Rick Shiels says if he agrees with Phil Mickelson that Joaquin Niemann is now the best golfer in the world

Add as preferred source on Google

Phil Mickelson has certainly been doing his best to hype LIV Golf, and in particular its latest winner Joaquin Niemann.

Mickelson has labelled Niemann the world’s best golfer, with the latter having just won LIV Golf Singapore.

Niemann shocked Nick Faldo with his move to LIV Golf in 2022, having won twice on the PGA Tour before his switch.

He has now returned to silverware in Singapore, finishing five shots ahead of Brooks Koepka at Sentosa Golf Club.

Niemann carded rounds of four-under, seven-under and six-under in the latest LIV Golf event, having also won recently in Adelaide.

Rick Shiels says Scottie Scheffler is better than Joaquin Niemann

His form has led to that high praise from Mickelson, but Rick Shiels has stopped short of calling him the world’s best player.

“I don’t think he’s better than Scottie Scheffler right now,” he said on The Rick Shiels Golf Show. “I think he’s top three. I got to play with him in Riyadh months ago now and he was a very impressive player.

READ MORE: What amateurs are being told to copy from Scottie Scheffler’s swing to make them better golfers

“He has got every single attribute, he seems to know how to win. But for Phil to say he is the number one player in the world right now, time will tell.

“Because just around the corner we hit major season, the Masters is kicking off in just a few weeks’ time. That is when we will really know. That’s when the cream will rise to the top.”

Where is Joaquin Niemann ranked among the world’s best golfers?

According to the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Mickelson is some way off with his Niemann verdict.

But that is, of course, because the rankings do not recognise LIV Golf events, meaning it is near impossible to gain a respectable position.

READ MORE: Jon Rahm says what he was joking about with Cam Smith on the course recently during the second round at LIV Golf in Hong Kong

A handful of players have, however, managed to do that thanks to their various displays, with Tyrrell Hatton leading the way for LIV players in 16th.

Bryson DeChambeau is also in the top 20 at 18th, with Niemann all the way down the leaderboard in 82nd.

The Chilean will have the chance to mix it with the PGA Tour stars next month, when he takes on the Masters at Augusta National.