THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome to the media center the LIV Golf Virginia presented by Maaden individual champion Joaquín Niemann, the captain of Torque GC. You shot a final-round 8-under 63 to win by two strokes. It's your fourth win of the season and it's your sixth career LIV Golf win, which is the most of any individual in LIV Golf history.
Can you just give us a few thoughts going through your head right now.
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, the way you started the first few words, I actually didn't know. I had an idea I was going pretty low today but didn't quite know I was 8-under.
I knew what I needed to do and tried to make more birdies and tried to chase the leaders, and it was a lot of fun. It's pretty cool to be in this place in this position right now, which I'm pretty thankful.
Q. You're a collective 27-under in the four final rounds that you've won this season. What is it about the final rounds that brings out the best in you?
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I don't know. I would love to understand why and do it every time, but it definitely doesn't happen every Sunday.
Q. We had two rain delays, obviously. You came out firing after the second one. Did you put on a Superman cape? What was it during the rain delay --
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I feel like I got some inspiration from Carlos Alcaraz, to be honest. I was watching his game, and it was pretty good to see that he was three match points of losing the match, and being able to bring that back into the match and being able to win, it was pretty cool. I felt like I was able to sit down in the locker room by myself, was Mito there and my brother, so I was just chilling there in the locker room and watching Carlos Alcaraz making that.
It was pretty cool.
Yeah, I feel like it was more a patience kind of thing for the whole week. I feel like from the beginning of the week, I feel like I was kind of like forcing things to make it happen, and the way I played on Saturday, I played pretty good golf. I didn't make many putts there, and I felt like my attitude wasn't the best. I was being kind of like a little kid in a few reaction that I had. But I wasn't too proud of that, and I feel like -- going back on Saturday, Saturday night, I kind of talked to myself that I was going to be patient on Sunday. I just wanted to have a good attitude, have good reactions after good putts even though I missed them because it was pretty hard to read these greens.
I feel like all that patience for the whole week, it kind of paid off on the last rain delay for the last five holes, so I'm pretty proud of that.
Q. It was a pretty incredible leaderboard out there today. We had a lot of major champions and the guys that were chasing you, all veterans. This is your fourth win. You've won 50 percent of our tournaments this season.
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: It's not a good time for next week.
Q. What has it been like during this stretch that you've pretty much dominated every other week? This also is your first win in the U.S. if I recall.
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, I think it's a lot of talk with myself. I feel like whenever you're in those situations, it's kind of hard. You go and put yourself ahead of time, in a way. You're hitting the golf shots when you're nervous about what could happen after, and I feel like every time I tried to talk to myself to bring myself back into the present moment in a way, because being today in the last four, five holes, having Bryson making a run and feeling the crowd being pretty excited about that, having Phil, as well. Graeme, I was playing with him the whole day and he was playing unbelievable. Yeah, like I said before, it was just trying to be patient.
I feel like patience is always going to pay off. I'm a big believer of that. I just proved myself that I've got to be more patient more often.
Q. With how you're playing right now, how would you compare that to the best form you've been in your career? Is this the best that you've ever played?
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I mean, I don't know. I feel like obviously I scored pretty good. I feel like I made good putts whenever I need to, made good up-and-downs on 17. But I feel like my driving still hasn't been the best.
I feel like I started driving it pretty good at the beginning of the year, and right now it doesn't feel like the best it could be. I feel like, yeah, there's a lot of work that I feel like I can improve on. Definitely going to go back and try to figure out something.
Q. Is that low stinger fade you hit off the tee kind of your go-to shot when you need to find a fairway?
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Not really. I feel like I've been feeling more comfortable hitting a little draw. I used to hit a little bit more of a high draw and now it's kind of a little bit more flat. I feel like whenever I hit that low cutty one is whenever the hole is asking for that shot. Yeah, I feel pretty comfortable doing that.
Q. Can you talk about after coming off of a week like this how you approach next week?
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, I mean, I feel like it's just another golf tournament. I've got to figure out stuff in my game and got to improve, like I said before, my driving. I feel like next week is going to be a good challenge. I feel like this is going to be a good preparation for what's coming.
I actually haven't been to Oakmont before. It's going to be my first time. I've got to go there on Monday, see what it is, and then see what I expect. More than that, I don't have many more expectations.
Q. When you started LIV, I'm assuming you had expectations about playing in majors and succeeding in majors, and obviously many people have talked about the fact that you've done well here but not done well there. How do you answer that question?
JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, for sure. It's something that is always in my mind. I know there's some pressure behind me performing here and not having good results in majors. I feel like that's just a learning process. At the end of the day, it's still a golf tournament. Probably I feel sometimes a little bit more uncomfortable in certain situations, but I feel like I'm learning to be better in those situations.
I mean, it's just another golf tournament. More than that, I can't say anything else.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports