Torque GC's Joaquin Niemann carded a bogey-free round of 65 on Sunday to win LIV Golf Adelaide by three strokes from Abraham Ancer and teammate, Carlos Ortiz.
The Chilean trailed Ancer, Ortiz and Sam Horsfield by three heading into the final round and set about reeling them in via birdie after birdie at The Grange.
Horsfield was treading water through the opening nine in South Australia before a quartet of bogeys down the back nine saw the overnight co-leader ultimately finish in a tie for seventh.
Despite the Majesticks man slipping up and a faultless start of his own, Niemann still required further help from those in front if he was to reign supreme - and that's exactly what happened.
Ortiz was slow out of the gate with a couple of early bogeys and failed to find any momentum all day until consecutive gains on 17 and 18 - but, by then, the Chilean stallion had already long since bolted.
Meanwhile, Fireballs GC’s Ancer had put himself in a great position to win early on with two birdies in the first two holes and was three-under for the day stood on the 14th tee. However, it was inside the closing stretch when Ancer's scoring began to disintegrate, and three bogeys inside the last five holes opened the door for Niemann.
Eager to step through, the 26-year-old posted birdies on 15 and 18 to seal the deal, collect the significantly-reduced prize money and complete the most remarkable of comebacks via the week's joint-lowest score.
Speaking in his press conference afterwards, Niemann admitted "I knew I had to do something special" before explaining exactly how he made it happen.
Niemann said: "I knew I obviously had the game right now, and I felt I was playing great, the way I played on Saturday.
"Had that bad stretch during the middle of the round, so I needed to start somewhere by making a few birdies at the beginning, and I knew it was going to be tough with Abraham the way he's playing and Carlos how he's playing, as well.
"So I got it going at the beginning of the round, was able to keep it going during the day. It just went my way, so it was pretty special.
What a weekend 🇦🇺Your final round individual and team leaderboards 📈#LIVGolfAdelaide pic.twitter.com/vf6gndjRPgFebruary 16, 2025
“Days like today makes me grow as a player. There is a lot I have to take from today and learn from it because today was a really good day. If I could have these Sundays more often, chasing leaders, it would be really good for my game.”
Runner-up, Ancer - who won LIV Golf Hong Kong in 2024 - was disappointed with the way his week ended but preferred to look at the situation from a wider perspective.
He said: "Obviously the last two holes were rough to finish with bogey-bogey, having a chance to win the tournament. It's always tough, but I think it's just fuel for the rest of the season. I feel like my game is trending in the right direction. I like where things are headed.”
Away from the individual action, Ancer's pain was eased by the fact he had played a significant part in Fireballs GC winning the team event in Adelaide - their fifth collective title overall.
Champagne showers @fireballsgc_ 🍾🏆#LIVGolfAdelaide pic.twitter.com/zUlGm1j53gFebruary 16, 2025
Sergio Garcia's squad finished on 21-under for the week, six strokes ahead of Jon Rahm's Legion XIII, in the second event of the new team rules - announced ahead of LIV Golf Riyadh earlier this month.
After Garcia and Puig each shot five-under 67s and both Ancer and Luis Masaveau carded respective 71s, Fireballs became the first and only team to have won at least one team title in all four LIV Golf seasons.
Reacting to the week from his team's point view, Garcia said: “Bittersweet with Abe, the way he played. He was there the whole day, and it would have been nice to get the double. But super proud of the way they all fought.”
LIV Golf will return in Hong Kong between March 7-9 before Sentosa Golf Club hosts in Singapore the following week.
