LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann is somewhat of an enigma in the professional game right now.
Niemann left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf back in August 2022 and he has enjoyed huge success during his time with the Saudi-backed outfit.
The talented South American has SEVEN wins on LIV since February 2024, and nobody has won more events on the tour since its inception in June 2022.
However, Niemann has endured his fair share of pain over the past couple of years as well, with just one top-10 finish in the major championships since he joined LIV Golf.
As a result of his struggles to compete in the biggest events on the golfing calendar, Niemann has been criticised by those outside of LIV.
He reached a new low when he missed the cut at The Open in July and parted ways with his caddie and golf coach immediately after.
As a result of his poor showings in the majors, he has tumbled down the world rankings, but he is clearly very keen to turn that recent descent around.
In a bid to gain some much-needed world ranking points this week, the 26-year-old Chilean entered the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Somewhat ridiculously, Niemann is currently ranked 109th in the world and that is a sad indictment on the clear and obvious deficiencies of the world ranking system.
LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann makes statement on day three of the BMW Championship
Niemann has had a few weeks off since the LIV Golf Championship in Indianapolis at the end of August.
So his return to competitive action was highly anticipated.
And after a fairly slow start to the BMW PGA Championship with rounds of 72 and 70, Niemann burst into life on day three at Wentworth.
He made seven birdies and no bogeys to jump up to a tie for 12th and he still has a chance of winning the golf tournament, although you would think he’ll need to shoot a round in the low-60s for that to be possible.
| Stats | Niemann’s round three rank |
| Driving distance | 6 |
| Driving accuracy | 52 |
| Greens in regulation | 10 |
| Total putts | 7 |
| Scrambling | 1 |
Most importantly for Niemann though, he has actually put in a strong showing during a four-round tournament with a halfway cut – one featuring an incredibly stacked field.
The challenge for him now will be to finish off his week in England on a positive note.
A round in the mid-low 60s on Sunday would ensure that the Chilean can leave Wentworth with his head held high and his pride in tact.
Patrick Reed impresses alongside Joaquin Niemann at the BMW PGA Championship
2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed has remained very competitive since he joined LIV Golf.
The 34-year-old American always plays as many tournaments as he can on the DP World Tour and the Asian Tour in an effort to remain as high up the world rankings as possible.
Reed has done his chances of moving up the rankings no harm whatsoever this week at Wentworth.
He currently sits at 10-under par after three rounds and still has a chance of winning the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday.
Just like Niemann, Reed has shown up to be counted at the BMW PGA Championship and top-10 finishes for the Chilean and the American would be hugely important for both of them, and indeed, for LIV Golf’s reputation.
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