Joaquin Niemann and Talor Gooch have combined to win 11 LIV Golf individual titles. They enter Sundays final round of LIV Golf Korea in the best position to chase another trophy.
Niemann, the Torque GC captain, and Gooch, in his first season as the OKGC captain, share the 54-hole lead at 9 under at the challenging Asiad Country Club. One stroke back is HyFlyers GCs Scott Vincent, with Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith and Crushers GCs Charles Howell III tied for fourth at 7 under.
Crushers Captain Bryson DeChambeau, winner of last years LIV Golf Korea when it was held outside Seoul, suffered two late bogeys to drop into a share of sixth with 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson and RangeGoats GCs Ben Campbell. Johnson produced the lowest round of the day, a 6-under 64.
On the team leaderboard, the Crushers â winners last season in Koreaâ are at 16 under, one shot ahead of OKGC, which is playing just its second tournament since rebranding from their previous Smash GC name. Ripper GC is solo third at 12 under.
The individual leaderboard is stacked with winners, as eight of the top 10 have won at least one LIV Golf title. Niemann is the leagues all-time individual wins leader with seven, including five last season. Hes yet to win this season, though, but that might change if his putter remains as hot as it was on the back nine Saturday when he rolled in three long birdie putts, including a big breaker from 34 feet at the 14th hole, to shoot a 4-under 66.
“Putter did behave a lot better today than the first two days, so pretty happy about that,” said the 27-year-old Niemann, the leagues youngest captain. “It did love me a lot. I did love it a lot, too.”
Gooch has four career LIV Golf wins, including two at LIV Golf Andalucia, the next tournament on the 2026 schedule set for next week in Spain when he will defend his title from last year. He entered Saturday as the solo leader after a second-round 63 in which he produced eight birdies, but he started his third round with 14 consecutive pars before posting his lone birdie at the par-5 15th for a bogey-free 69.
“You’ve got to stay patient and just wait for your time and hope that it comes, and it unfortunately didn’t come much today,” Gooch said. “But that’s why we stay patient. Maybe tomorrow it’ll come.”
Although both Niemann and Gooch have extensive history playing in the final group in a LIV Golf final round â this will be Goochs 16th time and Niemanns 14th â Sunday will be the first time theyve been in the same final group in nearly four years, since LIV Golf Boston in the inaugural season in 2022.
Vincent is the third member of the final group, and he continues to thrive since joining HyFlyers GC as a reserve filling in for captain Phil Mickelson. The Zimbabwean shot a 3-under 67 and is now in position to chase his first individual title.
“Winning out here is not easy,” said Vincent, who has finished top 10 in each of his first two starts with the HyFlyers after starting the season as a Wild Card player. “I think just big picture-wise, just putting myself in this position is just great for me, try and get better and develop as a player.”
Howell was the runner-up to DeChambeau last year, and hes given himself another chance in Korea, thriving on this shot-makers course. He was a bogey-free 4 under through his first 13 holes before suffering a double-bogey in which he four-putted from 35 feet.
“Man, this place is tricky,” Howell said. “If you miss the fairway, it is really hard around here. Hole locations are quite difficult here on these corners. It’s tough to make birdies.”
Johnson had six of them in his bogey-free round. LIV Golfs first season-long Individual Champion in 2022 posted at least one win in each of the leagues first three seasons before going winless last year. Hes anxious to get back into the winners circle.
So is Niemann, despite all the success he had last season.
“Last year was an exceptional y
