LIV Golf Indianapolis Round 1: Sebastián Muñoz Shoots 59 With a Double Bogey on the Card

Sebastián Muñoz walked off the first green at The Club at Chatham Hills holding a number nobody in LIV Golf had ever written down in quite this way: 59, with a double bogey on the card.

The Torque GC veteran shot 12 under on Friday to take a three-shot lead after the opening round of LIV Golf Indianapolis, the final regular-season event of the 2025 season. He made 14 birdies, a league record, and 13 of them came across his last 14 holes. Dustin Johnson of 4Aces GC sits alone in second after a 62, and a crowded group at 7 under includes Muñoz's own captain, Joaquin Niemann, plus Patrick Reed, Thomas Pieters and Cameron Smith. In the team race, Torque GC posted 23 under and leads 4Aces GC by four.

Thirteen of Fourteen

The round did not start like history. Muñoz began on the second hole of the shotgun and made a double bogey at the par-4 fifth, the kind of early stumble that usually ends talk of anything special before it begins. Instead it lit the fuse. He chipped in for birdie at the sixth and kept going, piling up eight straight birdies, another LIV record, before finally parring the par-3 14th.

Then he went again. Five birdies to close, ending on the par-4 first, where his caddie Jose Campra talked him into a 3-wood off the tee. Muñoz followed it with a 50-degree wedge from 127 yards to about 3 feet and rolled in the putt for 59. According to LIV Golf, no other sub-60 round on an elite professional tour has included a double bogey.

It is the third sub-60 round in LIV history, joining Bryson DeChambeau's 58 at The Greenbrier in 2023 and Niemann's 59 in 2024, and it shattered the Colombian's previous league low of 62. His career best had been 60. "But 13 out of 14, it's insane. I've never sniffed that," Muñoz said.

Johnson Finds His Old Gear

Lost a little in the noise was a vintage Friday from Johnson. The 4Aces GC captain shot 9-under 62 and goes into Saturday three back, a rare spot near the top for the two-time major champion in a season that has offered him few real chances.

He had company from his own side. Reed and Pieters both shot 64, which put three 4Aces players inside the top six and explains why that team sits second in the team standings at 19 under. Smith carried Ripper GC with a 64 of his own, while Marc Leishman added a 65. Abraham Ancer also shot 65 for Fireballs GC, and Bubba Watson, Cameron Tringale and Henrik Stenson each signed for 66. Scoring was there for the taking all day, with 37 players finishing under par.

Niemann vs. Rahm, Round One

The real subplot in Westfield is the Individual Championship, and Friday tilted it further toward Niemann. Playing in the same group as defending champion Jon Rahm, the Chilean opened with a 7-under 28 on the front nine and finished at 64. Rahm, still hunting his first win of the season, shot 67 and is tied with Bryson DeChambeau and others at 4 under.

Niemann came into the week ahead of Rahm by a little more than 12 points. After Friday, LIV Golf projected that edge at 27.18 points with two regular-season rounds left. The math is simple in shape if not in detail: Niemann needs to stay in front of Rahm. Niemann compared the duel to match play and said Rahm is a competitor who never gives up, so nobody in that group is treating a five-shot gap as safe.

There is a family wrinkle, too. Niemann's 59 came at the 2024 season opener in Mayakoba, and as of Friday night he is no longer the only Torque GC player who can say that. He joked about it afterward.

Torque Takes Over the Team Board

All four scores count in the 2025 team format, and Torque GC got contributions from everywhere. Muñoz's 59 and Niemann's 64 did the heavy lifting, Mito Pereira added a 68 and Carlos Ortiz shot 70 for a combined 23 under.

4Aces GC is four back at 19 under. HyFlyers GC is third at 15 under, and Crushers GC and Legion XIII share fourth at 14 under after DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Rahm all posted 67s. At the other end, Smash GC sits 11th at 4 under, Iron Heads GC is 12th at 2 under, and Cleeks GC is last at 4 over despite a 67 from Adrian Meronk.

The stakes go beyond this week's purse. Indianapolis decides who finishes where in the season standings before the Team Championship, and it is the last chance for players near the Drop Zone to protect their status.

What Saturday Brings

Muñoz has a three-shot lead, the round of his life and a teammate in the mix behind him. Johnson has momentum he has not felt in months, and 4Aces GC has enough depth to make the team race a real fight. Rahm needs a big Saturday just to keep the season title alive. After a Friday like this one at Chatham Hills, low feels very available, and nobody chasing is likely to play it safe.

Full first-round details are in the LIV Golf Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 1 recap), AP, Golf Magic, FOX Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.