PGA Tour star couldnt defend Genesis Invitational | Golf News

Joaquin Niemann was considered as an rising expertise on the PGA Tour before leaping to LIV Golf in 2022. Niemann was just over six months eliminated from capturing the 2022 Genesis Invitational when he selected to give up his PGA Tour card for a place on LIV Golf.

As a consequence, the Chilean was prevented from defending his title at the Tiger Woods-hosted match after being banned from PGA Tour competitors. While Niemann has continued to compete in major tournaments — he obtained a particular invitation to The Masters in 2024 — his legacy on the PGA Tour is best remembered by his spectacular efficiency at Riviera Country Club in February 2022.

At just 23 years outdated, Niemann burst out of the gates with consecutive rounds of 63 to set up a new 36-hole course file at Riviera. Remarkably, the file Niemann shattered was set by Cameron Young just 20 minutes earlier, with the Chilean going two strokes better.

While he could not preserve his red-hot kind into the weekend, Niemann did enough to maintain off Young, Collin Morikawa, and Adam Scott with a 68-71 in the ultimate two rounds to end 19-under and secure his second profession PGA Tour victory.

That summer season, LIV Golf started to recruit some of the PGA Tour’s top gamers, including high-profile major champions Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka.

Before the fourth event of the 2022 season, the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway tour announced that Niemann, then the Nineteenth-ranked participant in the world, can be becoming a member of LIV Golf. CBS Sports reviews that Niemann was “firmly on the fence” before making his resolution and attended a PGA Tour players-only assembly the week before.

His profession in LIV Golf to date has been a resounding success.

As the captain of Torque GC, Niemann led his staff to 4 victories during the 2023 LIV Golf season and completed third in the staff factors checklist.

Niemann holds the file for the most particular person titles in LIV Golf historical past, with seven. He received the inaugural Most Valuable Player award in 2025 and ranked second on LIV’s all-time money checklist at the end of last season with over $68.5 million in winnings.

After taking pictures a 12-under-par 59 in the opening spherical of LIV Golf Mayakoba in Feb. 2024, a match he went on to win, Niemann obtained a particular invitation to The Masters, where he completed T16.

Now at the age of 27, Niemann continues to take part in major championships but has yet to significantly compete for a title.

In the 11 majors he has competed in since becoming a member of LIV, Niemann has completed T20 or better only twice.