You get the impression Joaquin Niemann doesn’t mind being one of the most talked-about golfers in the game. Not one bit. He is used to it. Niemann has been hogging the headlines for his globe-trotting pursuit of world rankings points, as the poster boy for the pundits who claim LIV tournaments should award those points and also, of course, for his golf.
The on-course highlights included a wild and wonderful Australian Open victory, finishing the tournament by making birdie from behind a catering marquee to force a play-off and then closing it out in style with an eagle at the second extra hole. Then came a 59 to set up his first win on the LIV Golf circuit in Mexico, closely followed by a second $4million payday in Jeddah.
But jaw-dropping exploits are nothing new to the 25-year-old from Santiago. He first served notice of his talent when he stormed to the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings in May 2017 and stayed there for 44 weeks – a staggering achievement for a player who did not have access to the US college circuit, where most of the events are rich in ranking points. Sound familiar?
Niemann was actually headhunted by the University of South Florida, but he was denied a place there by the US education authorities who ruled his English was not good enough. It is hard to believe that now, given the confident manner in which Niemann handles interviews laced
