Calaveras as tee markers. Mariachis and folkloric dancers performing on the first tee prior to each day’s shotgun start. Spicy tamarind candy for the players.
There was a distinctly Mexican flavor to the latest tournament of the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour, held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Club de Golf Chapultepec, a prestigious private course located just outside Mexico City proper in Naucalpan, México state.
TERCER TÍTULO DEL 2025 🔥
Joaquín Niemann se luce en LIV Golf con una sólida victoria en México. 🥳
pic.twitter.com/7VJwyzzAUj— Golf Channel LA (@GolfChannelLA) April 27, 2025
Two Mexican players — Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer — were part of the 54-man field, raising hopes of a local victory, but it was ultimately Joaquín Niemann of Chile who prevailed, earning himself US $4 million and extending his lead in the 2025 season standings after six tournaments played.
Niemann finished the three-round, 54-hole tournament at 16 under par after rounds of 68, 64 and 65 on the par-71 course.
Bryson DeChambeau — a big-hitting California native who led the $25 million tournament at the conclusion of rounds one and two — finished three shots back at 13 under par to tie for second place with Australian Lucas Herbert, who shot a course record-equaling 61 on Sunday to charge up the leaderboard after starting the day well back in the field.
DeChambeau, whose power game got an extra boost thanks to the low air density in high-altitude Mexico City, was still leading the tournament when he, Niemann and Australian Cameron Smith arrived at the 13th tee on the well-manicured course on Sunday afternoon. But his grasp on the trophy slipped when an out-of-bounds tee shot led the 31-year-old two-time major winner to make a double bogey six.
Niemann, who started the day three shots behind DeChambeau at ten under, made a par at the 13th to steal the lead, and despite making a bogey at the very next hole, held on to win his third LIV tournament of the season and a record-equaling fifth overall.
A final treat for Mexico City spectators
The smell of cigar smoke lingered in the air around Club de Golf Chapultepec as many well-heeled chilangos (Mexico City residents) and a not insignificant number of foreigners took the opportunity to see major winners such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio García, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson in action.
It was the first time that an LIV tournament had been held in Mexico City, after the El Camaleón (Mayakoba) course in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, hosted events during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The lucrative breakaway tour is bankrolled by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, a country that has been accused of “sportswashing” through the creation and funding of LIV Golf.
Saudi Arabia’s history of severe human rights abuses didn’t appear to be front of mind for spectators, many of whom enjoyed the golf while downing a beer or tequila cocktail as they caught up with friends in warm Mexico City weather.
With neither Ortiz nor Ancer in contention for victory on Sunday, many in the crowd adopted Niemann, a fellow Latin American, as their favorite, and the 26-year-old Chilean affectionately known as “Joaco” didn’t disappoint, making a birdie on the par-three 18th hole to seal his victory and provide one last treat to a crowd that witnessed plenty of quality golf over the past three days.
“I kind of felt like I was fitting pretty well with the crowd,” the Santiago native told a press conference after his win.
“They were giving me a lot of energy at the beginning of the round, pulling for me, and I was able to play well,” said Niemann, whose mother witnessed her son win a professional tournament for the first time in Mexico City.
🔥🇲🇽 How did Joaquin Niemann celebrate tying Brooks Koepka atop the all-time LIV Golf League win column?
Just like the rest of us would…tacos 🌮 pic.twitter.com/YNJkr26czJ
— 54 Golf | LIV’s New Media (@_54Golf) April 28, 2025
The Chilean — who arrived and left the media center for his press conference while munching on a well-deserved taco — provided numerous highlights throughout the tournament, including on day 1 when he holed a deft chip for birdie on the 18th.
Among the other highlights of the three-day event held in conjunction with the Grupo Salinas conglomerate were players such as DeChambeau and Spaniard Jon Rahm reaching the green with their tee shots on par four holes (thanks CDMX altitude!), Englishman Richard Bland making only the second albatross (a score of three under par on a single hole) in LIV history and Herbert chipping in for eagle during his remarkable 61 in breezy conditions on Sunday.
Crowd cheers on Mexicans, but neither made top 10
Spectators offered plenty of support and encouragement to the two Mexican players, who showed off (or attempted to show off) their non-golfing local knowledge during tournament week at Club de Golf Chapultepec, host of the World Golf Championship tournament between 2017 and 2020 and scene of one of Tiger Woods’ most memorable shots.
However, both mexicanos fell well short of glory, without performing poorly per se.
Ortiz, a native of Guadalajara, finished the tournament in 16th place at four under par after a disappointing +2 round on Sunday to go with twin rounds of -3. Ancer — a United States-born dual U.S.-Mexico citizen who represents Mexico — tied for 26th position at even par after 54 holes.
Ortiz is currently 11th in the LIV season standings after two top-10 finishes this year, including a tied second place in the tournament in Adelaide, Australia, in February.
Ancer, who tied with Ortiz in Adelaide, is currently in 15th place in the standings, with two top-10 finishes in 2025 as well.
Events on the LIV tour — so named because LIV is the roman numeral for 54, and that number is both the number of holes played in an LIV tournament and the score a player records if he/she birdies every hole on a par-72 course — are not just individual competitions, but also team ones.
In each LIV tournament, thirteen four-man teams with names such as Fireballs GC and RangeGoats GC compete for a $3 million first prize.
In Mexico City, the winning team was Legion XIII, led by captain Jon Rahm, who, with his three teammates, shot a collective 28 under par in the three-day tournament.
Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies attended days 1 and 3 of the LIV Mexico City tournament.
