Joaquin Niemann’s Remarkable US Open Journey
It was, honestly, kind of surprising that Joaquin Niemann was still in the mix during the final round of the US Open at Sinecuc on Sunday.
You might remember, he had a bit of a disaster in the first round on Friday, finishing with a 7-over-par 11 on the sixth hole, which is just brutal.
The 27-year-old from Chile, who competes for LIV Golf, made an impressive recovery in the second round, posting a 5-under 65. It was, I think, a solid comeback that seemed to come easily for him.
During Sunday’s final round, Niemann shot a 4-under 66—his best score of the day—and ended up tied for seventh place at 1 over par, which is quite an achievement.
Thanks to this performance, Niemann has secured a spot in the 2027 U.S. Open, as the top 10 finishers automatically qualify.
“Good golf speaks for itself,” Niemann remarked after the round. He reminisced about encountering Tommy Fleetwood back in 2018 when he shot a 63 early on. “I was really focused on that,” he explained.
He felt good about his game, particularly considering his earlier mishaps on the sixth hole where he hit two balls out of bounds and ended up with a two-stroke penalty for tossing his sand wedge in frustration.
If he’d only parred that hole, he would have been sitting at 6 under for the week—potentially enough to win the whole tournament.
“Honestly, after that tee shot on No. 6, seeing the balls go out was rough. I had to play that hole three more times, and it was a bit uncomfortable,” he shared. Bad shots happen, but it was tough seeing it happen twice back-to-back.
Niemann also qualified in the top three for the LIV Individual Race, a special exemption from the USGA that allows LIV players to compete.
He did express some disappointment about the penalty he received, feeling that it was perhaps a bit excessive. “Honestly, yes,” he said. “I had high expectations for myself, and I was playing pretty well. It was a challenging week.”
He was frustrated when he realized that the best score he could achieve at a point was an 8. “I’m not proud of losing my cool,” he admitted. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone, especially the volunteers doing their best.” They’re there out of love for the sport, after all.
With a chuckle, he added, “Honestly, it was a good throw.” But he also reflected on his outburst as a lesson learned for the future.
