LIV GOLF SINGAPORE

March 14, 2025

Joaquin Niemann

Sebastian Munoz

Sentosa Golf Club

Torque GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Sebastian Muñoz and Joaquín Niemann, captain of Torque GC. Sebastian, you're sitting in solo second after a 5-under par round, 66 in the opening round of LIV Golf Singapore presented by Aramco. Can you just talk us through your round today.

SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Hello, everyone. Great day. I felt like I was under control a lot of my day. I had a good stretch on 16, 17, 18 where it turned -- made the turn and I was 4-under. Had a little mishappening on No. 2, a little bogey, but then finished strong with a couple more birdies, and the game is feeling good, feeling solid. I feel like I'm giving myself good looks, and I feel like I rolled the ball pretty good today, so really happy where I'm at and excited for the days to come.

Q. You've started this season really strongly. You're currently sixth in the overly standings. Talk us through what you feel is really clicking in your game this year.

SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Yeah, absolutely. I feel like I put a lot of work in since we finished last year in Dallas. I feel like my direction and my swing has been more clear. In a way, I feel like I didn't have any goals before that, and now I do have goals. I do have goals with my coach that we're trying to achieve and we're working pretty hard at it and we're just committed to the process and not the results, even though the results have been great. It kind of just gives me the confidence to keep on pushing in the right direction and being patient and just giving myself my best opportunity every week.

Q. Joaquín, you're tied for third after a 4-under-par round of 67 here. Can you take us through your round, as well.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, it was a good day. I started pretty good. I started with birdie on No. 2 and No. 3. After that I had the par-5 on No. 4, I three-putted there. But I was hitting it great. I was hitting it close. I was taking advantage on my tee shot. Also on No. 7 I hit a great tee shot, great second shot, and ended up in the bunker, making a good up-and-down there.

Yeah, after that I feel like the round could have gone in a way where I could make a few other birdies and coming with a really strong round. But yeah, I had a stretch on 11, 12 and 13 that I missed all of those three greens and I was able to make good up-and-downs, which was nice.

Yeah, it was a little bit of good golf and then had a little stretch of not great swings, good up-and-downs. So it was a good day.

Q. Also a good day for Team Torque; you're currently second place but you're one of those teams looking to end a winless drought. What would a victory mean for you and your team here in Singapore?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, it would mean a lot. I feel like after last year, obviously, we didn't have the best results, but I think is going to be one of those years to remember because I feel like coming out of a year we didn't win, we didn't have the results, it's normally where you come back stronger and you go out and work harder to kind of accomplish your goals, and I think we all have the same goals this year to win as a team.

Like Sebastian just said, he's excited to go back and get work done, and it doesn't matter the results. We all know that working hard is always paying off. It's nice to have that motivation and seeing the results. I think it's going to help for the team to see a victory and keep working hard to accomplish our main goal and that is winning the Team Championship.

Q. Second place and joint third, how do you think this sets the tone for your team performance over the next two days?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, I feel like there's obviously great players behind us trying to chase us. Obviously we are not on the top of the leaderboard yet. We've got a lot of golf to play in the next two days. I think if anything we're excited to see what's coming the next two days.

I think the course is in unbelievable shape. We really enjoy playing on this course. The greens are rolling excellent. It's always nice to see the ball rolling like it is this week.

So yeah, I'm excited to see what's coming the next two days.

Q. Sebastian, in Riyadh and Hong Kong you were in contention, and now you've got a strong start in Singapore. Is there anything that you've taken away from Riyadh and Hong Kong that you feel could help you out here in Singapore this week?

SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Yeah, absolutely. I felt like Riyadh was a really good testing ground for my swing and my new feels that I'm developing. I felt like coming down the stretch I hit really good shots and some bad ones. I've been just working hard on trying to commit. It doesn't matter what happens, just stay committed to my shot, and usually it's paying off.

Then in Hong Kong, my putter kind of went cold on the back nine. This week I really worked hard at the beginning of the week with my putter, and I feel a lot more confident in it.

Just trying to improve every day a little bit. Either it's my ball-striking or my chipping or my putting. I feel like I've done a good job of it.

It's just have the opportunity. I don't know if I'm going to get it done this week, but I'm working hard at it, and I'm just -- I want that opportunity again.

Q. Seb, we've played 10 rounds this season and you've been positioned second after half of them, so that's pretty impressive. Is there a sense of frustration at all that you haven't crossed that finish line yet, or is it one of those it's a positive sign, it's going to happen at some point?

SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Yeah, more the second one. I feel like, yeah, as you said, it's been a really strong start for me this year. I feel like I'm doing a good job mentally of not getting frustrated even though I've had a couple good chances.

I'm just in a good place mentally. I'm in a good place, I'm in a solid place with my coach, my caddie. I feel like after watching Joaco win and almost win the whole thing last year, it was really inspiring in a way, especially for me and my teammates. He led by example. He's not the type of guy that's going to shout at you or make you feel bad if you don't play great.

But he just kind of leads by example. He's the first one to work. He's working out in the gym. He's out-driving everyone. Just kind of kudos to that, and he's inspiring, and I feel like that really motivated me and my team to come this year and really perform.

We're working on it, and it's still not easy, but we're a lot closer.

Q. Joaco, what are you seeing out of Seb this year?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, me and Seb, I feel like we got a little match between us also in practice rounds, and I feel like for me, in a good way it's nice to get going to Sebastian. He gets mad sometimes and I like it when he gets mad because it's not like he will take it personal but pretty close to it. He will start making 20-, 30-footers. It's just what he does.

I feel like if we can see that Sebastian like we see in the practice round and we're seeing what he's doing right now on the course, I mean, it's Sebastian. He's been doing great stuff. He's a great player, unbelievable putter, unbelievable striker. He's working harder than he's ever been working before.

Yeah, I'm pretty happy for him to start seeing those results because it's really exciting. Sometimes it gets pretty frustrated to go out again and work again and you don't see the results, but to be able to do that progress and that work and then seeing some results, being in contention and keep learning from those experiences, it's nice.

Yeah, I feel like Sebastian, sooner than later, he's going to show what he can really do.

Q. Obviously last week we played at a course that was 6,700 yards. Now we're playing at a course that's 7,400. Is it fairly easy to make that transition? I don't know what kind of mindset you have to change or physical stuff, but is it easy to make that transition from a short course to long course?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: He's the strategy man.

SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: I feel like I don't really think in terms of long and short, like yards. It's just the shot. Last week it might have been shorter but maybe the greens were smaller. The targets were tighter. This week the greens are a little bigger and shots are longer, but it's still the shots. I feel like I don't really focus on length. I just kind of -- either if I execute or don't execute.

Yeah, I don't really pay a lot of attention to that. I did notice that I'm hitting more longer irons than last week, but it's still just a golf shot.