Player behavior is a hot topic right now, with Joaquin Niemann the latest to suffer at the hands of the USGA code of conduct, but that's not a bad thing.

Brandel Chamblee has been discussing the way players act, in particular their foul language and propensity for throwing clubs in anger, and he thinks it's about time punishments were handed out.

With Niemann given a two-stroke penalty in the first round of this year's US Open, perhaps players will think twice before they lash out in frustration.

Chamblee reflected on the legendary players of many decades ago, insisting that the kind of behaviour we see today was simply not a thing in the past.

"I never saw Jack Nicklaus throw a club. Never heard him yell an F bomb. Never heard a profane word from him on the golf course," Chamblee told Golf Channel.

"Never saw Palmer do it. Never Tom Watson. Pick your player. Greg Norman, all the bad losses he had, he never threw a club, never swore. Say what you like about Phil Mickelson, but I’ve never seen him throw a club or drop an F bomb," he added.

Times have changed, though, and Chamblee seemed to suggest Tiger Woods may have been the catalyst for a new breed of golfer today.

Chamblee continued: "The same wasn’t true about Tiger Woods. One of the best players ever, we all love him, everybody got rich off him, but he was one of the most profane golfers to ever play the game.

"Nobody ever criticized him, he skated through… they did to some extent but it wasn’t prolific and he wasn’t held to account the way Wyndham Clark was last year when he broke that locker."

Highlighting the various players he has witnessed acting inappropriately, Chamblee added: "Everybody that’s playing now watched Tiger… and it rains F bombs on the PGA Tour.

"Clubs get thrown all the time. Tee markers get destroyed. Players have all the power in the world, nobody reigns them in. I always thought you would get fined for profanity on the PGA Tour, but I guess not. When you watch it’s F bomb after F bomb.

"Jon Rahm missed a putt and screamed the F word as loud as he could. I’m no prude, I’ve played golf, I understand how crazy it gets and I’ve done it, too, of course. But not if I was on TV. These guys are on video everywhere they go. They have a bigger burden than we had, but with that comes unimaginable wealth. It goes with the scrutiny."

The introduction of a new, sterner code of conduct in golf is applauded by Chamblee, who believes the game has changed for the better in the wake of some high-profile transgressions over the last year.

"Composure is a skill. And it’s lazy to throw clubs and drop F bombs when you know the world is watching. There are people watching with their kids," he said. "It’s great that the code of conduct has been passed and that it’s sending a message to the players."

"What Sergio Garcia did at Augusta National, it sent a message," Chamblee stated. "Everyone drew a line last year at the US Open, with Wyndham Clark, and Rory McIlroy tearing up a tee marker. These guys have run amok and it’s great that the code of conduct has been put in place."

It was not a good first day at Shinnecock Hills for Joaquin Niemann on Thursday, but he bounced back in style on day two.

Shooting six-over-par is never fun, but Niemann was hit with a two-stroke penalty after finishing his round, with an incident on the sixth hole nearly costing him dearly.

Frustration got the better of the Chilean who, after hitting it out of bounds twice, launched his sand wedge which, in-turn, breached the USGA's code of conduct.

Niemann took the penalty on the chin and came out fighting on Friday to shoot a five-under 65, which is still the best score of the day (joint with Collin Morikawa) as things stand.

Speaking to the media after his impressive round, Niemann explained the incident and how it impacted his mindset going into Friday's play at the US Open.

He said: "I hit it two times out of bounds on the right, two bad swings. Then I got pretty frustrated. I'm not someone that likes to behave like that. I'm the first one to judge myself when I don't behave on the golf course.

"That was misbehavior from my part. I felt a little bit extra penalized with a two-shot penalty, but it is what it is. I think I'm going to learn from it. It definitely helped me a little bit to have a better round today."

Expanding on the matter, Niemann added: "Hitting the golf ball at 8.30pm, I felt like my body wasn't quite there.

"I think they blew the horn already. I'm not sure if they did or not, but after I hit that shot, all the frustration that came inside me and I had my club in my hand, and I couldn't resist to throw it away.

"There was no people around, obviously. I'm not proud of it, but sometimes, all the expectation of trying to play well and things doesn't go your way, you get frustrated, and that was me there."

Incredibly, Niemann only found out about the penalty 37 minutes before starting his second round on Friday morning.

It didn't have a negative effect, though, clearly.

When asked about his play on day two, the LIV Golf star said: "I hit great tee shots. I kind of went out with a pretty aggressive mindset, and it worked out.

"Sometimes, especially in these tournaments, it could go the other way, and this time it worked."

He was quick to acknowledge the people around him for helping him get back on track quickly and play the way he did today.

"I have a good team around me," Niemann continued. "I finished the round, and I have four or five people on my team around me. I was frustrated. They were trying to get me up. I just tried to do my best."

Thanks to today's performance, Niemann sits three-over for the week, which should be enough to see him make the cut for the weekend.

Since signing for LIV Golf in 2022, Joaquin Niemann has continued to show what a fantastic player he is via eight wins and a whole heap of top-10s.

It took time for the former World No.1 amateur to locate LIV's winner's circle, however, with the 2024 season freshly underway before Niemann hoisted a trophy in Mayakoba.

But once he did, the man from Santiago, Chile found success far easier to come by thereafter. Niemann won LIV Golf Jeddah around a month later to double his victory tally in 2024.

Although he controversially missed out on the 2025 individual title to Jon Rahm despite winning five times last year alone, Niemann has cemented himself as one of the circuit's biggest stars by featuring on the front page of the leaderboard time after time.

In doing so, the Chilean has earned himself a simply staggering amount of money along the way and he currently sits as the second-highest earner in the league's short history behind Rahm.

The Spaniard has already picked up more than $80 million in prize money since arriving in December 2023, with Niemann trailing behind by roughly $10 million.

His 2025 season was the most lucrative with over $30 million while 2024 saw the Chilean collect more than $24 million despite only winning two events. In both cases, finishing runner-up in the season-long rankings earned him an extra $8 million.

Niemann's grand total of $69,915,088 has been earned through individual events, the season-ending Team Championship tournament and bonus payouts at the end of each campaign based on his final position in the rankings.

What it doesn't include, however, is the reported nine-figure signing bonus Niemann attracted when switching the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in the second half of 2022.

He was the highest-ranked player in the world under the age of 25 at the time of his move to the breakaway circuit and, according to The Telegraph, Niemann received a signing-on fee of around $100 million.

Nevertheless, Niemann has earned a colossal amount of money on course since the move - a figure which, remarkably, may well be even higher than the near-$70 million he's collected ahead of LIV Golf Andalucia in 2026.

The reason for that is players reportedly split a four-way share of the money their teams earned during the inaugural campaign in 2022.

That is said to have changed from 2023, though, with more focus on reinvesting team prize money into the franchises as LIV seeks to make each of its golf clubs independently profitable.

In addition, LIV introduced a new bonus pot for each of its events from the start of 2026, with $2.3 million split between one player from the leading three teams.

Exactly who the money was wired to was at the captain's discretion, so Torque skipper Niemann may have topped up his own bank account once again at some point.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN LIV CAREER EARNINGS

April is not only Masters month for the world of golf, it's also a time to reflect on the past financial year and see which golfers have earned the most money.

With massive prize funds given out each week across the PGA Tour, the LIV Golf League and the DP World Tour, the best players in the world are racking up huge bank balances throughout the season.

Rory McIlroy has just added another $4.5m to his career earnings thanks to his incredible triumph at Augusta National. That'll give him a nice head start for next year's totals, but it doesn't help him surpass one other golfer for the 2025-26 tax year.

The data comes from Sportico, breaking down the earnings of the top-10 highest paid golfers in the world, with details as to how much they earned on the course and off it through sponsorship deals and the like.

McIlroy was in the top two, and led the way in off-course income, but it's actually Jon Rahm who earned the most in total for the last year.

Rahm benefits massively from his contract with LIV, of course. It is though the Spaniard was offered $300m to join the breakaway tour, with half paid upfront and the other $150m paid equally across the years of his contract.

Last year, Rahm is said to have earned a total of $102m, and is the only golfer to break the $100m barrier. Of that figure, $92m came from on-course earnings, with another $10m in sponsorship payments.

The 31-year-old didn't actually win an event throughout the LIV Golf season in 2025, but he still claimed enough points to come out on top in the individual leaderboard. That earned him a massive $18m, which is exactly how much he beat McIlroy by in the money charts.

McIlroy is arguably the most marketable golfer in the world, especially after his remarkable double Masters win. It speaks volumes that McIlroy's net worth was thought to be around $294m in 2023, and will be much higher now.

But, for 2025-26, he is reported to have earned $84m from golf. $29m of that comes from event payouts, while a whopping $55m comes from off-course deals. That actually makes McIlroy the leader in commercial income, narrowly beating Tiger Woods.

Still, McIlroy's closest competitor is Scottie Scheffler, who recorded $81m in earnings last year. Not surprisingly, given his dominance on the Tour, $51m of that came from winnings on the course, while he's thought to have earned a huge $30m from sponsorship deals with the likes of Turtlebox, Nike, TaylorMade, and Huntington Bank.

Looking elsewhere, there's quite a gap between that top three and the rest of the top-10 highest paid golfers. Bryson DeChambeau is next in line, but his earnings stood at around $65m, with $45m of that coming from his lucrative deal with LIV.

Woods, as we mentioned, is the second highest-earner when it comes to commercial deals. $54m of his total came from that side of the game, while only $200,000 was earned from his performances on the course.

Rounding out the rest of the top-10, Tommy Fleetwood enjoyed a successful year thanks to his Tour Championship win in August. That netted the Englishman a mega $10m payout which contributed to his $42m earnings.

Joaquin Niemann is the third and final LIV golfer in the top 10. The Chilean won five events last year, so it's not surprising that he's up there, with earnings of $41m in total.

Beyond that, we have Hideki Matsuyama sitting at $31m. That's largely thanks to his endorsement portfolio, which contributed $25m. Xander Schauffele ($30m) and Collin Morikawa ($28m) complete the list.

Highest-Paid Golfers 2025-26

While plenty changed (or remained frustratingly stagnant) in the world of golf during 2025, there continued to be an extraordinary amount of money on offer to those fighting it out at the top of the professional game.

The PGA Tour shared out over half a billion dollars in prize money while the LIV Golf League put up more than $260 million across its much shorter season.

Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour offered a record amount of prize money last year at more than $132 million. And yet, according to data from Sportico, not only did no female golfers make the top-100 highest-paid athletes last year, no female from any sport earned enough to be included.

The top-100 highest-paid athletes in the world during 2025 earned an estimated $6 billion in income and competed in just eight different sports - golf being one of them.

World soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo led the way with an incredible $260 million while the 100th-ranked athlete - British NBA talent OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks - banked a healthy $37.9 million in 2025. In between were six golfers, three fewer than in 2024.

Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton and Collin Morikawa all scooped between $55m-$43m last year, but their income dipped considerably over the following 12 months and they were no longer on the list.

Of the remaining six, a couple of golfers have swapped in terms of the order while most have changed positions in terms of the top-100.

Leading the way for golf in 2025 was Jon Rahm. Per Sportico, the Spaniard earned an eye-watering $84.7 million before adding $16 million in endorsements to reach a grand total of $100.7 million.

According to the sports business title, many of the top LIV golfers received around half of their bonus payment for signing up front and another portion when they played their first event.

The remaining part of the signing bonus is reportedly paid out during the life of the contract, hence the significant boost in Rahm's earnings after the total prize money he claimed in 2025.

The Legion XIII captain - who failed to win a tournament during this time but still claimed LIV Golf's individual championship - earned around $4 million less than in 2024 but stayed in 10th position, just as he was last year.

Then came Rory McIlroy with a total income of $91.2 million, helped considerably by his win at The Masters, his victory at The Players Championship and his success on the DP World Tour as well.

Despite collecting just over $36 million in prize money, the five-time Major winner was one of two golfers in the top-100 list to secure more through endorsements with a total of $55 million leaving him 14th in terms of highest-paid athletes.

Just two spots behind McIlroy was Scottie Scheffler. The World No.1 earned $50.9 million in 2025 and banked $32 million through endorsements to enjoy a total income of $82.9 million.

Bryson DeChambeau was the fourth and final golfer to fall inside the top-25, proving just how lucrative the sport is in the modern era.

The Crushers GC captain scooped $42.7 million via salary and winnings while adding on a further $20 million and sitting 23rd in the top-100.

The final two pro golfers inside the top-100 highest-paid athletes for 2025 were Joaquin Niemann and unsurprisingly, Tiger Woods.

Niemann won five LIV Golf League titles to rack up an impressive $44.2 million in earnings but only banked $3 million in endorsements. That left him 63rd.

Meanwhile, Woods picked up less than $500,000 in earnings but - thanks to his status as arguably the greatest of all time - clinched $54 million in endorsements to put him 41st.

HIGHEST PAID GOLFERS 2025

After two days of LIV Golf UK, just 18 holes stand between Individual Championship leader Joaquin Niemann and his fifth win of the season.

The Torque GC captain began the day in a three-way tie for the lead with Adrian Meronk and Branden Grace on six under, but no one could live with the Chilean on Saturday as he threatened to turn it into a procession.

Starting on the first hole, Niemann got off to a dream start with three successive birdies and by the turn, he was five under for the day after further birdies on the fifth and seventh.

Even with that blistering beginning, he didn’t have it all his own way.

While Meronk and Grace failed to capitalize on their excellent opening rounds, Lee Westwood, who was one behind the leaders at the start of the day, did.

Also beginning on the first, albeit 11 minutes earlier than Niemann, Westwood had the lead after three holes following an even more emphatic start.

The Englishman, who hails from Worksop, around 60 miles from host venue JCB Golf and Country Club, began his round with successive birdies before a spectacular hole-out for eagle from 115 yards at the monster 610-yard par-5 third.

That briefly gave him the solo lead at nine under, but it was as good as it got for the 52-year-old, who made a bogey at the fourth, with further shots dropped at the seventh, eighth and 13^th offset somewhat by another birdie at the ninth.

However, any hope he had of keeping in touch with Niemann was dented further with a double bogey at the 15^th to leave him back at four under.

Niemann, meanwhile, simply marched on, with three more birdies at the 10^th, 11^th and 13 to give him a six-shot advantage over nearest rival Bubba Watson.

That moved him to eight under for the day and 14 under in total, but he was pegged back on the 15^th with his one bogey of the day before restoring his six-shot advantage with his ninth birdie of the day on the 18th.

Watson will begin the final round in second, no doubt wondering between now and then how to go about clawing back such a significant deficit on Niemann.

Paul Casey, Caleb Surratt and Meronk go into the final round in T3, seven behind the leader.

Further down the leaderboard, following his even-par opening round, it was a better day for defending champion Jon Rahm, who went four under on Saturday.

However, with 10 shots between him and the leader, it already looks like his bid to retain the trophy is doomed to fail.

It also looks increasingly likely that Rahm, who won the 2024 Individual Championship, will miss out to Niemann in the season-long battle.

If, as expected, Niemann wins on Sunday, that will bank him another 40 points to consolidate his position at the top of the standings.

Afterwards, Niemann reflected on his scintillating performance, explaining he was determined to bounce back after missing the cut at The Open.

He said: "Yeah, you know what, to be honest, at the beginning of the week I was not feeling bad. I was going to say another word. But I was feeling a little bit weird after a bad week at The Open.

"Obviously the expectations were pretty high, and the way I played wasn't my best. On the greens wasn't the best.

"Just positive talk, having a nice team around, that support group that I have, I love them, so it's great to have that group behind, and I'm able to go out and play golf freely and have the game of Seve and how he plays."

After the opening round of LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf and Country Club, there is already a familiar name at the top of the leaderboard.

Joaquin Niemann, who entered the tournament looking for his fifth win of the season, carded a six-under 65 on Friday to share the lead with LIV Golf Riyadh winner Adrian Meronk and Stinger GC’s Branden Grace with 36 holes to play.

The Torque GC captain began his round on the second hole in the usual shotgun start, and he got off to a flyer, with birdies on the first two holes.

Niemann’s blemish-free round continued with four more birdies, and it could have been even better for the Chilean but for missing his birdie putt on the last by a whisker.

Regardless, he is likely to be satisfied with his day’s work, particularly after the disappointment of missing the cut at The Open a week ago.

Afterwards, he addressed his form at Royal Portrush, saying: “I feel like my putter was a little bit off for the first two days.

"But it's part of it, and it was tough, and then I was able to focus and kind of reset myself into the last three, four tournaments of the season, which I think is really important.”

He then added ominously: “We're back at it.”

As for Meronk, he also made a strong start with a birdie on his first of the day, the 13^th.

However, it took until his seventh of the round to make his second birdie, but his finish was strong, with four birdies in his last five holes to make amends for his one misstep of the day, a bogey at the par-4 sixth.

South African Grace produced his best performance of the season in the previous event, LIV Golf Andalucia at Valderrama, finishing T4, and he picked up where he left off with seven birdies and just one bogey.

That leaves him in contention for his first LIV Golf title since the circuit's second-ever tournament, LIV Golf Portland in 2022.

Immediately beneath the three co-leaders is Lee Westwood, who went into the tournament on the back of a decent showing at The Open, where he finished T34.

A strong performance for the Englishman this week would alleviate relegation worries, but he insisted that’s not on his mind.

He said afterwards: “I haven't really thought about it to be honest. Just play one round at a time, narrow it down to that, and whatever happens happens.”

On his recent return to form, he later added: “I've never given in in my career. I've had slumps and I've bounced back.

"I've been at No. 4 in the world and then nearly 300 and then bounced back to No.1. So that tells you that Lee Westwood doesn't toss it in on a golf course or in his career. I was brought up to keep trying hard and grinding it out.”

He’s joined on five under by two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and Carlos Ortiz, who finished T4 at the US Open.

Another notable name who made a solid start is Tyrrell Hatton, who is two back of the lead on four under.

Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau is on three under, along with eight others, including Cameron Smith and Patrick Reed.

The 2018 Masters champion had the solo lead after three successive birdies between his eighth and 10th of the day, before three bogeys in his final six holes curtailed his progress.

Further down the leaderboard is defending champion Jon Rahm, whose amazing 20-event streak of top-10 LIV Golf finishes came to an end at LIV Golf Andalucia.

He would have been hoping to bounce back strongly here, but he endured a frustrating opening round that sees him head into Saturday in T32 and on even par.

Beginning on the first hole, Rahm began with two pars before a bogey on the third.

He then rallied with birdies on the eighth and 10th. However, that recovery was undone on the par-5 13th with a double bogey, before his third birdie of the day added respectability three holes later.

Rahm's Legion XIII, Stinger GC and Torque GC are the top three teams after the opening round, on 11-under.

The three best male golfers in the game right now are enjoying a constant battle. That fight involves trying to win the most titles and earn the biggest checks, and it's a contest that LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann is currently leading.

Despite being the reigning Masters champion and a two-time PGA Tour winner this season, Rory McIlroy is third on the list heading into August.

He might have surprisingly missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open, but his 2025 season otherwise has been incredible - topped off by completing the career Grand Slam at The Masters.

Largely thanks to victories at Augusta - as well as TPC Sawgrass (The Players) and Pebble Beach for the eponymous Pro-Am - the World No.2 has collected roughly $16.56 million since January.

And yet, that only puts him third behind Scheffler, with the World No.1 scooping circa $19.20 million courtesy of two Major triumphs (PGA Championship and The Open) plus wins at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and the Memorial Tournament.

A relatively slow start to the campaign following a hand injury means Scheffler has not earned even more money by now, but it remains a mind-blowing total nevertheless.

However, both PGA Tour stars trail the top earner in the LIV Golf League, Niemann after the 26-year-old surpassed the $20 million mark in late July thanks to his fifth win of the year.

The Chilean opened up his season with a T3rd at the Asian Tour's International Series India, where he picked up $113,000, before setting about alternating wins and results outside the top-10 on the PIF-backed circuit.

Adelaide, Singapore, Mexico City and Virginia all hosted Niemann victories this term and tallied $16 million in winnings before any other other performances were taken into account.

Of Niemann's other notable pay checks, his T8th at the PGA Championship was worth nearly $455,000 and a best non-win result of the season so far - a T12th in Hong Kong - earned him $312,500.

Niemann's 2025 total took another $4 million bump recently after he recorded his fifth LIV win of the season at JCB Golf and Country Club in England.

The Torque GC captain was comfortably in front throughout most of the action in England, but despite seeing a monstrous lead reduced significantly by Bubba Watson, the American was unable to produce a minor miracle and Niemann comfortably held on.

Niemann - who is listed as World No.9 by Data Golf - unsurprisingly leads the LIV Golf individual standings ahead of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, while he is also at the top of the 2025 earnings list for all golfers, too, thanks to a grand total of over $21.9 million from 17 appearances - that's something like $1.3 million per event.

Should his scintillating form continue until the LIV Golf season concludes, it is highly likely that Niemann will end 2025 at the top of the earning mountain.

Golf's Highest Earner 2025

Although some have questioned whether playing on LIV Golf would leave players undercooked at the Majors, Joaquin Niemann insists the lighter schedule is helping him improve his form in golf's four biggest events.

An elite ball striker, Niemann has underperformed in the Majors given his obvious talent, but earned his first ever top 10 at last month's PGA Championship in what was his 24th Major appearance.

With three LIV Golf wins under his belt this year alone, Niemann is obviously in tremendous form, and he insists he's starting to figure things out in the Majors now too.

Much has been made about if a lighter schedule on LIV could result in players not being battle hardened enough for the Majors - but ahead of the US Open at Oakmont, Niemann says it's very much working for him.

"For me, being on LIV, I feel like it's helping me a lot to better perform in Majors," said Niemann. "I feel more fresh.

"Obviously there's a few weeks that we travel a little farther away, but I've been pretty smart and conscious of my recovery, how I'm trying to prepare and feel more fresh for a Major week."

Niemann points to this week's LIV Golf Virginia event as a prime example, with Robert Trent Jones Golf Club being set up similar to Oakmont and being pretty close to next week's US Open venue offering a perfect tune up.

"I mean, looking at this week, it's pretty cool how we set it up," Niemann added.

"The schedule how it is, it feels like the guys on the PGA Tour probably play - like you see Scottie, he played the PGA, the week before the PGA, two weeks after that. Obviously he's playing unbelievable. But he's played a lot of golf.

"I feel like I had two weeks off, I'm playing an hour away from next week, which is pretty nice."

Niemann hasn't been to Oakmont yet, but knows "it's going to be a really tough week" at the US Open.

Getting his first Major top 10 at Quail Hollow despite not playing his best gives him plenty of confidence though, and having broken through that barrier the Chilean feels he may have finally found the right formula for the big ones.

"I think I have learned most of the courses that we play on Majors are hard," said Niemann. "There's not many birdies going on. There's not many crazy low scores.

"Yeah, my game is kind of in a way pretty aggressive, and whenever I'm out of position I want to make the best out of it, and I will take risks and try to take advantage of a tough situation and play my odds.

"But I learned to you've got to keep those high numbers away and be probably a little bit more conservative. At the end of the day in Majors, you don't win it on the first day or the second day.

