One of the biggest issues LIV Golf has had during its first few years in existence is proving just how much quality there really is at each of their events.
While LIV Golf has signed a host of superstar names over the years, there has been a perception that there is less motivation amongst some of its stars, with many coming towards the end of their careers at the highest level.
It has not helped that LIV Golf has seen just two players win a major after making the move. Jon Rahm having such a disappointing year in the sport’s four biggest events in 2024 did LIV Golf few favours too, with many of the league’s critics more than happy to put the Spaniard’s struggles down to his decision to leave the PGA Tour.
Meanwhile, no player has won their first major title since joining LIV.
LIV Golf star urged to quit the league and return to the PGA Tour
Arguably the player with the best chance of ending that run is Joaquin Niemann, with the Chilean winning four times since the start of the 2024 season. He was Rahm’s closest rival for the individual title last year, while he has already won twice in 2025.
Phil Mickelson recently labelled Niemann the best player in the world. But that suggestion is not going to be taken too seriously while the 26-year-old is yet to make an impact in the majors.
Speaking in a call with selected members of the media hosted by ESPN, Andy North and Curtis Strange were asked about Niemann’s hopes in the majors following Mickelson’s statement.
And it appears that both men feel that Niemann is potentially a bigger loss to the PGA Tour than anyone else on LIV.
“I think he’s just trying to figure it out a little bit. I’ve known Joaquín since early in the Latin America amateur years when he was — it looked like he was going to win there every single year, and took him a couple of times to get there. He is really playing exceptionally well. Of the guys that are on LIV that I would like to see playing on our tour, he’s probably at the head of that list because I think he’s an incredible young talent,” North said.
“Once he does well in a major, I expect he’s going to do well in a lot of them after that. Will he win them? You never know. But he has that kind of ability and that kind of confidence.
“Not that Joaquín Niemann is a dark horse, but I think he’s in that category of guys that you wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he had a really good week and played well. Obviously, he’s got a lot of confidence in what he’s doing well. He’s shooting some really, really good scores. You expect him to do well.”
“You know, Phil Mickelson also said that Scottie Scheffler wouldn’t win a tournament before the Ryder Cup. I think take all of that with a grain of salt. I think Joaquín Niemann is a hell of a young player. I wish he was playing the DP World Tour or the American Tour. He needs to be playing over here,” Strange added.
“He is the talent that, at the end of the day, 25 years from now, I would like to see his record put up against a lot of other people. It’s not going to happen when you’re at LIV. Y’all know what I’m saying.
He’s over there. We only see him four or five times a year, and it’s disappointing for all of us — those guys, I want to watch play. I miss watching them play. But they chose their — they made their decision, and that’s okay.
“But I think that the public and the TV people and all of us fans of the game would like to see those guys play more often on our tour. Not to let them back, don’t get me wrong, but I wish they were playing on our tour, not over there.”
How Joaquín Niemann has performed at The Masters during his career
As Strange and North noted, Niemann is yet to really make his mark in a major. His best ever result is a tied 16th finish, while he has missed seven cuts in just 22 starts.
However, he made his major debut at the age of 18. So you would certainly expect that record to improve dramatically in the years to come.
Interestingly, Niemann’s best major has been The Masters. He has made the cut in each of the last four years at Augusta National, and not finished outside the top 40 in that time.
At the very least, that would definitely suggest that he is going to be one to watch in a couple of weeks. And it would be no surprise if plenty of fans were tipping Niemann to make a real charge at some stage at Augusta.
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