everyone but a red-hot Watson.

What Comes Next

The regular season is almost done, and the biggest question left in the individual race is when, not whether, Niemann finishes it off. LIV Golf Chicago is next on August 8 to 10 at Bolingbrook Golf Club, where he can lock up the title with another strong week. Legion XIII heads there in control of the team race. Torque, meanwhile, will be chasing the team result that slipped away in England.

Catch up on Round 1 and Round 2 at JCB, and see LIV Golf's final-round notes and stats (opens in a new tab) for the full picture.

Sources: LIV Golf, FOX Sports, Arab News, Golf News Net, Express & Star. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.