"I feel like all I have to do is keep my patience up there in Majors because you don't win with low scores, and knowing that it's kind of hard, but you've just got to play the game.

"I know I've just got to put myself in a position where I have a chance on the back nine, and I know I can do the best out of that."

Joaquin Niemann edged out the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith at Chapultepec Golf Club to win his third LIV Golf title of the season and secure his spot in the 2025 US Open.

The Chilean, who has now matched Brooks Koepka on five total LIV Golf wins, now cannot be caught in standings by a player not already exempt for the US Open by May 19 - when the LIV Golf US Open exemption is earned - to book his spot at Oakmont.

It will be Niemann's first US Open since 2023 after missing last year's edition at Pinehurst No.2, and it means he will have played in each of the first three men's Major Championships this year after receiving an invite into the PGA Championship.

The R&A is also offering a spot into The Open to the highest-placed LIV Golfer in the top 5 of the standings following LIV Golf Dallas on June 29.

If Niemann can remain on top of the table, or at least the inside the top 5 as the highest-placed non-exempt player, following Korea, Washington and then Dallas he will play in all four men's Majors for the first time since 2023.

He is currently over 30 points clear of Jon Rahm in second, with Rahm already exempt for The Open. Sergio Garcia in third is his closest challenger for The Open spot, with the Spaniard currently 46 points behind.

A LIV Golf win offers up 40 points, second gives 30 and third-place gets 24.

"Yeah, it's nice. I feel like I wanted to be there, so yeah, it's great to keep doing what I'm doing, hitting the ball great, making putts, and yeah, hopefully keep it rolling," Niemann said after winning in Mexico City.

"My team was asking me to sign up for the [US Open] qualifier and the sectional, and I wasn't really into that, so more than anything I'm grateful that I'm not playing 36 holes on a Monday after a tournament. Yeah, I'm pretty happy."

The 26-year-old is undoubtedly one of the men's game's top players but he has a surprisingly underwhelming record in the Majors - which is certainly starting to become a talking point each time he tees it up in one of the big four.

In 23 Major appearances he is yet to record a top-10, with his best result of T16 coming at the 2023 Masters. He has made the cut in his last four Major appearances, however, and recently recorded a T29 finish at Augusta National.

From the moment he arrived out on tour, and for a while before that, Joaquin Niemann has been known as an extremely powerful hitter with the capability of sending his drives well over 300 yards.

His muscle-laden six-foot frame contains all the right ingredients to propel his golf ball a very long way, and that significant power has helped the Chilean to 17 professional victories prior to the 2025 Masters. Heading into Augusta National, Niemann was only 26 years old.

Through his early years on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, Niemann averaged around 310 yards off the tee and was regularly in the upper echelons of various tours' driving distance categories.

After his move to the LIV Golf League, the Torque GC captain finished second in driving distance at the end of the 2024 campaign thanks to an outstanding average of 322.5 yards - exactly one yard behind Bryson DeChambeau. The season before, Niemann was sixth with 314.1 yards.

But it's not just off the tee that the four-time LIV Golf League winner can crunch a golf ball - his power extends to every club in his bag. Compared to Jon Rahm's stock yardages, another power hitter in the PIF-backed circuit, Niemann has the upper hand by a noticeable margin at the top end of the bag and he is often longer with most other clubs, too.

For example, Niemann's stock yardage with the driver is 315 yards while the Spaniard's is "only" 307. Moving down to 3-wood, the Chilean recorded 280 yards as Rahm managed 273.

In numbers provided by a LIV Golf League short video on YouTube, Niemann's current WITB set-up contains a 7-wood next, which he knows can be struck 245 yards. There is a 20-yard drop down to his 4-iron but just 13 yards to Niemann's 5-iron, which goes 212 yards.

According to data from Shot Scope, the average male amateur can hit their drive between 285 yards (scratch) and 204 yards (25-handicapper), so the aforementioned facts give a rough idea of the club Niemann would need to hit it past you.

In addition, the two-time PGA Tour winner's stock yardage with a 7-iron is 187 yards - some 30-plus yards further than the average male club golfer. In fact, Niemann can strike is 8-iron (175 yards) and 9-iron (160 yards) past an average male player's 7-iron.

Down into the wedges, the Chilean's stock yardages range between 145 and 100 yards, giving him plenty of options to attack greens after his monster drives.

Below is a complete list of how far Joaquin Niemann hits every club in the bag.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN STOCK YARDAGES

Joaquin Niemann has become only the second LIV Golfer to reach four wins on the circuit after a commanding victory at Singapore's Sentosa Golf Club.

The Chilean began the day tied for the lead with Dustin Johnson but birdied the first and made five more gains to shoot a 65 on the Serapong Course and win by a comfortable five-stroke margin.

Niemann, who finished 2nd to Jon Rahm in the LIV Golf League last year, wins the $4m first prize and moves top of the standings.

"Today was one of those days, everything went my way. I hit it amazing," he said.

"I was feeling a little bit more anxious when I wake up, knowing that I was playing obviously with Sebastian, my teammate, who I know he's been playing great golf lately, with DJ playing the way he's playing for this week.

"Yeah, I was a little bit nervous. You're always nervous before a round about what's going to happen.

"It's a game where everything could happen at any time, and starting the way I started playing, it really kind of freed me up a little bit for the rest of the round, starting with a birdie on the first hole, and then being able to birdie the third and the fourth.

"Yeah, I felt like because of the start that I had, I was able to be really, really free for the whole round."

The 26-year-old has now won six times in the last 16 months with LIV wins in Mexico and Saudi last year and in Adelaide and Singapore this season to go with his 2023 Australian Open glory and 2024 Saudi International title.

He is in pole position to earn LIV Golf's new spot in the US Open, which goes to the top-placed player, inside the top three of the standings, who isn't already qualified by May 19.

"I have it on my mind," he said, before revealing that he is keen to impress in the Majors. In 22 Major starts, he has a best finish of T16th, and he's hoping to change that this year.

"I know that I've been playing great out here, and if I look back into my stats, I haven't had a great result in Majors. It's something that kind of bothers me all the time."

Niemann's bogey-free round of six-under moved him to 17-under-par, with last year's champion Brooks Koepka finishing in 2nd-place after a 65 of his own.

New LIV Golf signing Ben Campbell, who was a reserve last year, recorded his best finish in the league with a 3rd-place after a four-under-par 67.

Dustin Johnson was tied with Niemann after 36-holes but dropped down the leaderboard after a two-over-par 73, which included a run of four bogeys in seven holes.

Jon Rahm has still never finished outside of the top-10 in a LIV Golf event that he has completed after shooting a record-breaking 21st-consecutive under-par round for a T5 finish.

In the team event, Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC won their third consecutive title by three strokes from Legion XIII.

LIV Golf Singapore Leaderboard

• 1 Joaquin Niemann -17
• 2 Brooks Koepka -12
• 3 Ben Campbell -11
• 4 David Puig -10
• T5 Louis Oosthuizen -9
• T5 Jon Rahm -9
• T5 Sebastian Munoz -9
• T5 Cameron Tringale -9
• T5 Dustin Johnson -9
• T10 Bryson DeChambeau -7
• T10 Abraham Ancer -7
• T10 Paul Casey -7
• T10 Jason Kokrak -7
• T14 Richard Bland -5
• T14 Luis Masaveu -5
• T14 Kevin Na -5
• T14 Charl Schwartzel -5
• T14 Lucas Herbert -5

LIV Golf Singapore Team Leaderboard

• 1 Fireballs GC -22
• 2 Legion XIII -19
• 3 4Aces GC -18
• 4 Torque GC -16
• 5 Crushers GC -13
• 6 Stinger GC -12
• 7 HyFlyers GC -11
• 8 Smash GC -10
• 9 RangeGoats GC -6
• 10 Ripper GC E
• 11 Iron Heads GC +2
• 12 Cleeks GC +17
• 13 Majesticks GC +19

Torque GC's Joaquin Niemann carded a bogey-free round of 65 on Sunday to win LIV Golf Adelaide by three strokes from Abraham Ancer and teammate, Carlos Ortiz.

The Chilean trailed Ancer, Ortiz and Sam Horsfield by three heading into the final round and set about reeling them in via birdie after birdie at The Grange.

Horsfield was treading water through the opening nine in South Australia before a quartet of bogeys down the back nine saw the overnight co-leader ultimately finish in a tie for seventh.

Despite the Majesticks man slipping up and a faultless start of his own, Niemann still required further help from those in front if he was to reign supreme - and that's exactly what happened.

Ortiz was slow out of the gate with a couple of early bogeys and failed to find any momentum all day until consecutive gains on 17 and 18 - but, by then, the Chilean stallion had already long since bolted.

Meanwhile, Fireballs GC’s Ancer had put himself in a great position to win early on with two birdies in the first two holes and was three-under for the day stood on the 14th tee. However, it was inside the closing stretch when Ancer's scoring began to disintegrate, and three bogeys inside the last five holes opened the door for Niemann.

Eager to step through, the 26-year-old posted birdies on 15 and 18 to seal the deal, collect the significantly-reduced prize money and complete the most remarkable of comebacks via the week's joint-lowest score.

Speaking in his press conference afterwards, Niemann admitted "I knew I had to do something special" before explaining exactly how he made it happen.

Niemann said: "I knew I obviously had the game right now, and I felt I was playing great, the way I played on Saturday.

"Had that bad stretch during the middle of the round, so I needed to start somewhere by making a few birdies at the beginning, and I knew it was going to be tough with Abraham the way he's playing and Carlos how he's playing, as well.

"So I got it going at the beginning of the round, was able to keep it going during the day. It just went my way, so it was pretty special.

“Days like today makes me grow as a player. There is a lot I have to take from today and learn from it because today was a really good day. If I could have these Sundays more often, chasing leaders, it would be really good for my game.”

Runner-up, Ancer - who won LIV Golf Hong Kong in 2024 - was disappointed with the way his week ended but preferred to look at the situation from a wider perspective.

He said: "Obviously the last two holes were rough to finish with bogey-bogey, having a chance to win the tournament. It's always tough, but I think it's just fuel for the rest of the season. I feel like my game is trending in the right direction. I like where things are headed.”

Away from the individual action, Ancer's pain was eased by the fact he had played a significant part in Fireballs GC winning the team event in Adelaide - their fifth collective title overall.

Sergio Garcia's squad finished on 21-under for the week, six strokes ahead of Jon Rahm's Legion XIII, in the second event of the new team rules - announced ahead of LIV Golf Riyadh earlier this month.

After Garcia and Puig each shot five-under 67s and both Ancer and Luis Masaveau carded respective 71s, Fireballs became the first and only team to have won at least one team title in all four LIV Golf seasons.

Reacting to the week from his team's point view, Garcia said: “Bittersweet with Abe, the way he played. He was there the whole day, and it would have been nice to get the double. But super proud of the way they all fought.”

LIV Golf will return in Hong Kong between March 7-9 before Sentosa Golf Club hosts in Singapore the following week.

Fresh off the back of a 2025 Masters invite alongside Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard, Joaquin Niemann has voiced his support for Kevin Na's idea that all LIV winners and a select number of the circuit's top talent should earn exemptions into all of the Majors every year.

Niemann's fellow LIV captain, Na told Golf Monthly earlier this week that he believes each event winner - plus the top-16 in the final standings - should be exempt into all four Major championships moving forward.

Na argued that there are only 13 LIV tournaments each season and that with such a strong field, anyone who comes out on top is therefore equally capable of doing so at one of the four biggest events on the planet.

Torque leader, Niemann mostly agreed with his IronHeads GC counterpart on how LIV's Major exemption pathway should look but outlined a slightly more stringent cut-off point than the 16 best players each season.

