KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, Saudi Arabia – Joaquin Niemann won his second LIV Golf title in three starts, wrapping up Sunday with a four-under 66 at LIV Golf Jeddah to secure a four-shot victory over Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.
Niemann has now racked up three wins in the past three months, starting with his Australian Open win in December, which allowed him to rejoin the DP World Tour and finally put him on the path towards an invitation to the Masters.
Neiman began his third season in the Saudi-funded league with an opening score of 59 at Mayakoba and a playoff win over Sergio Garcia. He now moves to the top of the points table with another win ahead of next week's LIV event in Hong Kong.
“We have another week to come,” Niemann said. “I told myself that I can win these three weeks that I play. So next week and we will see what happens.”
He ranked third in the Asian round, which was held in Amman last week.
No one came closer than Neiman's two shots in the final round at Royal Greens. Oosthuizen was the last contender until a bogey on the 16th hole. He shot a 67 while Schwartzel had a 68.
Nyman also delved into the rankings in his interview with LIV's broadcast team. He was asked if he was one of the main candidates to win the grand prize this year.
“How is that possible? I’m like No. 100 in the world,” Niemann said with a smile.
Neiman is No. 72 in the world. The Official World Golf Ranking, in a vote by the organizations running major tournaments, chose not to award LIV classification points due to the small field (54 players) operating as a closed shop with no qualifications.
Anthony Kim, who had gone 12 years without competitive golf until signing a deal with LIV Golf this week, had a 74 and finished his week in last place, 33 shots off the lead. He made two birdies on Sunday, giving him four birdies for the week.
Kim's deal allows him to play the rest of this year's LIV events without being tied to a team.
The Crushers won the team event on Sunday.
Niemann finished at 17-under 193 and earned $4 million, giving him $8,162,000 in three LIV events this year.
The Masters gave Niemann an invitation based on his win at the Australian Open, along with two other top-5 performances in European Tour events. His win at the Australian Open earned him entry into The Open and his performance will likely earn him a spot in the PGA Championship.
He will have to qualify for the US Open, unless he wins the Masters. The 25-year-old Chilean is getting a lot of attention for his two wins this year.
“I'm very happy with the way I'm playing,” Niemann said. “I just want to continue on the same path. I'm very proud of the way I played all week.”
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