Neimann fends off Watson to win LIV Golf UK crown, Legion XIII top team event
With his fifth win of the season at LIV Golf UK, Torque GC captain Joaquin Neimann holds a comfortable lead in the overall standings even as Legion XIII consolidate in the team championship.
- Jul 28, 2025,
- Updated Jul 28, 2025 8:04 PM IST
Joaquin Niemann began the week at LIV Golf UK by JCB by making changes to his support team, including a caddie switch. And on Title Sunday, he was a three-stroke winner over a charging Bubba Watson at Rochester, England, with young gun Caleb Surrat taking a career-best third place.
It was Torque skipper Niemann’s record fifth title of the season and came on the back of a closing 3 under 68 to finish on 17 under as he held off a spectacular challenge from RangeGoats GC captain Watson.
In the team competition, Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII won their second consecutive and fourth team crown this season, led by their youngest member, Surratt, 21, who earned the first podium finish of his LIV Golf career.
There was finally some good news for Anirban Lahiri, too, who overcame his opening 76 with the final day’s best round of 7 under par 64 studded with six birdies, an eagle, and a bogey. It gave him a tied 29th place finish and kept the India star in the safe Lock Zone on the standings.
But Chilean star Neimann said that his victory should not be construed as a justification for his staff adjustments. “Because I played well this week, it doesn't mean that it was because of the decision that I took,” he said at the JCB Golf and Country Club.
“I feel like I'm trying to get better every week, and I feel like I don't have to justify anything, any decision that I make. I feel like every decision is the right decision.
“If I play my best game, I know I can win,” Niemann, who now has a record seven LIV victories, said. “I think that's the only thing that kind of matters for me, is to find that A-game more often.”
Similarly, Legion XIII have won eight times from their 24 starts since joining the league as LIV Golf’s first expansion team, giving them a phenomenal 33.3% strike rate. Having Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the ranks is a boost, but the maturity shown by Surratt and the new addition, Tom McKibbin, has made the roster even more potent as scores of all four players count in every round this season.
“The rule change of all four scores counting, I thought, was going to be beneficial for us,” Rahm said.
Hatton added, “Certainly, this year we have a very strong team, and obviously it’s nice that Caleb has been playing better this season. The result this week is great for him to grow in his confidence and prove to himself that he’s good enough. He just needs to trust himself more.”
Neimann started the final day with a six-shot lead and had increased that to eight strokes even before the turn. That was when Watson, the 46-year-old from Florida, turned up the heat for the best six-hole stretch in LIV Golf history.
He started with a birdie at the par-3 ninth with the tee shot landing inside three feet. He then eagled the par-5 10th with a brilliant driver shot off the deck that finished inside six feet. Watson then followed with birdies at the 11th and 12th holes, then used a driver off the deck again at the par-5 13th to set up another eagle from 21 feet. He finished the run with a birdie at the par-3 14th from 12 feet.
“It’s almost like you black out,” Watson said. “When that stretch happens, you’re just kind of unconscious, right? One of those moments, an hour-long stretch, that was unbelievable. … That was crazy. Throwing in the eagles with two drivers off the deck was pretty special, pretty spectacular.”
“I never thought he was in the picture,” Niemann said of Watson. “Then he started making those moves, started making a big charge, and I was in a way feeling a little bit more uncomfortable with my lead. … Was able to hit a great shot on 15. That put me back into my place.”
Watson finished with a 65 for solo second on 14 under, while Surratt also had a 65 to finish another stroke back. Surratt’s performance also sparked Legion XIII to produce another final-round rally with a cumulative 14-under total to win by eight strokes over Torque.
“It means a lot,” Surratt said. “Shows me a lot. It’s very hard to be at the top of the leaderboard out here, especially for the first time … To be able to do it on a day where I knew it was going to be hard means a lot to me. Hopefully it’s a step in the right direction.”
Added Watson, 46, who marked his return from knee surgery and rehab with his best LIV performance, “We knew it was a long process, but I always challenged myself to do it so my kids can see me fight through an injury and recovery and then try to play good golf.
“It's taken a little bit longer than I wanted to, but it's nice seeing this year pay off and the hard work pay off.”
On his using driver off the fairway after the tee shots on the 10th and 13th holes, Watson said, “I was just trying to get it to where I could chip down to the bowl, right? I was like, man, that might have hit the downslope, and about that time, 30-40 seconds later, everybody starts cheering. I was like, must have hit the downslope.
