When it comes to LIV Golf’s biggest success story, there is a strong argument to be made that Joaquin Niemann is at the top of the list, with the Chilean proving to be Jon Rahm’s closest rival in 2024.
Of course, you could make the argument that Bryson DeChambeau would not be the force in the game that he is now were it not for LIV Golf. But DeChambeau was a potential superstar for some time before he made the jump. Joaquin Niemann meanwhile, has taken his game to another level in the last few years.
He won twice on LIV in 2024. And with that, it was no surprise that Augusta National invited him to the Masters that year, with the 26-year-old arguably the biggest casualty from LIV not receiving world ranking points.
While their biggest names are mostly exempt for the majors, Niemann has not yet reached that stage. And with that, he was also relying on a special invite for the 2025 Masters. Augusta National have confirmed that Niemann and Nicolai Hojgaard have accepted their invitations for April.
The interesting way Augusta National confirmed Joaquin Niemann’s invitation to the Masters
But perhaps it was what they did not say in their press release that was the most telling thing. Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner noted that he was struck by the lack of acknowledgement for what he has done on LIV.
“I thought it was also interesting too when you look at one of the players who has been extended a major invitation despite a world ranking that would not get him in otherwise was Joaquin Niemann, with the Masters. For a second year in a row, Augusta National is giving him a special invitation. Nowhere in the Augusta National press release are the words LIV Golf mentioned,” he said.
“They mentioned how Joaquin Niemann is a former winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, where he’s from, going above and beyond to play the DP World Tour and the Asian Tour throughout the year to get his ranking up, and how he’s performed there. To me, that is sending a clear message that Augusta National, a major organisation, still does not view LIV Golf accomplishments as on the same level as some of the other worldwide tours.”
What LIV Golf probably needs to prove to force the majors into a rethink
In fairness to LIV, it is clearly significant to win on their league. The quality at the top of the leaderboard is one of the biggest pluses. If you can finish ahead of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, you are clearly a world-class golfer.
And most of LIV Golf’s best players will be at all of the majors this year. There are plenty of pathways that ensure that they can keep it that way.
There are exceptions. You could understand why some were baffled to see Talor Gooch only tee it up in one major in 2024. However, the American did not help himself by not attempting to qualify for the US Open or The Open Championship. His major record in 2023 was also extremely poor.
Regardless of where the likes of Rahm and DeChambeau are playing, they will always be in the conversation when it comes to the best players on the planet.
But it is still not yet clear whether LIV Golf will be good for the games of most of their players. While there is that question mark, it makes sense for the majors to not bend over backwards to open the doors for the LIV players who have not already qualified.
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