Leader Joaquin Niemann was punished before the last round of LIV Mayakoba on Sunday.
Niemann went from being ahead by four shots to being ahead by only two after being given a two-stroke penalty on Sunday morning because he was found that he had taken an improper drop and performed from the incorrect position during Saturday’s second round.
According to a statement from LIV, the rules committee learned that Niemann might have broken the rules while he was taking a break from the 13th hole’s cart path.
The committee looked at what happened and decided that Niemann broke Rule 14.7a because he failed to drop within this one-club-length freedom zone.
An extra two shots were taken away from Niemann’s score on that hole, making him a double-bogey 7. His score went from one under 70 to one over 72.
With thirty-six holes to play, Niemann is 11 under par, two shots ahead of Jon Rahm and Dean Burmester. He shot 59 in the first round.
On Sunday, tournament leader Joaquin Niemann was given a two-stroke penalty for not taking a proper drop during the second round of the inaugural LIV Golf Mayakoba event on Saturday.
The LIV Golf League said Niemann’s drop on the 13th hole in a cart path was longer than the first club length that was let. It was brought to the attention of the rules staff on Saturday night.
“When Joaquin and I looked over the drop on Sunday morning before the Final Round, it was clear that he had played from the Wrong Place following taking relief the wrong way,” LIV Golf said in a statement. “Joaquin didn’t drop within the aid area that was one club length long.”
Under Rules 14.7a, you get two strikes if you play the ball from the wrong place. This is called the “general penalty.”
The Rules Committee changed Joaquin’s score to Round Two by including the 2-Stroke Penalty in Hole 13, which went from a 5 to a 7. This was allowed by Rule 3.3b(3).
Joaquin Niemann got a penalty due to something he did wrong during the LIV Golf at Mayakoba round on Saturday.
The lead Niemann had in the individual event was cut down to two strokes across Jon Rahm as well as Dean Burmester.
The golfer had been playing pretty well to start an LIV season, but the penalty ruins what had been a great start. He will try to get over the problem since the incident isn’t over yet.
Following Round Two on Saturday evening, the Rules Committee learned that Joaquin Niemann may have broken the rules when he dropped from the cart path onto the par-5 13th hole.
It was found that Joaquin had played from the wrong place following taking relief incorrectly after going over the drop with him on Sunday morning before the final round.
When Joaquin tried to drop, he missed his one-club-length relief area. Following rules 15.7A, you will get two strokes for playing the tennis ball from the wrong place.
Last but not least, I had to figure out just how the warm-up would affect me since everyone started at the same time. It didn’t seem any different from other times I’ve started up or restarted.
It was a lot of fun. There’s a clear difference in the mood, and I think it showed. I was very calm out there. It’s kind of like how I play with my friends at home when we have music on a cart. Almost everything about the day was great.
Niemann said, “It was dark. I think it helped me not be so picky about where to stand and just look at the hole, get a feel for it, and simply enjoy it there.” It was the best way to end things. I was going to make a putt on the last hole to win.
“I didn’t feel good.” Garcia said, “My swing still doesn’t feel great.” “The fact that I was able to keep going as long as I did and almost win without feeling very good about myself is a good thing.”
When the game was over, Niemann had putts that secured his victory on the par-4 18th hole, as well as on the first two extra holes.
He then made it through the third playoff course when Garcia failed a 10-foot birdie attempt.
In the first playoff hole, the winner got lucky when his drive hit a tree on the right and went into the rough.