“The 13th was a different shot. I was trying to fit that in there, but I don’t go to the range and practice them. I never practice those until we’re playing practice rounds, and I need that shot.”
Joaquin Niemann began the week at LIV Golf UK by JCB by making changes to his support team, including a caddie switch. And on Title Sunday, he was a three-stroke winner over a charging Bubba Watson at Rochester, England, with young gun Caleb Surrat taking a career-best third place.
It was Torque skipper Niemann’s record fifth title of the season and came on the back of a closing 3 under 68 to finish on 17 under as he held off a spectacular challenge from RangeGoats GC captain Watson.
In the team competition, Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII won their second consecutive and fourth team crown this season, led by their youngest member, Surratt, 21, who earned the first podium finish of his LIV Golf career.
There was finally some good news for Anirban Lahiri, too, who overcame his opening 76 with the final day’s best round of 7 under par 64 studded with six birdies, an eagle, and a bogey. It gave him a tied 29th place finish and kept the India star in the safe Lock Zone on the standings.
But Chilean star Neimann said that his victory should not be construed as a justification for his staff adjustments. “Because I played well this week, it doesn't mean that it was because of the decision that I took,” he said at the JCB Golf and Country Club.
“I feel like I'm trying to get better every week, and I feel like I don't have to justify anything, any decision that I make. I feel like every decision is the right decision.
“If I play my best game, I know I can win,” Niemann, who now has a record seven LIV victories, said. “I think that's the only thing that kind of matters for me, is to find that A-game more often.”
Similarly, Legion XIII have won eight times from their 24 starts since joining the league as LIV Golf’s first expansion team, giving them a phenomenal 33.3% strike rate. Having Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the ranks is a boost, but the maturity shown by Surratt and the new addition, Tom McKibbin, has made the roster even more potent as scores of all four players count in every round this season.
“The rule change of all four scores counting, I thought, was going to be beneficial for us,” Rahm said.
Hatton added, “Certainly, this year we have a very strong team, and obviously it’s nice that Caleb has been playing better this season. The result this week is great for him to grow in his confidence and prove to himself that he’s good enough. He just needs to trust himself more.”
Neimann started the final day with a six-shot lead and had increased that to eight strokes even before the turn. That was when Watson, the 46-year-old from Florida, turned up the heat for the best six-hole stretch in LIV Golf history.
He started with a birdie at the par-3 ninth with the tee shot landing inside three feet. He then eagled the par-5 10th with a brilliant driver shot off the deck that finished inside six feet. Watson then followed with birdies at the 11th and 12th holes, then used a driver off the deck again at the par-5 13th to set up another eagle from 21 feet. He finished the run with a birdie at the par-3 14th from 12 feet.
“It’s almost like you black out,” Watson said. “When that stretch happens, you’re just kind of unconscious, right? One of those moments, an hour-long stretch, that was unbelievable. … That was crazy. Throwing in the eagles with two drivers off the deck was pretty special, pretty spectacular.”
“I never thought he was in the picture,” Niemann said of Watson. “Then he started making those moves, started making a big charge, and I was in a way feeling a little bit more uncomfortable with my lead. … Was able to hit a great shot on 15. That put me back into my place.”
Watson finished with a 65 for solo second on 14 under, while Surratt also had a 65 to finish another stroke back. Surratt’s performance also sparked Legion XIII to produce another final-round rally with a cumulative 14-under total to win by eight strokes over Torque.
“It means a lot,” Surratt said. “Shows me a lot. It’s very hard to be at the top of the leaderboard out here, especially for the first time … To be able to do it on a day where I knew it was going to be hard means a lot to me. Hopefully it’s a step in the right direction.”
Added Watson, 46, who marked his return from knee surgery and rehab with his best LIV performance, “We knew it was a long process, but I always challenged myself to do it so my kids can see me fight through an injury and recovery and then try to play good golf.
“It's taken a little bit longer than I wanted to, but it's nice seeing this year pay off and the hard work pay off.”
On his using driver off the fairway after the tee shots on the 10th and 13th holes, Watson said, “I was just trying to get it to where I could chip down to the bowl, right? I was like, man, that might have hit the downslope, and about that time, 30-40 seconds later, everybody starts cheering. I was like, must have hit the downslope.
“The 13th was a different shot. I was trying to fit that in there, but I don’t go to the range and practice them. I never practice those until we’re playing practice rounds, and I need that shot.”