LIV Golf New York Round 3: Harold Varner III's 65 Cuts Joaquin Niemann's Lead to Two

For 36 holes Joaquin Niemann made LIV Golf New York look like a formality. Saturday took exactly one swing to remind everyone it is not.

Niemann's opening tee shot at the 514-yard, par-4 first sailed right into trouble, cost a penalty and turned into a double bogey, the first dropped shot of the week. The Torque GC captain steadied, played the back nine bogey-free and signed for a 1-under 70 at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, but the cushion shrank from five to two. Harold Varner III of OKGC fired a bogey-free 65 to get to 12 under, Lee Westwood is alone in third at 10 under, and Torque GC is the only team left under par, two clear of Legion XIII.

A Bad Start, a Better Finish

The front nine was messy. After the double at the first, Niemann made two more bogeys going out, offset by three birdies, and turned in 36. After two straight days of 30 on that side, it was a jarring change of pace.

The response was what separates the good front-runners from the nervous ones. Niemann birdied the 12th and the 15th on the way home, did not drop another shot, and walked off with a 54-hole total of 199. "Pretty proud and happy the way I played today, especially coming into the end of the round," Niemann said. Asked how he handles the nerves that come with a lead, the answer was short. "Just be grateful," Niemann said.

Varner Goes Low

The round of the day, by a distance, belonged to Varner. Starting seven shots back in a tie for fourth, the OKGC player went bogey-free for a 6-under 65, three shots better than anyone else in the field and the only clean card of the afternoon. Varner was already 10 under for the week through the front nine and kept the round alive with five of five scrambling.

The highlight came right after the storm. Varner was on the 13th hole when play was suspended, and on the restart chipped in for birdie from the greenside rough. "I feel like things are just going my way," Varner said.

OKGC sits 12th of 13 teams at 23 over, with Varner's three teammates a combined 35 over for the week. Sunday is about the individual trophy.

The Storm and the Swing

Severe weather stopped play for just under half an hour while the final group was on the 12th hole, and some players were sent back toward the course before they even reached the clubhouse. Westwood made light of the break, saying there was no need to warm up again because nobody had cooled down.

The wind had its own say in Westwood's afternoon. The 53-year-old bogeyed the first hole, then ran off 12 straight holes without a bogey at 5 under to get within range of Niemann. A wind shift caught his tee shot at the par-3 14th and dumped it into the native area, leading to a double bogey. A 69 still left the Englishman third at 10 under, and this is familiar territory: Westwood shared the 54-hole lead with Niemann in Singapore in March.

A Westwood win would make him the oldest winner on any major professional tour and break Henrik Stenson's LIV record. "At 53 years of age, I think it's quite an achievement to still be mixing it with the youngsters," Westwood said. Westwood also had high praise for the man in front of him. "Joaco is one of the best players in the world, in my eyes," Westwood said.

The Chase Pack

Tom McKibbin shot 70 to sit alone in fourth at 7 under, and Sergio Garcia slipped to fifth at 6 under after a 72. Byeong Hun An, Thomas Pieters and Richard Bland share sixth at 5 under, with Bland following Friday's 64 with a 71. Scott Vincent is ninth at 4 under.

Legion XIII Closes the Team Gap

The team race got tight in a hurry. Torque played Saturday in 8 over, with Niemann and Abraham Ancer each shooting 70, Ancer hitting all 14 fairways, and both Carlos Ortiz and Sebastian Munoz posting 76s. That left Torque at 1 under for the week, the only team under par.

Legion XIII went the other way. Caleb Surratt shot 68, Tyrrell Hatton 69 and McKibbin 70, and even a 73 from captain Jon Rahm did not stop a 4-under team round that pulled Legion within two at 1 over. Majesticks sit third at 5 over, six back, and the Crushers start Sunday eight behind Torque.

Rahm on the Brink

Rahm's 73 dropped him into a tie for 32nd at 3 over, but the season-long title is still within touching distance. Projections had Rahm at 946.74 points to Bryson DeChambeau's 725.80 after the Crushers captain shot 70 to sit 41st. DeChambeau needs to finish Sunday within 200 points of Rahm to keep the race alive for the Indianapolis finale, and Rahm is on pace to close it out on Sunday.

Niemann, meanwhile, would move into third in the points race with a win, though not close enough to threaten Rahm.

What Sunday Brings

Two shots, 18 holes, and a chaser who just shot the round of the day. Niemann still holds every advantage that matters on the board, but Saturday showed how quickly one swing can change the math. Varner has nothing to lose, Westwood has history to chase, and Torque has a two-shot team lead to protect with half its roster struggling.

Full third-round details are in the LIV Golf Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) and on the official LIV Golf New York leaderboard (opens in a new tab). Catch up on the Round 1 recap and the Round 2 recap.

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 3 recap, leaderboard), FOX Sports, Field Level Media, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Charles Laberge/LIV Golf.