Joaquin Niemann told the area of his game he simply must improve if he wants to start contending to win majors

Add as preferred source on Google

The incredibly bizarre season for Joaquin Niemann continued this past week with the Chilean winning his fifth event of the season at LIV Golf UK.

Joaquin Niemann has one hand on the individual title on LIV Golf this year after securing his fifth win of the season at JCB. The 26-year-old finished three shots clear of Bubba Watson at LIV Golf UK after a dominant performance.

Jon Rahm insisted that Niemann is one of the best players in the world right now. But no one will need to tell the Torque captain what question mark hangs over him following his seventh win since leaving the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf.

Niemann has become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2013 to win five times in one year on one of the elite tours without getting across the line in the majors.

What Joaquin Niemann needs to do with his game to start contending in the majors

In fact, Niemann has just one top 10 in 26 major appearances to speak of during his career. It is clearly nowhere near good enough for a player of his talent. It certainly does LIV Golf few favours as they continue their fight for credibility among the golfing landscape.

And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner admitted that he is baffled by his struggles in the four biggest events of the year. He also suggested what needs to change if he hopes to become more of a factor in the majors.

“It doesn’t make sense! He blew the doors off the field this week at the LIV event a week after missing the cut at Portrush. There is such a disconnect between what he is doing week in and week out on LIV and what he does against all the best players in the most demanding and exact tests out there,” he said.

“He did have his first top 10 in a major that came at the PGA Championship, he backdoored off a 68 on Sunday. Otherwise T20 at The Masters and missed cut at both summer Opens.

“When you look and try to figure out why that happens, his iron play, which was one of the reasons why a lot of folk thought that he couldn’t contend in a major championship, it was too low and boring. He has actually made strides! He made strides with the swing coach he just fired to increase the trajectory and dial in his swing better.

“His iron play in the major championships was totally fine, that was not the reason. He was losing strokes on the greens in three of the four major championships.

“That is speed control, not accounting for enough break, whatever the case may be, that is the area I would like to see Joaquin Niemann really address.

“He just fired his caddie and his swing coaches, he called it a weird deal, not sure exactly what is going on there but he is a dominant player on LIV. He is doing on LIV what we all thought Jon Rahm would be doing when he signed with LIV at the end of 2023.

“He is way too talented a player, is Joaquin Niemann, not to contend in the major championships but his struggles there again against all of the best players, on the most demanding tests, I think it’s only going to add to the narrative that he can only mop up when it’s a meaningless tournament.”

What Phil Mickelson said people do not realise about Joaquin Niemann’s form on LIV Golf

There is no doubt at all that LIV boasts real strength at the top of the league. Even the biggest PGA Tour supporter would struggle to claim that they enjoyed watching the 3M Open more than LIV Golf UK.

And speaking earlier this year, Phil Mickelson defended Niemann, insisting that people do not realise just how impressive his performances have been given the players he is up against each week.

“I think because LIV is new, they don’t quite realise the field and the strength of field and the guys you’re playing against are these best same players repeatedly. Joaco is winning and he is playing every single week against Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson and these guys. He’s playing against that same level of competition every single week, and it’s tough to really grasp that and how great that is when it’s new. It’s just new,” he said.

No one should take anything away from how good Niemann has been on LIV. He would not be the first player who struggled to take his regular form into the majors.

But until his form in the majors does improve, it is surely fair to say that he is not going to get the credit he deserves for what he is doing on LIV Golf right now.