Following the US Open, there is plenty of attention being placed on the continued struggles of Joaquin Niemann in the major championships, with the Chilean winning four times on LIV Golf already this year.
Joaquin Niemann has been the standout player on LIV Golf in 2025. And he recently secured his fourth win of the season at LIV Golf Virginia. It appeared to be the ideal preparation for the US Open.
Niemann had finally ended his wait for a top 10 in a major at the PGA Championship. So there was reason for optimism heading to Oakmont. However, he ended up missing his first cut at the US Open since 2017.
But Niemann is not the first player who has struggled to take their incredible form into the majors.
Joaquin Niemann not alone in winning four times on tour while struggling to impress in the majors
The 1990 PGA Tour season saw Greg Norman finish top of the money list, while Sir Nick Faldo won two major titles as he triumphed at The Masters and The Open Championship.
But it was another player who was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year, with Wayne Levi winning four times across the year. Levi ended up finishing second to Norman in the money list, having earned just over $1 million.
Levi went into 1990 with eight PGA Tour wins under his belt. However, his most recent victory had come in 1985. He had not finished in the top 10 on the money list since 1982.
But he went on to win the BellSouth Atlanta Golf Classic, the Centel Western Open, the Canon Greater Hartford Open, and the Canadian Open. The Canon Greater Hartford Open is the tournament now known as the Travelers Championship, which is the final signature event on the calendar this year.
Despite Levi’s success on the PGA Tour, he was unable to take that form into the majors. He missed the cut at both The Masters and the US Open. He did not play the PGA Championship in 1990, while he never appeared in The Open Championship.
Wayne Levi’s career after outstanding 1990 season on the PGA Tour
The 1991 season was a decent one for Levi. He made the cut at all three majors he played, with his best result coming at that year’s PGA Championship as he finished tied for 16th.
The then 39-year-old would get the chance to make his Ryder Cup debut at Kiawah Island. However, the War on the Shore was not particularly successful for Levi, as he proved to be the only player on either side to not contribute even half a point, losing both of his matches.
He did play Seve Ballesteros in the Sunday singles, in what proved to be his only appearance in the event.
Levi would actually not win again on the PGA Tour after 1990. And he would never manage to register a top 10 in a major across his career.
He would win on the Champions Tour in 2003 and 2004, while he continued to make appearances on the tour until 2019.
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