Niemann said: "I would look at the rankings - whoever is the most consistent during the year has the chance to play at all the Majors next season. I would say the top-10 in the LIV rankings.

"LIV winners could be a way to do it, too, because if you are winning tournaments then you have a chance to win Majors. But, at the end of the day, I think it’s going to be pretty much the same with the top-10. They will all most likely win anyway."

According to his own theoretical pathway, Niemann would be in the field for each of the biggest championships during 2025 after winning twice last year and ending runner-up behind Jon Rahm in LIV's individual-season standings.

However, the harsh reality for the Torque GC captain is that he is only currently in two - The Open and now The Masters following good news earlier in the week.

Explaining how he came to learn he had been offered a start at the 89th Masters, the Chilean shared: "It’s pretty special that they invited me back again into The Masters. They called me [on Tuesday] - I had a phone call from one of the representatives of Augusta, calling on behalf of Fred Ridley - saying that I was invited on behalf of the good play lately. I had to wait until 10am [on Wednesday] to make it official."

Going on to say that he was hopeful of an invite into the PGA Championship as well, Niemann insisted he was just grateful for the Major starts he currently has and plans to create a more concrete schedule for himself by enjoying a good week at one of his current opportunities.

He continued: "LIV is fighting to get the best players spots straight into all the Majors, but for now… last year was the first year that I was not secure into the Majors and I was able to get into three of those.

"This year, I’ve started with Augusta. I’m just happy to be in and have the chance to play again.

"Playing well is the only way to get into most likely the US Open, which I’m going to be missing, but I just need to have a good week at one of the others and I’ll be in there, too."

NIEMANN ON RETAINING TRUST IN TORQUE AND THEIR 2025 GOALS

Niemann - who claimed his first LIV victory at Mayakoba last term, before following that up with success in Jeddah - proudly watched on as Carlos Ortiz scooped his own maiden title in Houston and Sebastian Munoz topped the individual podium at the season-ending Team Championship.

Despite four individual wins on the year and multiple finishes between second and fifth, Torque failed to secure a team prize at all - a significant dip compared to the season prior where they collectively triumphed on four occasions, not helped by a drop-off in Mito Pereira's form.

But Niemann insists he is not worried about his fellow Chilean and is backing the three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner to come good again in the coming months.

He said: "Last year showed how hard it was to win team events. For me, it was a great year. I know I could have done better, yes, but Carlos [Ortiz] had a great year - he won in Houston and was pretty consistent. He had some really good finishes.

"Sebastian [Munoz] had a really good season as well, a lot of his scores went towards the team score. And then Mito [Pereira] didn’t have his best year, but we all know the potential of Mito.

"If he can do what he did in 2023 when he was in contention a lot of weeks and finished I think top-10 in the rankings, we will have a good chance to win the season."

And winning the 2025 LIV Golf Team Championship is the only target Niemann is relaying to his roster, with Torque's captain stating he had no plans on changing his quartet between campaigns.

Niemann continued: "It’s hard to win, there are some pretty strong teams out there and we need to play good in all rounds - especially on Sunday - to have a chance. I feel like we’ve done that, but sometimes we’ve missed Friday and we haven’t started hot.

"I know it can happen anytime, we had some good finishes and we were pretty consistent inside the top-five, but we just didn’t win. Team-wise, we’ve got to improve a lot, we’ve got to play a lot better.

"We know our goals and that’s to be winning the [Team Championship]. We have to play better, it’s as simple as that. I trust my team, and I know with these four guys we can win the season. Whenever I don’t have that trust, I will be changing teams, but I do believe that we can win."

'I LOVE IT' - NIEMANN ON LIV'S PLAYER-FOCUSED 2025 SCHEDULE

Torque's quest to follow in the footsteps of Cameron Smith's Ripper GC begins in Saudi Arabia between February 6-8 and goes on to take in new locations such as Mexico City, Korea, and Indianapolis after LIV released its full 2025 schedule earlier this month.

Niemann was full of praise for the new-look calendar - which features tournaments in the immediate build-up to all four Majors, following on from feedback by some players who felt they were marginally undercooked heading into golf's biggest championships.

On the new schedule, Niemann said: "The new calendar is pretty good, I love it. I love the fact that we can have a nice off-season to prepare and get ready, and then it gets really intense from the first week of February to the end of August.

"I like the calendar how it is right now. We’re going to a few new places and a few other places that we’ve already been to and I love them. Going back to Riyadh, we might have a few interesting things going on that week, so I’m pretty excited for that.

"Going back to Australia in the summer time is going to be… the course is going to be firmer, it’s going to be a little different. That’s going to be fun, and we know how the atmosphere is there. Hong Kong, Valderrama, Singapore - they’re all really fun stops.

"The communication between the players and the league has been so good. At the end of the day, the league wants the best for the players, and asking the players how the calendar could work better for them to get better for the Majors…

"At the end of the day, us winning Majors is going to help the league, too. I like the way it’s been set up now. That’s why I said before that I love the calendar how it is right now. I feel like it can be used to our advantage."

LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann and PGA Tour player Nicolai Hojgaard have both accepted special invitations to The 2025 Masters.

Niemann received an invite alongside Thorbjorn Olesen and Ryo Hisatsune in 2024 after failing to qualify via the usual means following his transfer to the PIF-backed circuit, and the Chilean has been afforded another opportunity to grace the hallowed turf of Augusta National Golf Club for the fifth year in a row.

Meanwhile, Hojgaard is set to return for the second time in his career after making his debut last season as part of the world's top-50.

But, after slipping just outside of that mark at the turn of the year - sitting in 60th currently - the Ryder Cup winner has benefitted from a personal summons via the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, Fred Ridley.

Announcing the news on Wednesday, Ridley said: “In support of Augusta National’s efforts to develop interest in golf globally, deserving international players not otherwise qualified have been invited throughout the Tournament’s history.

“The tradition continues as we welcome Nicolai and Joaquin back to the Masters, as both players have showcased their talent while competing around the world. We look forward to their arrival this April.”

Niemann is slated to make his sixth Masters appearance in total, with a best result of T16th coming during the 2023 championship. Hojgaard matched that result on his first attempt last term, having momentarily led the field during Saturday's play.

The Chilean is currently ranked No.71 in the Official World Golf Ranking list and enjoyed a successful 2024 courtesy of two LIV Golf wins and a T9th finish at the Olympic Games.

He ended the year by adding two top-10 results in DP World Tour events (T7th at the DP World Tour Championship and T5th at the Australian Open) before scooping the Asian Tour's season-ending Saudi International. It was not to be in the LIV Golf League, however, as Niemann narrowly missed out to Jon Rahm despite leading the standings for the majority of the campaign.

Hojgaard's most recent season also included an excellent finish at the Olympics, T7th, plus five consecutive top-25 results on the DP World Tour as twin brother Rasmus romped towards second place in the Race To Dubai - ultimately aiding him in joining Nicolai on the PGA Tour this year.

The coming months should also see the Hojgaards make more history, as Rasmus prepares for his Masters debut. Should they both appear, it would mark the first time that a pair of twins have ever competed in the same Masters across its 90-year history.

As of today, 87 players have been invited to compete in the 2025 Masters.

Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann are going head-to-head for the LIV Golf individual title in Chicago this week, that comes with an $18m bonus and championship ring, complete with a unique piece of technology.

The top two in the LIV Golf standings will tee off together at Bolingbrook Golf Club as the only two players left who can capture the individual title after superb seasons.

Rahm leads by just under three points after winning once and finishing in the top 10 in all 11 events he's finished, while Niemann has two wins as part of nine top 10s.

It means it's basically a head-to-head in Chicago, with not only a huge cash prize on offer but also an unusual piece of jewellery with a technological surprise inside.

The championship ring, along with being packed with diamonds, also contains a QR code which, when scanned, will take players to a link of the video of their title-winning moment. 

It means that at any time, they can watch the moment they scooped the title time and time again.

It's an innovative prize LIV Golf is handing out to its individual champion - which Niemann described as "pretty cool" while adding his wife could be jealous of the 5.78 carats of white diamonds in the ring.

"Probably my wife won't be happy knowing that my ring would have more," added the Chilean.

"No, I feel it's pretty special. It's a little different than other trophies, so it would be pretty cool to have an extra ring."

Rahm had a problem trying to picture the diamond-laden reward, but didn't seem to care too much as long as he was the one wearing it come Sunday.

"I'm trying to picture what it looks like right now, and I can't get that in my mind," said Rahm. 

"It's a lot. It's definitely a lot. But honestly, who cares what it is as long as you're the one that has it. That's, I think, what most of us will be thinking."

Rahm says that with just him and Niemann left standing and with so much on the line, he's well aware of how big the stakes are at the weekend.

"I think you would be lying to yourself if you said there's nothing extra," said Rahm. "We're all aware it's the last event, and for the two of us, obviously we both want to win. Anybody wants to win.

"I also believe that being able to be in this position and having those extra nerves is a privilege.

"We're the only two in the entire league that are going to be feeling like that this week, so yeah, you have to embrace it and compete and still try to win but knowing there's a lot more at stake if that doesn't happen."

Joaquin Niemann continues to impress in 2024 and, throughout this year's LIV Golf season, he has secured a number of victories and finished second in their individual standings.

A multiple-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 2022 Genesis Invitational, before joining LIV Golf, Niemann finished second in LIV Golf's individual standings, securing an $8 million paycheck in the process.

Certainly, it's been the Chilean's best and most consistent season to date and, in this piece, we have taken a look at his results and how much money the 25-year-old has secured throughout the year.

To begin with, Niemann featured in a number of DP World Tour events before LIV's season started in February. From November to January, he played the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, ISPS Handa Australian Open and Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Regarding results, Niemann claimed a solo fifth, a victory and a tie for fourth. These accumulated to $883,500, with the main stand outs being $382,500 and $389,000 for the ISPS Handa Australian Open win and Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Claiming almost a million dollars prior to the beginning of the LIV Golf season, Niemann started the League's season extremely strong, as he shot a 59 at LIV Golf Mayakoba in the opening round. From there, he defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff to win $4 million.

Although Niemann finished in a tie for 30th and secured $162,500 in Las Vegas, he then picked up another win in Jeddah, adding another $4 million to his tally. Following his hot start, a tie for fourth followed in Hong Kong, which equated to a $900,000 payday.

Niemann then finished in a tie for ninth, third and seventh to claim $385,500 in Miami, $920,000 in Adelaide and $522,500 in Singapore, which put him firmly in first place within the LIV Golf individual standings.

Although Niemann seemed to be cruising, the Chilean could only manage a tie for 22nd and a tie for 39th in the Masters and PGA Championship, with almost $250,000 being picked up in the process.

Turning his attention back to the LIV Golf League, Niemann produced his worst finish  of the season so far at LIV Golf Houston, with a tie for 32nd giving him $151,600. Importantly, Niemann then bounced back with a number of strong results, as he finished tied third at LIV Golf Nashville, tied sixth at LIV Golf Andalucia and tied second at LIV Golf UK.

In those three starts, the 25-year-old claimed $1,000,000, $608,333 and $1,583,333 paydays, before picking up $273,000 at LIV Golf Greenbrier.

Heading into the final solo event of the LIV Golf season, Niemann was three points behind Rahm and, despite a valiant effort, whereby he finished in a share of second, the 25-year-old was defeated by Rahm, who claimed a three shot win over Niemann and Sergio Garcia.

Although Rahm picked up $18 million for his efforts, Niemann still claimed an $8 million payday, whilst Garcia finished third in the individual standings, pocketing the $4 million prize. 

Finally, it's not just LIV Golf where Niemann can add to his incredible year, with the Chilean 19th in the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai rankings.

