Joaquin Niemann's major whinge prompts mostly unanimous reaction from golf fans
Joaquin Niemann claimed his maiden LIV Golf League title at Mayakoba then complained he wasn't able to compete in the major championships.
The majority of golf fans on social media appeared to have little sympathy for LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann after the Chilean voiced his frustration at his struggles to get into the majors after he claimed his maiden victory on the breakaway tour.
Niemann's week at LIV Golf Mayakoba was interesting to say the least.
The 25-year-old recorded the second sub-60 round in LIV history to race into the early lead on Friday.
He was later assessed a two-stroke penalty having played from the wrong place during his second round. He took relief incorrectly.
Niemann then managed to beat Sergio Garcia in an epic four-hole playoff that ended in darkness.
No sooner had the champagne been poured all over the golfer was he asked about what the victory means by LIV's Dom Boulet.
Niemann was reminded by Boulet he's one of the best players in the world. "But I'm not in the majors," he said.
Boulet asked Niemann: "Are you hoping that this win gets the attention of the relevant bodies?"
"Oh I hope so, I'm just ready", came the reply.
Asked if he has 'set new goals for the season', Niemann responded: "I mean, I want to win majors but I gotta get in."
"You're going to get in," Boulet told Niemann. "You're going to get in."
Unsurprisingly the moment was leapt upon by X users. PGA Tour pro Michael Kim responded: "LOL".
Some users reminded Niemann he joined the lucrative LIV without confirmation the tour would be accredited to the Official World Golf Ranking.
In other words, he was well-aware of the risk he was taking.
One X user wrote: "It's crazy how dudes that are rich sacrifice their dreams just to be richer. Such little sense of self."
Another added: "You joined a league that you knew wouldn't have world ranking points.
"That's why they paid you millions. Every LIV player knew this would happen, yet they pretend that it's this shocking travesty.
"It's embarrassing and an insult to our intelligence."
Watch:
‘I want to win Majors, but I gotta get in first!’ @joaconiemann reacts to his huge putt in the DARK to win on the 4th playoff hole in Mayakoba #LIVGolf @TorqueGC_ pic.twitter.com/q6BWDer4IU
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 5, 2024
LIV were officially rejected by the governing body last October. The topic has been discussed at length for the last two years.
OWGR chairman Peter Dawson stated the decision to deny LIV was not politically motivated and the OWGR has no hostility towards the tour.
Dawson said LIV players were 'self-evidently' good enough to earn points but the format is an issue.
In a letter that was addressed to Greg Norman, Dawson previously wrote: "If LIV could find a way to come up with a more open competition style and relegation, we would certainly consider that.
"There should be many more vacancies than perhaps there are.
"I don't think it's fair to the other 24 eligible tours and the thousands of players trying to get a start each week."
Niemann will be teeing it up at this year's Open at Royal Troon thanks to his victory at the Australian Open in January on the DP World Tour.
He would need to take part in qualifying events to book his spot into this year's PGA Championship and U.S. Open.
And he would need to be ranked inside the top 50 players in the OWGR during the week prior to the Masters to get into the Augusta National field.
He is currently ranked No.74 in the OWGR.
Read more:
Ben joined GolfMagic as Content Executive in September 2021 just before the Ryder Cup and has contributed significantly to the growth of the site. Ben now assumes our Content Manager role, specialising in PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf content.
