LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann had an impressive week at the PGA Championship under immense pressure.
Niemann has won several times on the LIV tour, but his form had not translated into major championships until now.
The Chilean had never finished higher than 16th previously, so his top 10 at Quail Hollow is a big moment in his career.
In his post-round interview on Sunday, he made an interesting comment about qualification for the US Open.
Joaquin Niemann wants another LIV golfer to have his US Open spot
LIV Golf events still do not return world ranking points, so major appearances have been hard to come by for many of the tour’s stars.
Niemann was told after his PGA Championship final round concluded that he had qualified for the next major, the US Open.
He gave an interesting response to the question, saying that he would like to “give it away” to another LIV golfer.
“Yeah, that’s nice,” Niemann replied. “Hopefully, I can take that spot and give it away to somebody else on LIV. I feel like we… It’s not the idea to get into the majors like that.
“The way I’ve played through the years and through the season, I feel like there’s got to be a different pathway. But it’s still nice to have that, hopefully get that result, and get in for next year.”
Niemann was also asked whether the uncertain qualification for major championships gives him added motivation to perform well at them.
“I think it is,” he added. “I had to go around and play a little bit more golf to try to qualify since I joined LIV, but I feel like everything is going to go the right way.
“We are probably going to get a better pathway into the majors, where a lot of good players deserve to be. I’m excited to see what’s coming in the next few months.”
Joaquin Niemann reflects on final round at PGA Championship
Niemann started the PGA Championship poorly, with a three-over-par 74, and some people had concerns that it was going to be the same old story.
However, he bounced back with an excellent 67 on Friday to make the cut with ease, and gave himself a small opportunity to contend over the weekend.
An even-par third round ended his chance of winning the Wanamaker Trophy, but he still had plenty to play for on Sunday.
Niemann shot a 68 in the final round to jump into the top 10 and take confidence into the US Open at Oakmont next month.
“Yeah, it was a good day,” he reflected on his performance. “I feel like it could have been a great round. I felt like I had a good start. I could have gone really low really early, but got it back on No. 7 with a nice chip-in.
“It was a good day. A little frustrated at the end to see that I was close to having a really good result, but still a really positive result.”
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