 Although unclear as to how many events on the circuit, if he does finish inside the top 70 of the rankings he will qualify for the Abu Dhabi Championship, whilst the top 50 make it to the DP World Tour Championship.

Joaquin Niemann's Earnings 2024

LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann has announced he will return to defend his Australian Open title later this year.

Niemann held off Rikuya Hoshino in a playoff at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney last season to land his third pro victory outside of the Chilean Tour and ensure he earned a spot at The Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Along with two-time women's champion, Ashleigh Buhai and Australian talent, Min Woo Lee, Niemann has been confirmed as returning in 2024 as the Australian Open - which is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia - takes place at Kingston Heath Golf Club and The Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne.

Commenting on the prestige of the event after his decision, Niemann said: “I feel like a good golf tournament and a proper tournament has to have a great golf course, and Australia (is) always the leader in that. A great crowd, always the leader in that as well.

“Golf in Australia has always been amazing and they always try to live up to the standard. Obviously you can't say it's a Major, but if you look around, I mean you got the US Open, it's still an Open, then you got the British Open, which obviously they are majors.

"Yes, I don't think you can put the Australian Open as a Major, but it's one of the Opens that it has to be up there. I don't think there is any other open in any other country that come near close to that."

The Australian Open is set to take place between Thursday, November 28 and Sunday, December 1 and will be the DP World Tour's second tournament of the 2024-25 campaign, following on from the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland GC in Brisbane.

Part of the reason Niemann has committed to the Australian Open once again is due to his desire to earn more world-ranking points while LIV Golf is unable to offer them.

The Torque GC captain is currently 110th in the Official World Golf Ranking at the time of writing and needs to head back towards the top-50 if he is to earn guaranteed starts at the four men's Majors.

Niemann teed it up in three of the four this season - failing to qualify for the US Open - and managed a best result of T22nd at The Masters while ending T39th at the PGA Championship and T58th at The Open.

Meanwhile, Niemann's appearance at the Australian Open will also count towards one of the four DP World Tour starts he must make per season in order to maintain his membership.

Should the 25-year-old fail to defend his title in Australia, he will hope to finish inside the top-three places as the event has typically offered up spots in The Open via the Open Qualifying Series.

In the meantime, Niemann will be aiming to finish on top of the LIV Golf League's individual standings after the final round the season in Chicago this weekend. The Chilean currently trails only Jon Rahm in the standings and must do better than the Spaniard at Bolingbrook if he is to land the $18 million top prize.

For the first time all season, Joaquin Niemann no longer leads the LIV Golf standings.

The Chilean has been caught at the top of the leaderboard, and he and Jon Rahm will head to Chicago where one of them will be crowned as LIV Golf's 2024 individual champion.

The pair will go head-to-head at Bolingbrook Golf Club for the $18m first prize, where they'll follow in the footsteps of past champions Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch.

Rahm has not finished outside of the top-10 in an event he's completed all season, and has overtaken Niemann at the top after winning his first LIV Golf title in the UK earlier this month and then finishing 2nd to Brooks Koepka at The Greenbrier, where he lost in a playoff.

Niemann went straight to the top after winning the opening event of the season in Mexico and then stretched his lead after winning again in the very next event in Saudi Arabia.

The pair are separated by less than 3 points at the top of the standings, where 40 points gets awarded for a tournament win.

"Yeah, it'll be great. It'll be a great exhibition for the next round," Niemann said.

"I think it brings more interest and everything to play for the last tournament of the season. I'll be looking forward to it.

"Yeah, he's been playing great lately, so obviously he's probably going to keep doing the same. I've got to try to bring my "A" game and try to show some good golf, and hopefully it'll be enough."

"I mean, listen, beating Joaquin, I'm probably going to need to win," Rahm said.

"He's going to be up there. I'm going to need another good week, and hopefully get it done."

Below Rahm and Niemann are five players who will fight it out for 3rd-place, with Tyrrell Hatton currently holding that position. He'll aim to fend off Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka next month in Chicago, in LIV's final individual tournament of the 2024 season.

LIV Golf's Chicago tournament takes place from Fri 13 to Sun 15 September.

Joaquin Niemann is potentially just three rounds of golf away from earning $22 million... on top of the near $140,000,000 or so he may well have already banked in the past six years.

The Chilean leads the 2024 LIV Golf League's individual standings by almost 25 points from second placed Jon Rahm heading into LIV Golf Greenbrier this weekend. And with only two events left before the Team Championship in Chicago, time is running out for anyone to catch Niemann at the top.

He could ice the race on Sunday with victory at Greenbrier and a finish of third or worse for Rahm. Alternatively, any other combination of results which sees the gap from Niemann to second exceed 40 points would also do it.

Should Niemann win LIV Golf Greenbrier, he would scoop $4 million. If that success ties in with a season victory on the LIV Golf money list, the $18 million top prize will be bundled in and the Torque GC captain will have likely accumulated in excess of $36 million for 2024 alone.

He began the year in fine style with a couple of tournament wins at LIV Golf Mayakoba and LIV Golf Jeddah, either side of an unusually poor result (T30 at LIV Golf Las Vegas), with each earning him $4 million a time.

From there on, Niemann banged in top-10 after top-10 without winning, and only once since has he missed out on at least 10 points and a paycheck of around $375,000.

Tack his 2024 earnings onto the $4,774,286 from 2022 and $3,553,333 last season, and Niemann's total LIV Golf tally might reach almost $45 million ($44,558,786).

That figure would have been even higher if team earnings had continued to be split between members - as was the case in 2022 - but LIV initiated a change from the beginning of the 2023 season which saw winning-team prize money reinvested into the franchises.

Regardless, the above does not take into account the reported circa $100 million fee LIV Golf paid Niemann when he joined the PIF-backed circuit as a 23-year-old in August 2022.

Plus, during a 124-event career in PGA Tour-sanctioned events, the 25-year-old had already picked up $15,225,082, giving him a potential $159,783,868 since turning pro in 2018.

And even if Niemann is somehow usurped by Rahm in the dying moments of LIV's 2024 campaign, he will be able to console himself with likely career earnings of at least $130,000,000. So far.

Given the increasing purses across the top level of men's professional golf, it can be easy to forget that it is not just the players themselves who are making more money than ever - the caddies certainly aren't missing out either.

Cumulative payouts on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf League have already totalled well into the tens of millions of dollars this season, giving the leading golfers a chance to set themselves and their families up for life in just a few short months.

On the PGA Tour, Scottie Scheffler is comfortably in the number one position in the FedEx Cup standings thanks to a total paypacket of just over $18.6 million in 2024. That has been helped by four wins - one of which was his second Masters title.

LIV's leading golfer in terms of money right now is Joaquin Niemann, but the Chilean's total earnings across the year so far pales in comparison to Scheffler's bulging bank account. Despite a pair of wins and only two finishes outside of the top-10 in seven LIV Golf events, Niemann has collected *just* $10.888 million.

However, taking into account four non-LIV events in the 2024 campaign, Niemann has collected an extra $811,647.63 in total prize money, taking his total up to $11,571,647.62.

For context, the leading players in the DP World Tour's Race To Dubai have scooped less than $2 million ahead of the PGA Championship.

As a result of Scheffler and Niemann's fantastic respective seasons so far, their caddies have likely become the first two bagmen to earn over $1 million in 2024 - purely via what is effectively a bonus.

Scheffler's assistant, Ted Scott is believed to have picked up almost $1.8 million while Gary Matthews - whose boss is Niemann - is thought to have claimed an extra $1,041,830.51 this term.

Tour caddies are usually paid a yearly salary or kept on a retainer, with each week presenting a new opportunity for an extra bump in their earnings. And assuming that both players adhere to what is thought to be the standard cut for a caddie on tour - which usually sees the looper collect 10% of the winner's check and between 5-7% depending on how high up a player finishes - here is the breakdown of what we believe to be their respective earnings in 2024.

Fans were treated to a thrilling final day in Orlando, as Brooks Koepka held off Sebastian Munoz to secure a second LIV Golf title and a $4 million paycheck.

Along with Koepka, the Torque GC team of Joaquin Niemann, Munoz, Mito Pereira and David Puig claimed the team portion of the event, as a thrilling conclusion ended with a one shot win over Smash GC's team headed by Koepka, and a two shot win over the 4 Aces, captained by Dustin Johnson.

As the third and final round started, Koepka had a comfortable three shot advantage, with the four-time Major winner looking to build some serious momentum going into Augusta National next week.

Early on in his round, his nearest challenger, Munoz, found a birdie at the second to close the lead to two, with both men birdieing the fourth as they matched each other blow for blow.

Both made back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth, with Munoz one upping the American at the 10th with another birdie to close the deficit to just a single shot. Koepka, though, was showing his experience and, with a birdie at the par 5 14th, his lead was doubled to two.

As both bogeyed the 15th, Munoz chipped in for a much needed birdie at the 16th to, yet again, close the gap to one but, over the final two holes, Koepka kept his nerve as pars at the 17th and 18th gave him a second LIV title by just one shot.

With the win, Koepka will take some serious momentum going into The Masters next week, with the American looking to improve on his two missed cuts from 2021 and 2022.

Joaquin Niemann of Chile was a significant signing for LIV Golf in the second half of 2022. The 23-year-old was the highest ranked player in the world under the age of 25 at the time of his move to the breakaway Saudi-funded circuit. According to The Telegraph, Niemann received a signing on fee of around the $100 million mark.

Securing Niemann was a significant coup for LIV Golf who had been accused of being unable to attract golfers in the early stages of their careers to that point. Niemann was, and is, recognised as one of the most promising talents in the men’s game and has been widely tipped as a future Major champion.

Niemann, a former Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) winner, joined fellow Latin Americans like Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz on the LIV circuit.  

The young Chilean’s reported sign on fee was comparable to those commanded by other significant LIV signings. Reports from various sources suggested that Dustin Johnson received a sign-on fee north of $100 million, while Brooks Koepka received an estimated $100 million, and Phil Mickelson reportedly signed a deal worth $200 million.

In an interview with Fox News, LIV Golf Chief Executive Greg Norman suggested Tiger Woods was offered about $700 to $800 million to join the breakaway circuit. An offer he turned down.

According to a report by Forbes, the investment by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment fund boosted the earnings of the 10 highest-paid LIV golfers by an estimated $370 million.

How Much Did Joaquin Niemann Win on The 2022 LIV Circuit?

Through the course of the 2022 LIV season, Joaquin Niemann earned $4,524,286 in prize money on the LIV circuit. $2,405,000 of that came through individual prize money and $2,125,000 came through his team – Torque GC.

Niemann joined the LIV Circuit midway through 2022 and only played four individual events. But three top-five finishes saw him finish the year in seventh place on the individual standings.

The total prize fund in terms of purses and bonuses on the 2022 LIV Golf season was $255 million in 2022 and that is rising to $405 million in 2023 with the schedule expanded to 14 events.

Joaquin Niemann turned professional in 2018 after winning the LAAC and playing in that year’s Masters Tournament. He has won twice on the PGA Tour and played in the 2019 Presidents Cup. He has earned more than $14.5 million on the PGA Tour in just four years on the circuit.

The 2023 LIV season will see 14 regular LIV Golf events taking place. Each tournament will feature 48 players in 12 teams of four who will tee it up to play 54-holes in both individual and team competition.

The prize fund for each regular season event will be $25 million with $20 million to be shared between the individuals - $4 million for 1st place down to $120K for the 48th placed finisher (there’s no cut). $5 million will go to the team competition with prizes of $3million, $1.5 million and $500K going to the first three teams.

Joaquin Niemann is one of the hottest prospects in golf, with two PGA Tour victories and two wins in the LIV Golf League.

