Johnson Wagner names LIV Golf star who blew his mind when they played together for the first time

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Johnson Wagner has named the LIV Golf star who blew his mind the first time he played alongside him on the PGA Tour and made him start to question his future at the highest level.

LIV Golf definitely did some real damage to the PGA Tour with the players they managed to lure to the breakaway tour in the last few years.

Of course, Bryson DeChambeau has been their major success story, particularly in 2024. Meanwhile, many expected Jon Rahm to be a real needle-mover when he decided to make the jump ahead of this season.

But on LIV, the two have been overshadowed this season, with another player well out in front in the league’s individual standings for 2024.

Johnson Wagner names LIV Golf star whose talent blew his mind

Joaquin Niemann won two of the first three events of the year, shooting a 59 in the opening round at Mayakoba.

Johnson Wagner was asked on The Smylie Show which player perhaps left him questioning how long he was going to be able to compete on the PGA Tour for, and the broadcaster suggested that playing alongside the 25-year-old proved to be a wake-up call.

“It was Joaquin Niemann, first time I played with him I believe, it was at the Greenbrier, maybe the last year we played there. He hits it forever, he putts it good; I just knew, he was like the first one who was so much younger than me, I was like I don’t know how I can compete with him on a week-in, week-out basis. He was just that good. Joaquin Niemann blew my mind,” he said.

Joaquin Niemann a bigger loss to PGA Tour than many perhaps realise

Niemann has definitely been an underrated loss to the PGA Tour since moving to LIV, with the Chilean clearly having the talent to compete in major championships. His move in 2022 also took him out of contention to play at that year’s Presidents Cup in what was a massive blow to the Internationals.

He is actually yet to show that potential in the majors, having not yet finished inside the top 10 during his career. But that time will come at some stage in the future, provided that he is able to get into the fields for the sport’s biggest events.