Sebastian Munoz’ opening-round 12-under 59 at LIV Indianapolis suggested this might be his week.
It was.
Munoz maintained his lead through the weekend at LIV’s season finale, carding a tidy 65 on Sunday to finish at 22 under for the week and earn a spot in a playoff with former world No. 1 Jon Rahm, who had stormed back into contention at the Club at Chatham Hills with a final-round 60.
But Munoz would not be denied. With a birdie on the first playoff hole, he knocked off Rahm to claim his first-ever LIV title.
“It’s been a long time coming, six years since my last win,” Munoz, who is from Colombia, said in a post-round interview. “It’s awesome right now being able to take it in with my daughter, my family, everyone here, it’s great.”
Consistent play secures Rahm LIV’s 2025 individual title
While Rahm, who captains Legion XIII, fell short in the playoff, his runner-up finish still earned him a much bigger prize: LIV’s season-long individual title, which comes with an $18 million payday.
Remarkably, Rahm won the title without, well . . . winning. Without a single individual victory in 2025, Rahm still outpaced Torque GC captain Joaquín Niemann, who racked up five wins this season and said of his runner-up status in the season-long race, “It’s kind of hard to swallow.”
Thanks to LIV points system, which rewards consistency as much as victories, Rahm — on the back of 12 top-10 finishes in 13 starts — was able to lock down the individual title. Meanwhile, Niemann, in the eight starts that he didn’t win, just once finished inside the top 10.
Despite his accomplishment, Rahm sounded like he didn’t know what emotions he should be feeling in the wake of his second playoff loss of the year.
“Still slightly bittersweet,” he said. “I know I’m supposed to be happy; it’s a great moment. But it just doesn’t feel great to finish the year losing two playoffs.”
Reflecting on both the outcome and the journey, Rahm acknowledged the significance of his season-long performance and second Individual title in two years.
“To be able to win the season without actually winning a tournament, I know eventually I’ll be proud of that,” he said. “ I did what I needed to do today. I went out there, shot 60. I had one bad swing all day on 14 which cost me a bogey, but gave myself the best chance.”
Rahm added, “Right now it’s slightly more something I’m going to suffer over a little bit more, and it may never be replicated. … One could argue [Niemann] was probably the more deserving guy to win this.”
Munoz’ performance also was not lost on Rahm.
“Kudos to Sebastián for finishing the way he did,” Rahm said. “That up-and-down on 17 was incredible, and then playing 18 the way he needed to —twice in a row — is fantastic,” he said. “It’s only fitting to shoot 59 and win the tournament.”