The Chilean was the world's number one amateur golfer before turning pro in 2018 and he is already building a mighty CV. His biggest win came at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in 2022 and he has two victories in LIV Golf as well as a 59.

Get to know Joaquin Niemann better with these facts as well as his bio, list of wins and career earnings so far...

Joaquin Niemann facts:

1. Niemann was born in Santiago, Chile.

2. Like many touring professionals, he now lives in Jupiter, Florida.

3. His home club in Florida is The Dye Preserve, which is also home to a number of other pros including 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.

3. His father gave him plastic clubs at the age of 2 and learned the game at Club de Polo y Equitacion San Cristobal.

4. According to PGA Tour.com, Niemann remembers hitting a 40-yard shot with real equipment at the age of four during a family BBQ at home and striking his grandmother in the leg. She wasn't seriously hurt but he said "it was a pretty good shot."

5. In 2020 and 2021, Niemann donated large sums of his winnings on the PGA Tour to help his infant cousin get injections to treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a rare neuromuscular disease that leads to muscle wasting and respiratory failure.

6. He won six times on the Chilean Tour as an amateur.

7. He was ranked as the world's top male amateur golfer from May 2017 to April 2018 when he turned professional. By turning pro, he forfeited his exemptions into the US Open and The Open that he earned as an amateur.

8. He qualified for the 2017 US Open and made his Major debut at the age of 18.

9. He won the 2018 Latin America Amateur Championship to qualify for the Masters.

10. Niemann's first PGA Tour victory came in 2019 at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. During that week he shot 65-62-68-64 to win by six strokes.

11. The biggest win of his career came with his 2nd PGA Tour title when he triumphed at the 2022 Genesis Invitational at Riviera. He opened with back-to-back 63s and won by two.

12. Aside from a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, Niemann uses a full bag of Ping equipment and he wears adidas shoes.

13. He says one of the best decisions he ever made was hiring an English-speaking caddie so he could learn the language faster and better. His looper has been Gary Matthews since 2020.

14. Niemann's girlfriend is Christina Hellema Puga, who studied architecture at the Universidad de Desarrollo in Chile.

15. He needed just eight starts on the PGA Tour to secure his card. He achieved this at the age of 19.

16. Niemann made his Presidents Cup debut in 2019 competing for the International Team. Hosted at Royal Melbourne, he played in four matches in which he lost three and halved the other. He was ineligible to play in the 2022 or 2024 editions after joining LIV Golf and therefore being suspended by the PGA Tour.

17. His mother played field hockey for the Chilean national team and his dad played basketball at college so it is clear sport runs in the family.

18. He was recruited to play at the University of South Florida but never did because he failed an English test. Speaking to Golf Digest he said:

"I knew I was going to be there for only one year. The school asked me to take the English test. I really didn’t study. I did it fast and finished before anyone else. I was playing the US Open when I got the results. I was with Claudio Correa. He’s from Chile, too. We were looking at the scores, and we couldn’t stop laughing. He was like, “How are you so stupid?” My score was low, so I couldn’t go to school. Honestly, I was happy. I just wanted to play golf."

19. He has earned $15.25m on the PGA Tour.

20. Niemann's fee for joining LIV Golf was reported to be worth $100m.

21. He represented Chile at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

22. Niemann is the captain of Torque GC in the LIV Golf League.

23. He shot a 59 at the 2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba event.

24. He won his first LIV Golf title at LIV Golf Mayakoba and won again in his next start at LIV Golf Jeddah.

25. Niemann won the 2023 Australian Open for his first DP World Tour victory. It qualified him for the 2024 Open.

26. He receives special invites into the Masters and PGA Championship in 2024.

27. His best Major finish is a T16 at the 2023 Masters. In over 20 Majors, he has surprisingly never finished in the top 10.

*won whilst still an amateur

Who Is Mito Pereira’s Coach?

We believe Mito Pereira is currently coached by Eduardo Miquel who is the Coach-Director at the EM Academy. Miquel also coaches Joaquin Niemann, a fellow Chilean and close friend of Pereira. 

He has presented to the R&A on the development of golf academies and high performance players, both professional and amateurs. He also has a lot of respect in the game too as shown by the fact he is one of three coaches from South America recognized on the 2020 List of Best International Golf Coaches by Golf Digest.

From research it appears Miquel was quite the player himself after taking up the game at the age of 10. He turned professional in 2011 after having competed at a number of high levels in South American golf. Eventually he decided to become a golf coach because, he acknowledged in a World of Golf interview; "As a player I was always a perfectionist and I was very angry on the course. I had experience and technical knowledge and I always liked the idea of guiding the young players, helping them to be better." One moment this guidance was needed was during the 2022 PGA Championship where Pereira narrowly lost in dramatic fashion on the 18th hole.

Speaking after the disappointment Miquel said; 

"The whole team helps him, not just me. Mito, Eugenio Lizama (his psychologist) and I are still in contact. Also his physical trainer and his wife, we always support him, support him. I think it’s been a super positive week for everyone." 

"He said 'fuck the bad swing I made on the last hole'. I was a bit frustrated with the outcome of flag 18, but Mito has a strong attitude and personality. He stops quickly and tries to see the positive side of things. The truth is that I saw him calm."

For more content on the Chilean, have a read of our posts on Pereira's caddie, and Pereira's what's in the bag setup.

Despite being in his mid 20s, Joaquin Niemann has already enjoyed some successes in the game of golf, with the Chilean a multiple-time winner on the PGA Tour, as well as a former World No.1 amateur golfer, a feat he held for almost a year.

After victories on the PGA Tour circuit, Niemann moved to the LIV Golf League and, in the process, saw his net worth increase considerably. Having moved to the Saudi-backed league, we take a look at just how much the young Chilean is worth.

Having moved to the LIV Golf League, Niemann reportedly signed for a nine-figure $100 million deal, with the Chilean joining up at the fourth LIV event. In just four tournaments, he pocketed $4.5 million, including three top 5 finishes, and was the 16th highest earner of the series in 2022.

Prior to his move, Niemann enjoyed a number of fine wins on the PGA Tour, one of which came at the Genesis Invitational, an event hosted by none other than Tiger Woods. The victory secured his biggest payday on the Tour, with Niemann pocketing $2,160,000.

In total, he secured $14.5 million on the PGA Tour, with $5 million of that coming during the 2021-22 season. The prize money doesn't include his runs at the FedEx Cup, where Niemann qualified for the Tour Championship three times in a row from 2019.

According to Niemann's website, he is sponsored by adidas, Ping, Rolex, Titleist, Kaufmann, Chile Avocados and Scotiabank. His longest-running sponsor is adidas, with the apparel brand partnering with the Chilean since he turned professional in 2018.

Along with adidas, Niemann has used Ping golf clubs for some time, with the Chilean also opting for a Ping bag. He has also used the Titleist Pro V1x golf ball for some time in his set-up. We are currently unsure as to how much these deals are worth.

One other interesting way that Niemann appears to make some money is via the online website Cameo. For those who don't know, Cameo is where people can pay celebrities to create personalized videos. On his profile, he currently charges £16 for a message, £203 for a personalized video and £608 for a business video!

Joaquin Niemann has said he is doing "everything possible" to bring close friend and fellow Chilean Mito Pereira to LIV Golf.

The two-time PGA Tour winner is captain of LIV Golf's Torque GC team, and it seems like he is very keen in bringing his countryman onto the side ahead of the full 14-event LIV Golf League launch in February.

"I would love to bring him, I'm doing everything possible, but in the end it's his decision," Niemann told Chilean newspaper La Tercera.

“I imagine him playing the LIV. It would be ideal for him to be on the team, but that is not yet known. I hope it is. For me, at least, it would be ideal if he was on the team," he continued on Pereira.

Mito Pereira has been linked with a move to LIV Golf after bursting onto the scene in 2022. He led the PGA Championship after 71 holes and needed a par on the final hole to capture his first Major title before making a double bogey to agonisingly miss out on a playoff. 

He earned his PGA Tour card following three victories on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021 to earn an automatic promotion.

LIV is set to sign another batch of players ahead of February's LIV Golf League debut at former PGA Tour venue El Camaleon in Mexico.

"Basically we're looking for maybe seven players, something like that," CEO Greg Norman said in November. He was then asked: "We're talking Top 10, Top 20 players?" Norman responded: "Yes. You said both. So I said yes."

Niemann also seemed optimistic on LIV's quest for world ranking points, echoing the words of a number of other LIV players that the start-up tour meets the OWGR's criteria. 

“We already have all the criteria to have a world ranking in the LIV," he said. "If they haven't done it, it's because of a pure monopoly there, political issues for which they don't take it out. But we already have all the criteria. We have the best players in the world on the tour and, if they don't, in the end they will look bad.”

Just a few days ago, it was reported that Joaquin Niemann was set to sign with LIV Golf. Now, according to his manager, Carlos Rodriguez, the 23-year-old has joined the Saudi-backed series and will be featuring in Boston at the end of this week.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Niemann's manager stated that the Chilean is "going but has not signed it yet." As of writing, he is the highest-ranked player in the world aged under 25. What's more, he was in attendance at the PGA Tour's Players Meeting at the BMW Championship where, just a week after, PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, announced a number of unprecedented changes.

According to The Telegraph, it is understood that Niemann will be another to receive a nine-figure signing-on fee from LIV, with insiders reporting a cheque topping $100m. 

Because of the move, it provides yet another headache for Presidents Cup International Team captain, Trevor Immelman, who has already called LIV Golf "a giant pain in my a**."

Niemann had been an automatic qualifier for the Presidents Cup International team in September. However, because of the move, he won't be able to feature in the team tournament, as LIV golfers are banned from playing.

The fourth LIV Golf event gets underway on the 2nd September and, although the full field is yet to be announced, Niemann joins his fellow LIV colleagues who are managed by GSE Worldwide agency. These players include Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen, Carlos Ortiz, Paul Casey, Branden Grace, Jason Kokrak and Eugenio Chacarra.

Moving to LIV Golf also means Niemann will face a suspension from the PGA Tour, with Jay Monahan releasing a strongly worded letter claiming that LIV Golf players are "suspended or otherwise no longer eligible to participate" in PGA Tour events. 

The letter went on to say: "These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons. But they can't demand the same PGA Tour membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platforms as you. That expectation disrespects you, our fans and our partners."

Rumours surrounding who will be moving to LIV Golf have been rife of late. However, aside from the Champion Golfer of the Year, Cameron Smith,who is reportedly set to join, could their biggest steal be 23-year-old, Joaquin Niemann, with the Chilean reportedly one of the six players reportedly set to sign with the Saudi-backed series.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Niemann, who stated on Friday, following his second round at the Tour Championship: "I haven't made my decision yet. Obviously there's some things I’ve got to see first. But I’m not thinking about that right now. I want to finish the playoffs and then see what my decision will be."

As of writing, the Chilean is the highest-ranked player in the world aged under 25. What's more, he was in attendance at the PGA Tour's Players Meeting at the BMW Championship where, just a week after, PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, announced a number of unprecedented changes.

According to The Telegraph, it is understood that Niemann will be another to receive a nine-figure signing-on fee from LIV, with insiders reporting a cheque topping $100m. 

Earlier on Sunday, Cameron Tringale stated that he is the next player to sign with LIV Golf, as it was also revealed by No Laying Up that a number of current PGA Tour players' names could be used as a discount code for the fourth LIV Golf event in Boston at the beginning of September, before they were deactivated.

Niemann was one of those seven and, if he were to sign with LIV Golf, it would be yet another headache for Presidents Cup International Team captain, Trevor Immelman, who has already called LIV Golf "a giant pain in my a**."

