Joaquin Niemann continued his great form by winning the LIV Golf League event in Jeddah; Niemann secured an invite to The Masters after three top-five finishes on the DP World Tour, including victory at the ISPS Handa Australian Open; returning Anthony Kim struggled as he finished last
Sunday 3 March 2024 14:20, UK
Joaquin Niemann won his second LIV Golf title in three starts in Jeddah as he beat Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel by four shots.
Niemann finished off with a four-under 66 to record his third win in three months, starting with the Australian Open victory in December that allowed him to re-join the European Tour and eventually put him on the path toward getting invited to The Masters.
The 25-year-old started his third season on the Saudi-funded league by opening with a 59 at Mayakoba and winning in a play-off over Sergio Garcia. Now he soars to the top of the points list with another win ahead of next week's LIV event in Hong Kong.
"We've got another week to come. I told myself I can win these three weeks I'm playing. So next week and see what happens," said Niemann.
No one got closer than two shots of Niemann in the final round at Royal Greens. Oosthuizen was the last challenger until a bogey on the 16th hole. He shot 67, while Schwartzel had a 68.
Niemann also took a dig at the world ranking in his interview with LIV's broadcast team. He was asked if he was one of the leading favourites to win a major this year.
"How is that possible? I'm like 100 in the world," Niemann said with a grin.
Niemann is No. 72 in the Official World Golf Ranking but in a vote cast by the organisations that run the majors, they chose not to award LIV ranking points because of the small field (54 players) that functions as a closed shop with no qualifying.
Anthony Kim, who had gone 12 years without competitive golf until signing a deal with LIV Golf this week, had a 74 and finished his week in last place, 33 shots out of the lead. He made two birdies on Sunday, giving him four birdies for the week.
Kim's deal allows him to play the rest of LIV's events this year without being attached to a team.
Niemann finished at 17-under 193 and earned $4m, giving him $8,162,000 in three LIV events this year.
The Masters gave Niemann an invitation based on his Australian Open victory, along with two other top-five performances in European tour events.
The Australian Open win gets him into the British Open and his performance is likely to earn him a spot in the PGA Championship.
He would have to qualify for the US Open, unless he were to win the Masters. The Chilean is getting plenty of attention with his two victories this year.
"I'm more than happy about the way I'm playing," Niemann said. "I just want to keep on the same path. I'm pretty proud of the way I played all week."
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