LIV Golf pro secures invite to 2025 PGA Championship

LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann has revealed he has been invited to play this year's PGA Championship. 

The 26-year-old confirmed the news on the Rick Shiels podcast. 

It represents his second major championship invite this year after the Chilean also received an offer to play this year's Masters. 

Augusta National chiefs confirmed in January that Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard has also accepted his invitation to tee it up in April. 

The news comes three days after Sergio Garcia was handed a rare Ryder Cup boost in securing his invite to the US PGA. 

Garcia, who won the green jacket in 2017, will now have the chance to impress European skipper in the first two majors of the year. 

This year's PGA Championship will be played over 15-18 May at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Charlotte. 

Xander Schauffele picked up his first major title in the US PGA in 2024, making a birdie on the 72nd hole to deny LIV Golf recruit Bryson DeChambeau. 

Niemann was a two-time winner on the LIV Golf circuit last season. 

He pushed Jon Rahm close for the individual title. 

Niemann also tied for ninth in the Paris Olympics. 

In the final two months of 2024, Niemann tied for seventh in the DP World Tour Championship and for fifth in the Australian Open. 

He also won Asian Tour's PIF Saudi International in December, which meant he secured the order of merit title in the International Series. 

Niemann is currently 68th in the Official World Golf Ranking. 

He was inside the top-20 when he bolted to LIV in 2022 and has complained about lack of major championship starts since. 

But it appears the major governing bodies are now making a concerted effort to recognise players' achievements elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, LIV Golf critic and Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee has put Niemann's form under the microscope. 

In explosive comments to bunkered, the one-time PGA Tour winner claimed Niemann is nowhere near 'as good as they [LIV] say he is'. 

"All those players joined that tour saying they wanted to play less but now, to accrue world ranking points," he told the publication. 

"They're playing more and all around the world where ranking points are available, the way Joaquin Niemann has done.

"And Niemann, yeah, he's a good player, but let's not pretend that he's as good as they pretend he is. 

"He's played in 22 majors and never even finished in the top-15. Seven missed cuts.

"They keep acting like he’s the next Rory McIlroy, the same way they were talking about Talor Gooch last year, who, by the way, played in three majors, missed two cuts and finished 34th in the other [in 2023], so turns out he's not as good as they said he was."

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