Reportedly, Smith, Niemann and Mito Pereira have been linked with LIV Golf, and are automatic qualifiers for the Presidents Cup in September. What's more, the likes of Marc Leishman and Anirban Lahiri could also feature in the team event, but have also been reportedly linked with LIV, with the pair amongst the names included within the discount codes.

The fourth LIV Golf event gets underway on the 2nd September, with the full field yet to be announced. It may be worth noting that Niemann is managed by the same GSE Worldwide agency that also represents LIV golfers: Bryson DeChambeau, Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen, Carlos Ortiz, Paul Casey, Branden Grace, Jason Kokrak and Eugenio Chacarra.

According to the Golf Channel, Cameron Smith and five other PGA Tour professionals will join LIV Golf next week, with sources confirming that Cameron Smith, Mito Pereira, Marc Leishman, Harold Varner III, Cameron Tringale and Joaquin Niemann are set to join the Saudi-backed series.

UPDATE: LIV Golf announces six new signings

Suspicion arose after No Laying Up tweeted seven surnames of current PGA Tour players that could be used to grab a discount at LIV Golf's event in Boston. In the tweet, Cameron Young's name was also mentioned, however, multiple sources have reported that he won't be at Boston in early September.

If reports are true, it would be a huge blow for the International Presidents Cup team, where Smith, Niemann and Pereira were already automatic qualifiers. The International Team captain, Trevor Immelman, has already stated that LIV Golf is "a giant pain in my a**," and it appears to be even more the case now following the Golf Channel's report.

What's more, Niemann, who is reportedly still very conflicted, was asked about a potential move at the Tour Championship, with the Chilean stating: "I haven't made my decision yet. Obviously there's some things I’ve got to see first. But I’m not thinking about that right now. I want to finish the playoffs and then see what my decision will be."

If he were to move to LIV Golf, he would undoubtedly be another loss for the Presidents Cup International side, who could also be without Anirban Lahiri, after he was one of the names included within the discount codes and has been reportedly linked with LIV.

As rumours fly left, right and centre, LIV Golf’s teams are set to undergo a rebranding driven by their captains ahead of the LIV Golf League launch next February.

Golf Monthly understands the majority of LIV’s 12 teams will be renamed as team captains have their input. LIV captains have an equity stake in their teams, and have been given the freedom to have as much input as they want, with some especially keen to show their creative sides, as well as bring in sponsorship and other opportunities.

Joaquin Niemann What's In The Bag?

Chilean youngster Joaquin Niemann has had a meteoric rise up the world golf rankings. He got his 1st PGA Tour victory in 2019 at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier and he played in his 1st Presidents Cup in 2019 as well. After several near misses he then got his 2nd PGA Tour win at the Genesis Invitational, where he went wire-to-wire. But what clubs does the youngster use after signing with the LIV Tour at the moment? We take a look below.

Joaquin Niemann What's In The Bag?

Joaquin Niemann WITB: Full Specs

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees) with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6X shaft

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (14.5 degrees) with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X shaft

*7-wood: Ping G425 Max (20.5 at 20 degrees) with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X shaft

*Hybrid: Ping G425 (24 degrees) with Graphite Design DI Hybrid shaft

Irons: Ping iBlade (4-9) with Project X 6.0 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 3.0, 46°, Ping Glide Forged Pro, 52°, 56°, 60° with Project X 6.5 shafts

Putter: Ping Prototype PLD Anser

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Shoes and Apparel: Adidas

Driver

Ping G430 LST

All of Niemann's clubs are made by Ping and after putting in the G425 LST driver, and the G410 LST in, he has now put the newer Ping G430 LST driver in the bag, with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6X shaft. This driver features a 'CarbonFly crown' which might not seem significant but it has a fundamental impact on the performance of the club. The lighter material lowers the centre of gravity which in turn will produce a lower launch with reduced spin and increased distance. As carbon is a lighter material, it pulls mass from the crown of the club and allows it to be positioned elsewhere - expected to be further back for added forgiveness. His model is fitted with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6X shaft.

• Read our full Ping G430 LST Driver review

Fairways

Ping G430 Max

He then uses a Ping G430 Max three-wood and we believe a G425 Max seven-wood with 14.5 and 20 degrees of loft. The G430 Max is a long yet easy-to-use fairway wood and will be many golfers favorite in the 2023 season thanks to its versatility and high launch characteristics. A new carbon crown gives this fairway the looks to match the playing experience.

Interestingly, at first Niemann was against the idea of using a seven-wood because it would go too high but Ping Tour rep Kenton Oates said otherwise. 

“I remember he played a hybrid that first year on Tour when he got his card,” said Oates to Golf.com. “We talked about [a 7-wood] like we always had, but he really liked that hybrid. Then at Memorial, in 2020, Jack’s place was playing super firm and he mentioned a need for a club to stop balls [on the green] on par 5s. He was struggling from that 250-255 range into greens. I told him, ‘Dude, it’s a 7-wood.’ And he gave me that look that all 20-year-olds give me — the I’m not playing a 7-wood look. He thought it was going to go too high, but I told him that wouldn’t be the case.”

Both of his models are fitted with Graphite Design Tour AD DI shafts, and he has also occasionally put a Ping G425 hybrid in the bag as well. 

• Read our full Ping G430 Max fairway wood review
• Read our full Ping G425 Max fairway wood review

Irons

Ping iBlade

Shifting to the irons, Niemann uses iBlade's ranging from the four to nine-iron. Niemann has used these irons for a while and he has rarely wavered from them. They came out in 2016 and we felt the iron excels in all the areas of performance competent golfers prioritize – distance control, workability and a soft feel with forgiveness thrown in for good measure.

• Read our full Ping iBlade irons review

Wedges

Ping Glide 3.0, Ping Glide Forged Pro

He then carries four Ping wedges ranging from 46-60 degrees. The 46 is a Ping Glide 3.0 whereas the other three are Glide Forged Pro models. They have 52, 56 and 60 degrees of loft and have Raw finished. We were big fans of the Forged Pro wedge when we tested it. The control and versatility allows you to be confident and aggressive around the green whilst there are enough loft/bounce options in the range to create a set designed for your needs.

• Read our full Ping Glide Forged Pro wedge review

Putter

Ping Prototype PLD Anser

Finally, Niemann uses a Ping Prototype PLD Anser putter, favoring the iconic design. Again, Niemann has not really wavered or tried any other putter over any significant time so clearly he is a fan of a traditional, classic blade look. 

Ball

Titleist Pro V1x

Niemann uses a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball. A ball that received five stars in our review, the Pro V1x is an excellent all-rounder, as you would expect. We were particularly impressed by the improved ball flight in the long game which didn’t come at the cost of any short game control or feel.

• Read our full Titleist Pro V1x ball review

Apparel/Shoes

adidas

Niemann wears adidas apparel and after using the Tour360 shoe for a long time, it appears he has now switched into the ZG21 golf shoes. One of very few models to get a five-star review from us, the ZG21's look great, are incredibly light and offer good comfort and stability. 

• Read our full Adidas ZG21 golf shoe review

Joaquin Niemann is one of the game's rising stars, and he had already secured two PGA Tour titles before joining LIV Golf last year. His biggest win, to date, came at the 2022 Genesis Invitational, where he shot four stunning rounds at Riviera to secure the tournament that is hosted by Tiger Woods.

Niemann, who represented Chile in the Tokyo Olympics, was one of LIV Golf's biggest signings last year and despite the extra travel for the Florida resident, in girlfriend Christina Hellema Puga, he has a regular companion to keep him company.  

Although we are uncertain how long the pair have been dating for, we do know that Hellema Puga is also from Chile. Born on the 18 October 1997, it has been reported that she has three siblings, two sisters and a brother, and she graduated from Colegio The International School in La Serena in 2015.

She then moved to the Universidad del Desarrollo in Concepción, where she studied architecture. Hellema Puga also has an Instagram specifically for her passion of architecture and has other interests in photography and art.

Despite being fairly active on social media, and often travelling with Niemann to golf tournaments, it appears the couple keep quite a low profile off the course as there are very few pictures of them together at events.

There are, however, a few exceptions. The couple can be seen posing together at St Andrews and Augusta National, which suggests that Niemann likes to have his girlfriend's support at the biggest events. 

Along with the Presidents Cup, Hellema Puga was present for Niemann's victory at the 2022 Genesis Invitational, and was pictured celebrating with her partner as he walked off the 18th green.

More recently (September 2022), they were pictured together at the welcome party ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational - Chicago, where Niemann finished fifth. 

After a chip-in eagle at the 11th, it seemed that Joaquin Niemann was going to cruise to his second PGA Tour title, especially as his five-shot lead remained intact with five holes remaining.

Despite a bogey at the 14th, the 23-year-old still remained four ahead with four to play. However, a stunning hole-out birdie for Cameron Young was met with a bogey from Niemann, with his lead reducing by three shots in just two holes.

However, following a solid run of pars to close out his round, the Chilean would get his hands on the trophy, with his level-par final round and 19-under-par tournament total good enough for a two-shot win over Collin Morikawa and Young.

Speaking after his round, Niemann said: "This is the toughest tournament I think during the year. It's got the best field, the best players are here and that proves myself that I can be competing with the top guys. I can be up there in the world ranking. I think it's going to give me a lot of confidence for what is coming next.

"It was awesome having Tiger there. I haven't seen him since probably a year. Everybody knew what happened here one year ago, which was pretty sad. Being able to see him doing as well as he's doing is awesome. He's one of my idols. I always watched him on TV and I still do. Having Tiger on site receiving the trophy is something special."

Going into the final round, it had already been a historic week for Niemann, whose 19-under-par tournament total had set the 54-hole scoring record at the Genesis Invitational. 

Beginning with a three-shot advantage though, the Chilean soon saw the margin cut to one by the 8th hole, with his nearest challenger, Young, sat at one-under and Niemann at one-over.

However, at the par 4 8th, the 23-year-old would find his first birdie of the day. What's more, is that his opponent, Young, would bogey, restoring his three-shot margin that he began with at the start of the final round.

Following a run of pars, it seemed that the Niemann's name was ready to be printed on the trophy, as a chip-in eagle put him five shots clear of his nearest rival. But drama was to follow, as back-to-back bogies at the 14th and 15th were punished by Young, who produced a brilliant pitch at the 15th for an unlikely birdie.

Niemann though remained strong, with three consecutive pars to close out his round enough for a two-shot victory and the biggest title of his young career.

Receiving the trophy from tournament host, Tiger Woods, Niemann became the second youngest winner of the event and also pocketed a cool $2.16 million for his efforts.

Joaquin Niemann completed his final round at East Lake in 1 hour 53 minutes, beating Kevin Na's previous record by six minutes.

Joaquin Niemann Completes Final Round At Tour Championship In Under Two Hours

Due to Brooks Koepka's withdrawal on Saturday, Joaquin Niemann was forced to play the final round by himself.

Just like Kevin Na in 2016, Niemann decided to make some fun out of the day at a tournament where he was well out of contention.

Na, who played his round in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 52 seconds, was actually watching his fellow professional's effort from the range as he prepared for his final round at East Lake.

With cameras following the Chilean's every move, Niemann was three minutes over Na's front nine time of 1 hour 3 minutes.

However, Niemann would pick up the pace, with a long range birdie putt at the 15th helping his cause as he scythed down Na's record.

Despite a bogey at the next, he would close out the final day with two pars, eventually completing it in 1 hour and 53 minutes. The fastest ever round completed at East Lake.

Not only did he complete his round in under 2 hours, but the 22-year-old managed a two-over-par 72, a score 99% of golfers on the planet would be happy with; although, it was two shots shy of Na's 70 in 2016.

