Phil Mickelson says what golf fans don’t understand about Joaquin Niemann because he plays on LIV

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Phil Mickelson has set the record straight about what some people simply aren’t getting about LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann.

Mickelson was one of the first names to jump ship to LIV Golf from the PGA Tour back in June 2022.

And Niemann made the same move just a couple of months after the 54-year-old.

The 26-year-old Chilean has been a really dominant force on the Saudi-backed golf league, winning five tournaments thus far.

However, he is still overlooked regularly by golf pundits and fans alike because he’s not playing on the PGA Tour.

Some of the criticism Niemann has received purely because of the fact that he plays on LIV is hugely unfair.

He does need to start performing consistently in the majors though, before he can really be talked about as a top-10 golfer in the world.

However, Mickelson has suggested that Niemann deserves way more credit than he gets right now.

Phil Mickelson says what golf fans don’t understand about LIV star Joaquin Niemann

Back in March, Mickelson labelled Niemann as the best golfer in the world.

That has since proven to be as ridiculous as it sounded at the time.

However, Mickelson isn’t backing down with his praise of the 26-year-old.

He raved about Niemann during a press conference today ahead of LIV Virginia.

Mickelson said, “I think because LIV is new, they don’t quite realize 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 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.

“It will start to come about because we see every single week on the PGA TOUR, you have different levels of competition, and here you know exactly what the level is going to be and who’s out here, and he’s beating so many great players that it showcases his level of play. But because this is new, I don’t think it’s fully understood yet.“

Niemann is unquestionably a very good golfer, an exceptional one in fact.

However, talking him up as one of the best players in the world right now does seem to be nothing more than LIV propaganda.

Joaquin Niemann’s results in majors since joining LIV

Niemann’s fine form on LIV has failed to translate to the major championships, unfortunately for him.

Here’s how he has finished in every major championship since joining LIV Golf nearly three years ago.

The Chilean will be desperate to prove that he has the game needed to contend in the biggest tournaments in the world going forward.

His next chance to impress will be at the US Open at Oakmont next week.

Does Joaquin Niemann have the game needed to win there? Only time will tell in that regard.