Joaquin Niemann agrees with Rory McIlroy’s world tour model for the future of golf, while also telling Golf Monthly about his Masters invite, playing with Tiger Woods and why he feels he’s got the game to win Majors.
Niemann says he knew he’d lose world ranking points when joining LIV Golf, and now they’re off the table he agrees with McIlroy’s suggestion of a golf future involving worldwide events.
“I agree with Rory that big national championships like the Australian Open should be a bigger part of the worldwide schedule,” said Niemann
Niemann won in Australia as part of a sparkling spell of form, including winning two of the first three LIV events, that made his exclusion from The Masters raise plenty of eyebrows – until Augusta National gave him an invite to the 2024 tournament.
And hearing Niemann talk about his love of The Masters explains why he was so desperate to make the trip down Magnolia Lane again, especially after his experience of playing with Tiger Woods last year.
“Playing in the Masters was always my dream growing up,” Niemann told Golf Monthly. “It was the event I watched most often on TV.
“I was a boy from a football-mad country, with a father who played basketball in college and a mother who played field hockey for Chile. That is a very popular sport in my country, and my mum jokes that I got my swing from her, from the way she swung a hockey stick.
“And my dad was the one I would watch the Masters with on TV.
“I won Tiger’s event, the Genesis Invitational, in February, and It was an incredible feeling when he presented me with the trophy. And a couple of months later I was drawn alongside him and Louis Oosthuizen in the first two rounds of the Masters.
“Then Louis pulled out with an injury after the first round, and it was only me and Tiger on day two. Just the two of us walking the fairways of Augusta, followed by the massive crowds who always turn up when Tiger is playing anywhere in the world.
“It was hard not to imagine this was the final round, with me and Tiger battling it out for the green jacket. The truth was we both battled hard to make the cut, and finished in the middle of the pack. But at least I could dream for a while!”
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Niemann could’ve booked his Masters return last year with a top 10 finish, which was within reach before a triple bogey on the 11th hole on Sunday.
“I did have some sleepless nights dreaming about that triple bogey at 11,” he admitted. “I just couldn’t believe I…
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