LIV Golf New York Round 1: Joaquin Niemann Turns in 30 and Takes a Two-Shot Lead in the Heat

Bedminster was an oven on Thursday, and Joaquin Niemann played like the only man in the field who had brought his own shade.

The Torque GC captain opened LIV Golf New York with a bogey-free 7-under 64 at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, turning in 30 and taking a two-shot lead over Lucas Herbert of Ripper GC and Majesticks GC co-captain Ian Poulter, who both signed for 66. Thomas Pieters and Brendan Steele sit four back at 3 under, and Niemann's Torque GC leads the team competition at 4 under, three clear of everyone.

Thirty on the Way Out

Niemann did the damage early. A 20-foot birdie putt at the first set the tone, and the outward nine came back in 30, the kind of start that turns a hot, heavy afternoon into a cruise. The round was not all fairways and kick-ins, though. A 40-foot par save from off the green kept the card clean, a 52-foot birdie putt dropped along the way, and an 18-footer for par late in the round protected the lead.

The underlying numbers back up the scorecard. Niemann hit 15 of 18 greens, the best mark in the field, led everyone in strokes gained off the tee and on approach, and holed roughly 140 feet of putts. The 64 matched the Chilean's best round relative to par this season, and it is his first solo first-round lead in LIV Golf since the 59 at Mayakoba in February 2024.

"The putts are going in, which is nice," Niemann said. He arrives in New Jersey as the league's all-time wins leader with eight titles, the most recent of them a playoff win at LIV Golf Korea in May. "I'm just excited right now for the chance to be leading in the first round," he added.

Herbert Keeps Rolling

If anyone in the field is carrying more momentum than Niemann, it is Herbert. The Australian won LIV Golf UK two weeks ago at a record 30 under, and earlier this season went wire to wire at LIV Golf Virginia. Thursday was another tidy day at the office: a bogey-free 66, eight of eight scrambling, and just 23 putts, the fewest in the field.

"Been in very good form lately," Herbert said, which is about as understated as it gets for someone who will play in the final group on Friday for the fifth straight round.

Poulter Finds His Mojo

The surprise of the afternoon came from Poulter. At 50, and playing on a torn meniscus in his left knee with no surgery date scheduled, the Englishman birdied his first two holes, made a late par save and scrambled five of five on the way to a bogey-free 66. Poulter has been quietly trending, with three top-20 finishes in his last four starts, and he was openly hopeful the course would keep treating him well. "I hope there's a lovely little bit of mojo going on at this place," Poulter said.

Poulter also said the heat left a pounding headache, and the plan for the rest of the day was simple: hydrate, eat, skip the range and save energy for the weekend.

Majesticks co-captain Lee Westwood shot 69 to sit in a group at 2 under with Bubba Watson, Harold Varner III and Scott Vincent, who is filling in for Phil Mickelson at HyFlyers GC. Dean Burmester posted one of the stranger lines of the year, a bogey-free 71 with 18 straight pars, only the third all-par round in LIV history.

A Rough Day for the Big Names

The two players at the top of the season-long Individual Championship race both went backward. Jon Rahm shot 1-over 72 to sit tied for 24th, eight shots back, though the Legion XIII captain's grip on a third straight season title barely loosened. Projections had Rahm finishing the week around 948 points to Bryson DeChambeau's 722.

DeChambeau had a far worse afternoon. The Crushers GC captain shot 5-over 76, the highest round relative to par of his LIV career, and sits tied for 49th. That number matters because DeChambeau needs to get within 200 points of Rahm to stay mathematically alive heading into the regular-season finale at Indianapolis, and a 76 on Thursday made that climb much steeper.

Torque Sets the Team Pace

The 2026 team format counts all four scores every round, and Torque made it work on a day when par was a good score. Niemann's 64 did the heavy lifting, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz each added level-par 71s, and Sebastian Munoz's 74 still left the team at 4 under.

Ripper GC and HyFlyers GC share second at 1 under. Ripper rode Herbert's 66 alongside 71s from Marc Leishman and fill-in Travis Smyth, while captain Cameron Smith struggled to a 75. HyFlyers got a 68 from Steele and a 69 from Vincent. "We're a very collaborative team," Steele said. Majesticks sit alone in fourth, with Poulter and Westwood carrying the load. DeChambeau's 76 dragged the Crushers to 11 over, tied for 11th of 13 teams.

What Friday Brings

Only 13 players broke par, so Niemann's two-shot cushion feels bigger than it looks. Organizers moved Friday's shotgun start to 10:05 a.m.

Niemann leads the individual race and his team leads the team race, which is a familiar setup for Torque. The question for the next 54 holes is whether the putter keeps cooperating, and whether anyone behind can match the ball-striking that produced 15 greens in this heat.

Full first-round details are in the LIV Golf Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab) and on the official LIV Golf New York leaderboard (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 1 recap, leaderboard), FOX Sports, Arab News, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf.