LIV Golf Singapore Round 2: Joaquin Niemann's 64 Sets Up a Boston Rematch With Dustin Johnson

Three years ago in Boston, Dustin Johnson beat Joaquin Niemann with an eagle putt in a playoff. On Sunday at Sentosa, they get to settle the rematch in the same group.

Niemann shot a 7-under 64 on Saturday, the low round of the day, to pull level with Johnson at 11 under after the second round of LIV Golf Singapore. Johnson, the overnight leader, managed a 3-under 68 that was good enough to keep a share of the top spot. Four players sit three shots back at 8 under: Sebastián Muñoz, Cameron Tringale, Jason Kokrak and Lucas Herbert. In the team competition, Johnson's 4Aces GC stretched its lead to five shots at 20 under.

Niemann Flips the Script

Niemann started Saturday four back and finished it tied for first, and the way the Torque GC captain did it was not complicated. Niemann hit 13 of 14 fairways, cashed in on the par 5s and made enough putts to turn a solid ball-striking day into the best score on the board. After starting on the second hole of the shotgun, Niemann birdied the third and the par-5 fourth early and never really let up.

"It was a pretty solid day," Niemann said, crediting a hot putter for keeping the round together.

The Boston memory is still fresh for the Chilean. That 2022 playoff loss came in Niemann's debut week on LIV. "I still remember that day. It was my first week on LIV," Niemann said.

Johnson Hangs On

After a bogey-free 63 on Friday, Johnson spent Saturday grinding instead of cruising. Nothing dropped early until a three-birdie burst on the seventh, eighth and ninth holes, and then the momentum stalled. Johnson made bogeys at the par-4 10th, after finding a bunker, and the par-4 12th, where a mud ball sent the approach off line. The rest of the way was steady, if not spectacular.

A 68 after a 63 is not a collapse, and it still has Johnson in the final group with a chance at history. A win would make Johnson the first player to take an individual title in all four LIV seasons.

Four at 8 Under

The chase pack is full of players looking for a first LIV individual win. Kokrak and Herbert both shot 66, though Kokrak bogeyed the last hole and has had a rough relationship with the 428-yard 15th, a double bogey there on Friday and a bogey on Saturday. Herbert's 66 for Ripper GC was bogey-free.

Tringale posted a second straight 67 for HyFlyers GC, a model of consistency through 36 holes. Muñoz, Niemann's Torque teammate, added a 68 and is inside the top five for the eighth time this season. Ben Campbell of RangeGoats GC is alone at 7 under after a 67.

Two other storylines are worth noting. Bryson DeChambeau bounced back from Friday's 74 with a bogey-free 65, jumping into a tie for 21st. And Jon Rahm's 70 was the Spaniard's 20th consecutive under-par round, tying DeChambeau's LIV record. One more on Sunday and the record is Rahm's alone.

4Aces Pull Away

The 4Aces did not need a hero on Saturday. Thomas Pieters led the way with a 67, Johnson added the 68, Harold Varner III shot 70, and Patrick Reed's 73 was the only blemish. That added up to 6 under for the round and 20 under for the week, five clear of Phil Mickelson's HyFlyers GC at 15 under. The 4Aces are trying to snap a 22-event winless run, and Johnson put the challenge plainly: "To win as a team, it's really tough."

The HyFlyers kept pace for most of the day behind Tringale's 67 and 68s from Mickelson and Brendan Steele, but Andy Ogletree's 76 cost them ground. The team is still looking for its first trophy. "We all just want it so bad," Tringale said.

Fireballs GC and Torque GC are tied for third at 12 under, eight shots back, and they got there in very different ways. Sergio Garcia's Fireballs were steady across the board, with David Puig shooting 69 and Abraham Ancer, Garcia and Luis Masaveu all posting 70. Torque had the best round of the day from Niemann and still shot even par as a team, because Mito Pereira signed for a 79.

Legion XIII is fifth at 9 under. Iron Heads GC and Crushers GC matched the 4Aces for the best team round of the day at 6 under. At the bottom, Majesticks GC (15 over) and Cleeks GC (20 over) are playing for pride.

Sunday's Setup

The individual race is a two-man headline with a crowded subplot. Niemann has the momentum and the low round, Johnson has the experience and the history between them, and four players three back would need one of the leaders to stumble. In the team race, the 4Aces own the biggest cushion of the week, but in a format where all four scores count, five shots can disappear quickly if one card goes sideways.

Catch up on Friday's action in our Round 1 recap. Full second-round scoring is in the LIV Golf Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) published with FOX Sports.

Sources: LIV Golf and FOX Sports (Round 2 recap), Golf News Net, Vietnam Golf Magazine, Par Golf. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Pedro Salado/LIV Golf.