Joaquin Niemann confirmed his status as LIV Golf’s hottest player on Sunday, overcoming a three-stroke deficit to win the Mexico City event. The Chilean finished at 16-under par, three strokes ahead of Lucas Herbert and Bryson DeChambeau.
Niemann carded seven birdies and one bogey in the final round of the tournament to move up two places on the leaderboard and claim the title.
DeChambeau, who led after 36 holes, had another poor Sunday, shooting even par. Cam Smith, who was second going into the final round, fell to T5 after carding 1-over for the day and 11-under for the tournament.
“It’s pretty hard to make it more special than this moment right now,” Niemann said after his victory. “I mean, this place is amazing. It was a good battle with Bryson, with Cam, so I’m happy to be in this position right now.”
The victory at the Chapultepec Golf Club in Mexico City earned Niemann a direct ticket to the US Open, which the USGA will begin awarding to LIV Golf players this season.
Earlier this year, the USGA created a direct pathway for the top three in LIV’s standings (not already exempt) into the U.S. Open. The win in Mexico guaranteed Niemann will be the first to earn that honor.
The 26-year-old spoke about how much this opportunity means to him.
“I was actually — my team was asking me to sign up for the qualifier and the sectional, and I wasn’t really into that, so more than anything I’m grateful that I’m not playing 36 holes on a Monday after a tournament. Yeah, I’m pretty happy.”
This is Niemann’s third win of the current LIV Golf season, following titles in Adelaide and Singapore. It is also his fifth in the league, tying him with Brooks Koepka as the top winner on the circuit.
His inclusion in the US Open field means Niemann will play in all four majors this season. He has already played the Masters Tournament by special invitation and will play the PGA Championship in a similar capacity. He will also be at Royal Portrush for the Open Championship, thanks to his top-25 finish in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai 2024.
Niemann still faces the challenge of earning his first top-15 finish in a major championship. His best career finish in such events was a T16 at the 2023 Masters.
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