There have been previous instances of players getting round the course in quick time.

In 2017, Wesley Bryan set a record at the BMW Championship for the fastest round ever recorded on Tour. The American managed to complete his 18 holes in 1 hour 29 minutes, shooting a two under par round of 69 in the process!

Take a look at the adidas clothing Joaquin Niemann is wearing at Augusta National for the 2021 Masters

What Is Joaquin Niemann Wearing?

Joaquin Niemann has been signed with adidas since he turned professional in 2018. The Chilean golfer quickly earned his PGA Tour card and won his first professional event in 2020 at the Greenbrier.

The clothing brand continues to push the boundaries, with the 22-year-old turning head at the Genesis Invitational in February in the newly designed adicross line. He regularly shows off the new apparel and gear from adidas.

Related: Joaquin Niemann What's In The Bag?

Check out what he will be wearing at the PGA Championship this week.

What Is Joaquin Niemann Wearing?

adidas Vibes Print Polo

For the opening round of the tournament Niemann has gone for a unique look with the Vibes Print polo. Available in a couple of colours.

adidas Ultimate365 Classic Pants

On Thursday, paired with the Vibes polo above will be a pair of Ultimate365 Classic pants in navy. They have a classic look as the name suggests but they come with modern features like moisture-wicking fabric, a water-resistant finish, and sun protection.

adidas Ultimate365 Printed Polo

On Friday Niemann will go for this Printed design in an Acid Mint finish. Made from 88% recycled polyester, the shirt has a stretchy, comfortable fit whilst also helping the player out in terms of sweat too. Given how hot it can get in South Carolina, this could help Niemann when things get serious on Friday.

adidas Go-To Five Pocket Pants

Paired with the polo above will be the Go-To pants. They are designed with extra stretch in the waistband for full freedom of movement so you can truly unleash your mobility on the golf course. The moisture-absorbing fabric also helps keep you dry for the days play too.

Designed in nylon twill fabric they give a cool, dry feel whist a stretchy build lets you twist and flex with ease.

adidas No Show Polo

Niemann has worn the No Show polo previously out on Tour in a variety of colours. During the PGA Championship he will opt for the white design with blue detailing.

adidas Pin Roll Trousers

The Pin Roll trousers continue the modern trend of sitting just above the ankle line of golf shoes. Therefore they work excellent in warm weather as they help keep you cool under pressure which could be important at Kiawah. They are also made with 87% recycled polyester too as part of adidas’ aim to end plastic waste.

adidas Heat.Rdy 3-Stripes Polo

Niemann's Sunday look will consist of this Heat.Rdy polo in navy. Constructed with adidas' Heat.Rdy cooling fabric, it will undoubtedly help Niemann stay under control provided he is in the hunt on the final day. The heat ready fabrication is breathable, moisture wicking and has a cooling effect to keep you comfortable on the course. The 3-stripes design adds a unique look too.

adidas Ultimate365 3-Stripes Tapered Pants

On Sunday he will pair the above shirt with white 3-Stripes Tapered Pants. Made with a mix of nylon, polyester and elastane, comfort is king with these pants. Freedom of movement is also an important factor too thanks to the stretch fabric design.

Adidas ZG21 Shoes

Niemann will be wearing the Adidas ZG21 shoes throughout the week. These are lightweight and have a low profile, providing a solid foundation for every shot.

And again, in line with their ambition to end plastic waste, they are also made from 50% recycled materials.

Adidas Performance Cap

The Chilean is also wearing an adidas Performance Cap this week, designed to combine style and performance thanks to the moisture-control features within.

adidas Golf Braided Stretch Belt

Paired with his trousers is this braided stretch belt. We are unsure of the exact colours we'll see this week but it comes in navy, white and grey so expect it to be in one of those across the tournament.

Related: Who Is Joaquin Niemann's Coach?

Who Is Joaquin Niemann's Coach?

Joaquin Niemann is currently coached by a man called Eduardo Miquel who is the Coach-Director at the EM Academy. Miquel has also coached Benjamin Alvarado (PGA Tour,) Paz Echevarria (LPGA) and Nicolás Geyger (European Tour) too.

He has presented to the R&A on the development of golf academies and high performance players, both professional and amateurs. He also has a lot of respect in the game too as shown by the fact he is one of three coaches from South America recognized on the 2020 List of Best International Golf Coaches by Golf Digest.

We are unsure when the pair exactly started working together but Niemann acknowledges that the pairing has been extremely beneficial to him.

Speaking in an interview with Golf Digest he said; "I started working with my coach, Eduardo Miquel, and he helped me. He’s taught me to care about me, what I do, and to trust it. When I have a tough shot on a Sunday to get a good finish, I try to forget that I’m at the tournament, pretend I’m at the range and hit it with a normal swing. Now, I don’t care who follows me or who’s watching."

From research it appears Miquel was quite the player himself after taking up the game at the age of 10. He turned professional in 2011 after having competed at a number of high levels in South American golf. Eventually he decided to become a golf coach because, he acknowledged in a World of Golf interview; "As a player I was always a perfectionist and I was very angry on the course. I had experience and technical knowledge and I always liked the idea of guiding the young players, helping them to be better."

In the same interview he talked about some of his coaching philosophies which took the form of hard work and yet still enjoying the game.

Miquel said; "I try to get the most out of each player. They are all very different and you have to work with them individually. I focus a lot on my players understanding the different trajectories. They understand what happens when the ball does not go in line or in a certain way. My philosophy of life is: to work as hard as possible while still enjoying it. For my students: find a good balance on and off the court. The most important thing is to enjoy the eternal tuning of swing and life."

In terms of other coaches he is currently working with, he appears to be working with Stephen Sweeney who is a certified putting instructor, as well as Andrew Cummings who is his fitness coach. Cummings is attached to the Joey D Golf Training Center in Jupiter, Florida.

Additionally, earlier on it appeared Niemann would attend the University of South Florida to play golf as he was recruited by coach Steve Bradley who said of Niemann;

“He has no glaring weaknesses. He does everything well and he does some things really well. He doesn’t lack confidence. There’s not a shot out there that he can’t hit or he’s not comfortable hitting.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a situation where the moment is too big for him.”

However Niemann ultimately did not attend the school as he failed an English exam. To Niemann this was a blessing in disguise as he said he just wanted to play golf and turn pro. Aside from the people mentioned above, we are unsure who else has coached the young star but his caddie is Gary Mathews who arguably acts as a kind of on-course coach to some degree. 

For more content on the Chilean, why not take a look at Joaquin Niemann's what's in the bag setup.

LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann has been racking up titles for fun on the circuit, but this hasn't stopped him from making some significant changes to his team.

Previously, Niemann had been working with long-time caddie, Gary Matthews, but at LIV Golf UK in 2025 he was spotted with a new looper at JCB Golf & Country Club.

The caddie in question is Diego Salinas, who has looped for a number of players previously and was on the bag for Cristobal Del Solar's victory at The Ascendant on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Whether this is a permanent appointment remains to be seen, although Salinas is a decent golfer himself and does have experience caddying.

The 25-year-old is a close friend of Niemann's and a professional on the Chilean Golf Tour, with Salinas helping Niemann to a strong performance at the LIV Golf UK event.

In terms of Niemann's former caddie, Matthews, he teamed up with the LIV golfer in 2020, and has previously worked with Tim Clark, Sergio Garcia, Trevor Immelman, Anthony Kim, Luke Donald, Charl Schwartzel, Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee.

The pair came together after the 2020 US Open, where Niemann had Dean Elliott on the bag.

They enjoyed great success on the breakaway circuit, winning six LIV Golf titles, which makes their parting of ways somewhat surprising.

Speaking during LIV Golf UK, Niemann thanked his former caddie as well as his long-time coach Eduardo Miquel, who has also left his team.

"I'm really grateful for them... but it's part of it, and I feel like I was pretty frustrated at the beginning of this week after a bad result, obviously, at The Open as well and all the rest kind of going on."

The 20-year-old former amateur star won for the first time on the PGA Tour

Joaquin Niemann Wins Maiden PGA Tour Title At The Greenbrier

Joaquin Niemann won his maiden PGA Tour title with an impressive six stroke victory.

The Chilean becomes just the third non-American under the age of 21 to win on the PGA Tour after Seve Ballesteros and Rory McIlroy.

In fact, he is the youngest non-American to win on the PGA Tour since 1923.

Niemann began the final round two clear of playing partner Richy Werenski and a six under par 64 was enough to dominate the field for his first victory.

Some may have expected the Chilean to win earlier than he did after turning pro just after last year's Masters, however now that he is up and running, he'll likely win an awful lot more.

Niemann won six pro tournaments in South America whilst still an amateur and also won the 2018 Latin America Amateur Championship.

He was the number one-ranked amateur from May 2017 until turning pro in April 2018.

The 20-year-old is now inside the world's top 50, climbing to 50th from 166th in April.

“I just couldn't think about this moment, like holding the trophy,” he said.

“I was like, man, take it easy. We got 18 holes to play. Don't think about that yet. Just go out there and have fun.

“I just couldn't think about that moment in the entire day, so I was just trying to think about anything else. My caddie is very funny, so he was just talking to me and make me laugh to just try to forget about that.

“Then the last couple holes I was feeling great. I was really enjoying.”

He is now also one of the favourites to be picked as a wildcard for Ernie Els' Presidents Cup side.

Also at the Greenbrier, Viktor Hovland recorded his 17th consecutive round in the 60s, matching Bob Estes' record from 1983.

A Military Tribute At The Greenbrier -

1 Joaquin Niemann -21

2 Tom Hoge -15

3 Brian Harman -14

3 Harris English -14

3 Nate Lashley -14

3 Richy Werenski -14

7 Sebastian Munoz -13

7 Scottie Scheffler -13

7 Robbie Shelton -13

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The 19-year-old Chilean has turned professional and will make his pro debut in Texas this week

World Number One Amateur Joaquin Niemann Turns Pro

Former world number one amateur Joaquin Niemann has turned professional and will make his pro debut this week at TPC San Antonio in the Valero Texas Open.

Niemann won a number of high profile events in his amateur career, including six professional tournaments in South America, with his most significant victory coming at the 2018 Latin America Amateur Championship.

The 19-year-old also won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley which propelled him to the number one spot in theWorld Amateur Golf Ranking. He held it from May 2017 right up until turning pro.

His LAAC win qualified him for The Masters where he missed the cut after playing with Fred Couples and Hao Tong Li for the first two days. He finished at +9 after rounds of 76 and 77.

That wasn't his first major though, he also teed it up in last year's US Open at Erin Hills after coming through qualifying in Florida.

After Erin Hills and Augusta, this will be the teenager's fourth PGA Tour start having finished an impressive T29th at last year's Greenbrier Classic.

Niemann won seven times last year including three professional wins. He has already won a professional tournament this year.

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The Chilean won the Mark H. McCormack Medal for finishing the 2017 amateur season as the world number one, which qualified him for this year's US Open at Shinnecock Hills and The Open at Carnoustie.

Turning professional means he has relinquished his spot in both these majors.

He has a sponsors invite to this week's Valero Texas Open as well as the Wells Fargo Championship, AT&T Byron Nelson and the Memorial Tournament. He also has some starts on the Web.com Tour.

Niemann follows the likes of Jon Rahm, Maverick McNealy, Ollie Schneiderjans, Matt Fitzpatrick and Patrick Cantlay as previous Mark H. McCormack Medal winners to turn pro.

The 19-year-old has already netted some lucrative deals, having signed with Adidas and Ping.

Niemann previously used Ping equipment as an amateur and turns pro using the G400 LST driver, a G400 fairway and hybrids, iBlade irons, Glide 2.0 wedges and an Anser putter.

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