LIV GOLF MAYAKOBA

February 23, 2023

Joaquin Niemann

Sebastian Munoz

Mito Pereira

David Puig

El Camaleón Golf Course

Torque

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back again. Our second press conference of the day with Team Torque GC. We have Joaquin Niemann from Chile. We have Mito Pereira from Chile. We have Sebastián Muñoz from Colombia and David Puig from Spain. Very international team here. Welcome guys. Thank you so much.

So you guys have one of the newest teams out here at LIV Golf. Joaquin, what is --

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: One of the best teams, you say?

THE MODERATOR: One of the best and newest. We've got two new joiners, and David, who is now full-time with LIV, which is very exciting. Tell us about your strategy going in, all these new faces, and how strong you think you guys are going into the season.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, I'm really happy having Mito and Sebastian just sign after we've been together probably three, four years on TOUR. I think it's going to be really, really fun. I think the practice rounds are being really competitive, the four of us.

So it's nice to get that team format going. I think Sebastian, like we were talking, he's always been playing great with team format. Me and Mito from Chile, we play a lot of team events also, and also David coming from school, from college, he's used to this type of format.

So I think we're ready to go. It's going to be the first week and hope we start with the right foot.

THE MODERATOR: Mito, how has your first couple days with LIV been? Then same question for Seb.

MITO PEREIRA: It's been great so far. Like Joaquin said, this team format is great for us, as Spanish speaking. It's been great. Just really looking forward to the whole year to really, really do well with Team Torque.

THE MODERATOR: Seb?

SEBASTIÁN MUÑOZ: It's been exciting. It's felt like school these last couple days with the shoots, having everyone do pictures. It's feeling good. It's feeling new, fresh.

As these guys said, you know, like we used to kind of team up in the events before, stay in the same house. So it's kind of like the same concept. See each other, compete with each other, train with each other, and just perform.

THE MODERATOR: Do you guys have any nerves being the new guys on campus?

SEBASTIÁN MUÑOZ: Not at all.

THE MODERATOR: That's awesome. David, I think you're the youngest person at LIV Golf. Is that accurate? On the roster.

DAVID PUIG: I think so, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: How does that feel coming in to have a full-time contract with LIV for the year and playing on Team Torque and having Joaco pick you for his team?

DAVID PUIG: It feels great. I was lucky enough to have Joaco as a captain last year as well, and he's just awesome. I'm very happy to be on his team, and also having Mito and Sebastian here with us. I mean, they're all awesome, especially with the team, but like with everybody.

So it's just super easy to be here and just kind of follow these guys and learning and also kind of like I'm looking forward to every event.

THE MODERATOR: You shared something with me, that you are still living with your teammates from Arizona back home; correct?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: He was saying his room was bigger than his apartment back home.

THE MODERATOR: How is that juxtaposition when you're coming here, playing with LIV with this team with these guys and the whole LIV atmosphere, and then you go back with your college roommates?

DAVID PUIG: It's great. I'm not going to lie, I'd rather live with them than live alone. I'm still pretty young. I'm a senior in college still. So these guys back home, they love me, I love them. We've been teammates for three years, and they're awesome.

It's cool to have them when I'm back home, and when I'm here, I have these guys, which they're awesome as well. It's a pretty easy life, I would say.

Q. Joaco, obviously you guys aren't the only team who revamped your roster. Do you feel like a lot of other teams got stronger too, and because of that, there won't be as much of a dominating team as there was last year?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: I think all the teams right now are pretty strong. It's going to be a competitive season, but I feel really confident of how good this team is, how good this team plays in team format.

At the end of the day, that's what they're here for. We're a team. We enjoy playing all together, and we're going to be battling all season for Team Torque, which is going to be a great experience.

Q. Question for all you guys. You're the youngest team in the league by a significant amount. Do you think that's an advantage?

SEBASTIÁN MUÑOZ: Yeah, sure.

(Laughter.)

I feel like we're motivated. I mean, I'm the only one that's 30. Everyone is 20-year-old.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: The average is still 20s.

SEBASTIÁN MUÑOZ: Still 20s, yeah, we could say I'm 20 in that sense as well. Real excited. We're here to prove ourselves. We're trying to show our product, and I think we have a really good product and we're going to have a strong showing this season.

Q. Have you gotten a response or a feel for what it's been like back in Chile in terms of you guys on the same team now?

MITO PEREIRA: I think we've been doing great things for the last, I don't know, since Joaquin got on TOUR probably --

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Four years, five years.

MITO PEREIRA: Five years ago. The golf in Chile has grown so much, and right now with us teaming up, Chile is going nuts, I think. It's going to be great for them, great for us.

All the golf in Chile is still going upwards, like it's been the last four years.

Q. David, you were one of the first players to make the jump from being an amateur straight to LIV. You still live with some of your college friends. What are the conversations like with them? What do you tell other amateur players about LIV and the move that you made? What are those conversations like?

DAVID PUIG: I didn't talk to a lot of college guys obviously, but I obviously talk to the ASU guys. I've just told them the truth. I mean, as a guy that just left college and coming to LIV is probably the best thing ever.

College is good, but you get here and they treat you really well. Obviously all the players are really good, and the courses are also very good.

I would say just a pretty easy choice for a college kid. You get here, and you play against the best. In my case, I have one of the best teams or the best team. It's awesome.

Q. You said you're a senior. Are you still taking classes?

DAVID PUIG: I am. I'm fully online now. This is my last semester, so I'm almost done.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Let me know if you need any help (laughter).

DAVID PUIG: I will.

Q. How does your practice compare to when you were in college and to now with your schoolwork? How does that get divvied up now? Did it change at all?

DAVID PUIG: I have more freedom now since everything is online. I'm only taking two classes right now, which is pretty chill.

Yeah, my plan every day is just kind of working out in the mornings and playing or practicing in the afternoon. So it's pretty much the same, I would say. It's just by myself most of the time, and it's awesome. I'm really glad I took that decision and looking forward for this year.

Q. Mito, have you watched Netflix's Full Swing yet?

MITO PEREIRA: Yeah, I watched it. The first one I watched was episode 7, and then I started the other ones.

(Laughter.)

I think it turned out really good. Obviously Joaquin and I were in that episode, and it really showed how we are off the course and on the course. Obviously they showed a lot of the PGA Championship, so that wasn't great, but it's good for everybody to watch it.

Q. How difficult was it to watch that back?

MITO PEREIRA: Actually, PGA Championship has been probably eight months, so I'm kind of over that. I just watch it as -- just really watched it and didn't really feel the same that I felt before.

Q. Joaquin, any thoughts on seeing it?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: I watched it. It was pretty good. Same as Mito, I watched that episode first. Yeah, it was good. It brought back a lot of memories, good memories.

It also brought a lot of tough memories, just watching Mito -- I mean, for us being outside the golf course, it's just -- I think you feel more pressure being outside.

Yeah, I'm also really proud the way that Mito took it, like a learning experience. I think watching it over and over again and people talking about it, I think it's good to go over it and see what went wrong, what went good, and just stay positive that week like he took it.