Jon Rahm throws first LIV Golf title away as Joaquin Niemann wins at Mayakoba

Jon Rahm blew a golden opportunity of winning on his LIV Golf debut when finding the penalty area with his tee shot on 17 as Joaquin Niemann defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff at Mayakoba. 

But Rahm did take consolation from winning team honours with his new Legion XIII.

The 29-year-old Spaniard found himself two strokes behind Niemann in the individual tournament heading into the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba. 

It had been a four-shot lead overnight but Niemann was assessed a two-stroke penalty for a rules violation following a drop on the 13th in the second round, and so his round of 70 was altered to a 72 on Sunday morning. 

Tournament favourite Rahm struggled to find his best form over the first 12 holes in the final round with erratic driving, poor iron play and multiple missed birdie attempts from inside of 20 feet.

As a result of some indifferent play, Rahm found himself three strokes behind by the time he made the turn. 

But LIV Golf's reported $600m man strung together three birdies in a row from the 13th to pull level at the top of the leaderboard with his 44-year-old compatriot Garcia. 

Niemann, 25, had fallen one shot back at the time but then quickly joined the duo with a gutsy birdie on the tough par-4 16th. 

With Garcia in the house at 12-under par following a final-round 66, Rahm took an iron off the tee down the 17th but found the penalty area well left of the fairway and it led to a costly bogey-five to fall out of the lead. 

Rahm pushed for a birdie down the last but he found the bunker with his tee shot and went on to make another bogey to finish tied third on 10-under par. 

Playing alongside Rahm in the final group, Niemann, who shot a memorable 59 on Friday, had a birdie putt to win inside of 12 feet on 18 but he missed on the left side.

It meant a playoff down 18 with his former mentor Garcia. 

Related: Garcia using new putter that nobody has ever heard of before!

After three tied holes in par down the 18th, Garcia and Niemann were asked by a rules official whether they wanted to return on Monday morning due to fading light.

But they both agreed to play the 18th one more time, so they jumped back in the cart. 

Garcia then made his first big mistake in the playoff when sending his second shot into the deep rough to the right of the green, and Niemann then sent a wedge into 15 feet. 

The Spaniard chipped up to some 12 feet but it mattered little as Niemann then drained the birdie putt for the win in darkness. 

Niemann collects a whopping $4m first prize for winning his first LIV Golf title in Mexico, and he pockets an additional $125,000 for his Torque GC finishing third in the team event. 

‘I want to win Majors, but I gotta get in first!’ @joaconiemann reacts to his huge putt in the DARK to win on the 4th playoff hole in Mayakoba #LIVGolf @TorqueGC_ pic.twitter.com/q6BWDer4IU

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 5, 2024

Despite blowing victory on LIV Golf debut, Rahm's Legion XIII (comprising himself, Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent) did at least take team honours by four shots on 24-under par.

Surratt, 19, finished a very respectable tied 13th on 5-under par in his first professional start on LIV Golf, while Hatton played a significant role in the team's victory following a superb final-round 64 to finish tied eighth on 7-under par. 

Rahm's Legion XIII earn a share of $3m for their team victory in Mexico. 

Despite the team win on debut, Rahm was left deflated by his own finish. 

"I might need another five minutes, I'm very disappointed in myself and it's a tough pill to swallow," said Rahm of his individual heartache before praising his new team. 

"But yeah, look, for my team, which was only assembled on Monday, we have come in and made our mark, made an impact, and everyone now knows we are a force to be reckoned with."

Jon Rahm may have missed out on a first LIV Golf win on debut but he took consolation from his new team Legion XIII running out a four-shot victory in the team event. Congratulations @LegionXIIIgc pic.twitter.com/V76xlsxIzA

— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) February 5, 2024

LIV Golf Mayakoba Final Leaderboard

-12 J Niemann*, S Garcia

-10 J Rahm, D Burmester

-8 C Howell III, D Johnson, B Koepka

*Niemann wins at fourth extra hole

LIV Golf Mayakoba Team Leaderboard

-24 Legion XIII - J Rahm (c), T Hatton, C Surratt, K Vincent

-20 Crushers GC - B DeChambeau (c), P Casey, A Lahiri, C Howell III

-18 Torque GC - J Niemann (c), C Ortiz, M Pereira, S Munoz

VIEW FULL SCORES HERE

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