LIV GOLF SINGAPORE

March 14, 2026

Joaquin Niemann

Sentosa Golf Club

Torque GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome to the media center Joaquín Niemann, captain of Torque GC. A 5-under par 66, currently tied for the lead entering Sunday. On a day where the conditions appeared to be the most challenging for the field, you made your move. What worked well for you that maybe wasn't working so well for others out there today?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, it was definitely a tricky day out there. It was windy. Started out on No. 3, which is a scary tee shot, and then the wind gets super exposed on the next few holes.

I was able to take advantage. I hit the ball unbelievable today compared to the other days. I was able to see the ball in the windows that I was seeing in my mind. Yeah, it was nice. I played pretty confident. I was able to attack a lot of pins. Especially with the wind, I was feeling like I was able to control the trajectory really good.

I think that was the key for today's round.

Q. You won here last year. Through three rounds, is this the type of performance that you've been looking for this season?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, I mean, it's really nice to be in this situation right now. I feel like it's been close -- obviously not the best results overall in the first three events. I felt like I gave myself some chances in Australia, Hong Kong I was there in the top 10 going into Sunday. Yeah, I feel like the game is trending in the right direction. I feel like everything just needs to be a little bit more sharp, like I said at the beginning of the week.

Yeah, this week I've been putting a lot of focus on finding that window that I like, which is a little bit lower, especially with this wind. A lot of high-pressure shots that we have here, especially off the tee. I feel like I can control that window a lot better, so I've been focusing on that, and it just fed off today.

Q. I think you only have three bogeys this week --

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: They all three-putted.

Q. Considering the tough conditions, how impressive is it to limit that damage?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, I mean, I've been hitting the ball really good. I think that's the key. It's a really stressful golf course, I'll say. There's a lot of danger off the tee, a lot of water on second shots. One way or the other, I feel like I've been kind of like stress-free after I hit the shot. Once I get on the tee, there's some pressure there, and then once I hit the ball, it goes right where I'm seeing with my eyes, so it feels satisfying, and I feel like you just starting builds when you start seeing the ball going the way you want it.

Once that starts happening, you can be taking a little bit more aggressive lines, and when you get a little bit more aggressive and a little mix of that confidence, you can score low, and I think that was the case today.

Q. I wanted to ask you about that stretch in the first round. You had three straight bogeys and then since then you seem to have just turned it on.

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, that first round I felt like it was going to be a great round. I felt like I had a good start, was hitting the ball well, was putting well. Yeah, just from nowhere I had three bad holes, three bad swings on my second shots. I ended up in a tough situation making three bogeys in a row. I feel like other than that, I've been able to kind of come back quick from that.

I was playing with DJ that day, and he also kind of struggled at the beginning, then had a good momentum going on, then hit a bad tee shot on 14 and 15.

I feel like it was kind of like a mix in the whole group. Everybody was kind of like good, bad, good, bad, and I feel like I did, too, almost everything in that moment.

Q. How important is patience and mental game, especially when the momentum at the top of the leaderboard changes very quickly?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, I think patience is probably the word that everybody is trying to have on the front of their mind. Especially in this game, patience, I think, is always going to do well for you, if you can maintain that on top of your head and don't forget it.

I think that was probably the key for me for these few days, really patient. I felt like last week in Hong Kong was a different type of course, different kind of tournament, as well, because everybody is going so low that they're making birdies every two holes. I felt like a little bit desperate, not having a chance to climb up the leaderboard early in the day, and during the week it was hard to make putts for me.

I feel like here it's just a different golf course. I feel like here it's more about ball-striking and putting the ball in the fairway and hitting greens.

Since the start, it's a lot more conservative and a little bit more patient, you could say.

I felt like once I'm able to have that patience through the day, I know I can do great things, so I know I need to keep working on that, and I need to keep telling myself to be more patient.

Q. In your view, this golf course actually tests all your skill sets?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, 100 percent. You've got to hit a lot of really tough drivers. 18th hole you can have an aggressive line off the tee and you can really take advantage of that hole. Then you've got holes like No. 3 where you've got to hit the fairway no matter what. Same as 14, you've got to be in that fairway. There's a lot of tee shots where it demands a lot of pressure, a lot of skills and a lot of focus.

I like that. I feel like I like focusing more deeply into every shot, and I feel like the more I focus into the shot, the more into it I'm on it.

Q. You're now in a similar position as you were last year heading into the final round. Is there anything that you take away from your experience last year that you'll be bringing with you tomorrow as you look to close it out?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Obviously I know in a way what I need to do. Golf is a tough game, and I know that if I play the way that I played today and I putt a little bit better than today, I know I'm going to have a really big, big chance to win.

I feel like I've just got to work towards that, what makes that happen, and I feel like it's just being patient. Just being patient, taking it step by step.

I feel like it's just taking my time, taking my time, knowing every situation that I'm on, because I know that if I'm 100 percent at that moment on every shot that I'm going to give my absolute best. If that happens and I end up hitting shots like I hit today, great. If not, I know that I gave my best effort to make that happen.

But it's not something I'm going to -- it's not like I can tell you I'm going to hit the shots that I hit today tomorrow. I have no idea. I'm just going to try my best to get close to that.

Q. Last year you didn't really struggle much early in the season. This year you did. Do you think going through those tough times makes you a better golfer in the long run?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, I believe. I feel like everyone has bad times, bad weeks, bad days, bad years. It doesn't really -- at the end of the day, I feel like in those tough moments, it's easier to kind of put yourself down a little bit more than when you're having a good day. So I feel like if you can come out of those bad days your best version, I feel like you're just winning.

I had a Rolex reception at the beginning of the week, and they asked this question, and Bryson answered that same way, and I feel like that's where you learn the most, in those tough moments, tough periods where you've got to wake up again, go put in the work, put in the time, and just be in a positive mindset, knowing that it's going to come.

I always have something in mind just when I had my first year on the PGA TOUR. I was having a practice round with one of the guys, and he was like, I know you're not going to ask me for any advice, but if I can give you one, it's don't worry if you're having a bad day or a bad week or a few bad tournaments. Your best golf is always going to come back. I feel like that always stayed in my mind, and I feel like it's true. If you keep doing the things you're doing and you did it before and it works, you've just got to keep trying, and I know definitely it's going to come.

Q. You're tied for the lead with Lee Westwood. He's nearly twice as old as you are. I'm just wondering how impressed you are seeing him being as competitive as he is this week, especially given the fact that he's just coming off injury.

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, Lee, obviously he's a lot older than me. He has a lot of experience. He's an unbelievable golfer, has a great career, and he's still a lot to impress everybody. I haven't played much with him, so I'm looking forward to spending time with him tomorrow, playing a round of golf.

Yeah, it's nice to see him perform. He kind of struggled a little bit last year. I feel like he was pretty close to relegation last year, and him being able to come back and work hard as he did, and for the age that he has, for how many years he's been working hard and trying to figure it out, he's just -- I really respect that and respect his game because of that. It'll be good to play with him and learn from him as well tomorrow.