Joaquin Niemann has banked some much-needed points in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) after clinching the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour on Saturday.
Niemann was one of a number of LIV Golf stars competing in the Asian Tour’s International Series season finale and came out on top following a dramatic final round. Niemann found himself in a three-way playoff with fellow LIV golfers Cam Smith and Caleb Surratt and prevailed after two extra holes.
Not only did Niemann leave Riyadh as champion of the event, but the Torque GC captain was also crowned the season-long winner of the Series’ Order of Merit amid the added amount of points at the final tournament of the year.
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What is more, it will help the Chilean make a leap in the world ranking list come Monday’s update. He is now projected to move into the top 75 of the OWGR list, with Niemann expected to be sat in 74th come the start of next week.
Niemann’s position in the world rankings has not reflected the form the Torque star has shown throughout 2024, with the majority of his campaign played on the LIV circuit, where no OWGR points are on offer. Away from the breakaway league, Niemann has played in 10 OWGR-sanctioned events over the last year.
This run started with a victory at the Australian Open last December, before following this up with a top-five finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January. Whilst he failed to really make his mark on the major championship stage, the Chilean impressed across both the Asian Tour and DP World Tour, culminating with victory on Saturday.
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Joaquin Niemann will climb the world rankings (
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His form earlier in the year earned him special invites into both the Masters and PGA Championship, but there is no doubt Niemann will be keen to play his way into flagship events via his ranking rather than relying on invites. He helped his case with a win in Saudi to bring to an end a whirlwind year, which included the runner-up spot in LIV’s season-long individual standings.
“The place where I finished in second on LIV, I really wanted to win,” he said after victory in Saudi. “I feel like I worked really hard for it. I was going to say I feel like I deserve it, but you don’t really deserve anything here in sports. I know that I feel like it gives me that extra motivation to come and play here for this last event of the year and make something happen.”
Niemann went on: “It’s great to have a win with the International Series ranking as well. Yeah, it gives me a better taste at the end of the year that beats second on LIV. So I’m really happy with the way it finished and looking forward to the time off.”
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