Joaquin Niemann had gone winless through the first seven events of the 2026 LIV Golf season — a stretch that felt long for a player who had won five times in 2025. On Sunday in Busan, he made up for all of it. The 27-year-old Chilean birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Talor Gooch at Asiad Country Club and claim his record eighth career LIV Golf individual title, more than any other player in the league's history.
Tournament Overview
LIV Golf Korea was the eighth event of the 2026 season, held May 28–31 at Asiad Country Club in Busan, South Korea. The course played to a par of 70, and with LIV's 72-hole format in place, the week demanded consistency alongside the usual burst scoring the circuit is known for. A loaded leaderboard developed by the midpoint of the week, with several of LIV's most decorated names clustered near the top heading into the weekend.
Final Leaderboard
| Pos | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joaquin Niemann* | Torque GC | -12 (268) |
| 2 | Talor Gooch | OKGC | -12 (268) |
| 3 | Bryson DeChambeau | Crushers GC | -11 (269) |
| 4 | Dustin Johnson | 4Aces GC | -10 (270) |
| 5 | Scott Vincent | Crushers GC | -9 (271) |
*Won in sudden-death playoff — Team competition: Crushers GC won at -23, claiming their record 10th regular-season team title.
How It Unfolded
Niemann and Gooch shared the 54-hole lead heading into Sunday, a pairing of two of LIV's most reliable closers. In the final round, Niemann took control early, rattling off four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the front nine to open up daylight between himself and the field. It looked like the drought was about to end comfortably.
Gooch had other ideas. The OKGC captain clawed back into contention on the back nine, capping his fight with a 28-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to level the score. Both players traded pars from there, finishing the regulation 72 holes tied at 12-under 268 after matching final-round 67s.
In the playoff on the par-4 18th, Niemann hit his approach from 150 yards to inside six feet and drained the birdie putt to end it. Gooch, unable to match him, had to settle for second.
Key Storylines
A Record That Stands Alone
With eight individual LIV Golf titles, Niemann now has three more victories than any other player in the league's history. He became the first Chilean to win on the PGA Tour back in 2019 at the Military Tribute and has gone on to become the defining winner of the LIV era. After going winless across the first seven events of 2026, the Korea win was a reminder of why he is the standard other LIV players are measured against. When asked afterward about whether each win gets easier to process, Niemann was straightforward: "I feel like the last one is the best. I feel like it's going to be always like that. It just keeps getting better and better."
Crushers GC Go Back-to-Back in Korea
While Niemann claimed the individual trophy, the team competition belonged to Crushers GC, who successfully defended their 2025 Korea title with a combined 23-under performance over four rounds. The win gave Crushers their record 10th regular-season team title and held off a strong challenge from OKGC, who finished at 20-under. Bryson DeChambeau's third-place individual finish anchored the Crushers' team result, with Scott Vincent contributing a fifth-place showing as well.
Gooch's Near Miss
For Talor Gooch, Sunday was a case of nearly everything going right but not quite enough. His 28-foot birdie on 16 to force the tie was a legitimate clutch moment, and his final round was solid. But Niemann's approach shot in the playoff was the kind of precision that wins tournaments, and Gooch had no answer for it. It was a tough result for a player who has established himself as one of LIV's more consistent performers.
Final Thoughts
LIV Golf Korea delivered the kind of finish the format is built for — two elite players, tied after 72 holes, settling it with a single extra hole in front of a crowd in Busan. Niemann walked away with the $4 million winner's share of the $20 million purse and, more importantly, the record that no one else in LIV Golf history has touched. Eight individual titles. The 2026 season still has plenty of runway left, but in South Korea, Niemann made clear he has every intention of adding to that number.