LOS ANGELES - Joaquin Niemann set or matched some form of a scoring record at Riviera Country Club every round of the Genesis Invitational until Sunday, when all he got was the trophy handed to him from tournament host Tiger Woods after beating the best field in golf so far this year.
That was more than enough.
Niemann overcame a few anxious moments and closed with a par round of 71 to become the first wire-to-wire winner at the Genesis Invitational in 53 years, holding off British Open champion Collin Morikawa and PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young by two shots.
The tournament began Thursday with the world's top 10 players in the field. It ended with a 23-year-old Chilean celebrating after playing his best golf in a 63-63 start, tacking on a 68 on moving day and doing just enough in the final round to win.
"It's the toughest tournament, I think, during the year. It's got the best field, the best players are here, and that proves myself that I can be competing with the top guys, I can be up there in the world ranking," Niemann said. "I think it's going to give me a lot of confidence for what is coming next."
Staked to a three-shot lead to start the final round, Niemann's margin was down to one when he made a seven-foot birdie on the eighth hole and Young sailed the green and made a bogey. And then Niemann chipped in for an eagle on the par-5 11th and was on his way to his second PGA Tour win.
The first came in September 2019 at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, and he came up short in a playoff twice last year.
"Everyone's here to compete against the best players in the world. I'm here to do the same," he said. "Winning a PGA Tour event, getting a trophy, having Tiger there, all the history behind it, there's nothing that can compete with this."
About the only thing Niemann missed was a chance to break the oldest tournament scoring record on the PGA Tour. With two bogeys on the back nine, Niemann finished at 19-under 265, one short of the score Lanny Watkins had in 1985.
Morikawa holed an eagle chip on the infamous and reachable 10th hole that one-hopped into the cup, and two late birdies gave him a chance. But he missed a 10-footer on the 18th in his bid to win and reach No. 1 in the world. He closed with a 66.
Young (70), making the 12th PGA Tour start of his career, was a runner-up for the second time this season. He also shared second at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October, and this time he earned $1,068,000 of a $12 million purse.
Niemann picked up $2.16 million for his second PGA Tour victory.
AP photo by Ryan Kang / Joaquin Niemann holds the Genesis Invitational winner's trophy while posing next to tournament Tiger Woods on the 18th green at Riviera Country Club on Sunday.League doomed?
A proposed Saudi-financed rival golf league took a massive hit Sunday, when Dustin Johnson said he was "fully committed" to the PGA Tour and Bryson DeChambeau indicated he would stay where the stars were playing.
Johnson added his name to a growing list of top players who have said they are not interested in taking guaranteed riches from the "Super Golf League" that two-time British Open champion Greg Norman and his LIV Golf Investments are behind.
Rory McIlroy, the first to speak out against the idea two years ago, said Sunday's developments left the concept "dead in the water."
"Who's left to go?" the four-time major winner from Northern Ireland said. "I just can't see any reason why anyone would go."
Johnson, a two-time major champion who has spent more time at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking than any of the current players - he is currently sixth - had kept his intentions quiet over the past few months, leading to speculation he would join.
"I feel it is now time to put such speculation to rest. I am fully committed to the PGA Tour," he said in a statement the tour released on his behalf. "I am grateful for the opportunity to play on the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family."
Johnson's statement means no one from the top 10 has indicated any interest in signing up for the league.
Hours later, the 12th-ranked DeChambeau posted a statement on Twitter: "While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding my support for another tour, I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I."
No slowing down
NAPLES, Fla. – Already the oldest winner in PGA Tour Champions history, Bernhard Langer completed a wire-to-wire victory for his record fourth Chubb Classic title.
Langer won at 64 years, 5 months, 23 days to push his number of career victories on the 50-and-older tour to 43 - two behind Hale Irwin for the record - and secure at least one tourney title for the 16th straight season.
"I'm getting closer now," Langer said about Irwin's mark. "Years ago I thought, `Well, that's almost impossible to reach that. Looking back now, I've lost a bunch of playoffs the last three or four years. If I had won a couple of those, I would be right there."
The German star became the senior circuit's oldest winner this past October at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
Langer opened the Chubb Classic by shooting his age Thursday. The two-time Masters champion with six senior circuit season crowns closed Sunday with his second straight 4-under 68 at Tiburon Golf Club's Black Course to finish at 16-under 200 in the 54-hole event.
He beat Tim Petrovic (69) by three strokes after going into the final round up by two. South Africa's Retief Goosen (70) was third at 12 under.