Joaquín Niemann Zenteno (born 7 November 1998)[4] is a Chilean professional golfer. He won twice on the PGA Tour,[5] before joining LIV Golf in 2022. He was the number one ranked amateur golfer from May 2017 to April 2018.
Amateur career
Niemann was the number one ranked golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 44 weeks, from May 2017 to April 2018, when he turned professional.[6][7] Niemann planned to play at the University of South Florida, but he was unable to gain entry due to his TOEFL scores.
Niemann forfeited those exemptions to the 2018 U.S. Open and Open Championship to turn professional before the 2018 Valero Texas Open, where he finished 6th in his first tournament as a professional golfer. He earned Special Temporary Member Status on the PGA Tour for the rest of 2018 with a T6 finish at the Memorial Tournament, his third top-ten in only five starts on tour. He earned a PGA Tour card for the 2018–19 season, after a fourth top-10 finish (T5 at The Greenbrier) in eight tournaments.[10] Niemann joins Jordan Spieth (2013) and Jon Rahm (2016) as golfers who were able to completely bypass the Web.com Tour Finals and earn PGA Tour cards after starting the season without any status.
In September 2019, Niemann won A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier for his first PGA Tour victory. He became the first PGA Tour winner from Chile, and the youngest international PGA Tour winner since 1923.[11]
In July 2021, Niemann shot a bogey free 18-under par for 72 holes to tie with Cameron Davis and Troy Merritt for the lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Niemann made his first bogey of the week on the first playoff hole and was eliminated. Davis was the eventual champion.[15]
In August 2022, it was announced that Niemann had joined LIV Golf.[19] He was subsequently named as the captain of the Torque GC team and finished runner-up in his first start, at LIV Golf Invitational Boston, losing a playoff to Dustin Johnson.[20] In the 2023 LIV Golf League, his all Spanish-speaking Torque GC won more team titles (four) and collected more prize money than any other team during the regular season, before finishing 3rd in the $50 million Team Championship in Miami.[21]
On 4 February 2024, Niemann shot a 12-under-par 59 in the first round of the LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico. According to Data Golf, it was the third-best score in terms of true strokes gained since 2004.[22] In a playoff against Sergio García, Niemann won the tournament with a birdie on the fourth extra hole, for his first individual LIV Golf title.[23]
Hole
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Out
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
In
Total
Par
4
4
4
3
5
4
5
3
4
36
3
4
4
5
4
3
4
4
4
35
71
Score
4
4
3
2
4
3
4
3
3
30
2
2
4
4
4
2
4
3
4
29
59
In an interview following his win at LIV Golf Mayakoba, Niemann stated his desire to win major championships, but lamented that "I've got to get in first". Three weeks later, Augusta National Golf Club announced that Niemann was given a special invitation to compete in the 2024 Masters Tournament.[24]
Amateur wins
2013 Campeonato Sudamericano Pre Juvenil, Campeonato Abierto de Golf de Temuco
2015 Junior Orange Bowl Championship, Abierto Las Brisas de Santo Domingo, IMG Academy Junior World Championships (Boys 15–17), Campeonato Juvenil de Chile, Canadian International Junior Challenge, Abierto Sport Francés
2017 Abierto Las Araucarias, TaylorMade-Adidas Golf Junior at Innisbrook, Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, Campeonato Internacional de Aficionados - Mexico
