LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann blasts OWGR, majors amid Masters invitation

Thanks to his win at the Australian Open and two other top-five finishes on the DP World Tour, Augusta National has extended Joaquin Niemann an invitation to this year’s Masters Tournament.

Nevertheless, when the Green Jackets announced Niemann’s participation in this year’s tournament, they made no mention of the Chilean’s accomplishments in LIV Golf or the Saudi-backed circuit.

Still, to Niemann’s dismay, LIV Golf events do not award Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

“It’s useful to have a world ranking, but it’s a shame that it’s too far to qualify for every major tournament,” Niemann told Bunkered.co. uk golf outlet.

“It’s frustrating. When I got the invitation from the Masters, I was a little happy because one of my goals was to play in my first major. I could play in the US Open. , I can qualify. It still sucks to do that, but I have a chance to participate.”

The PGA Championship typically invites the top 100 players ranked by OWGR. Meanwhile, the top 50 will be invited to the British Open Championship.

But the R&A, the governing body that promotes the British Open, had already extended the invitation to Niemann thanks to his victory in Sydney two months earlier.

OWGR ranks Niemann 81st in the world, while DataGolf ranks him 81st in the world. making him the 22nd person.

Many players, experts, and fans alike are turning to DataGolf, a formula based on strokes gained and advanced metrics, as a more accurate ranking system.

Photo by Jason Butler/Getty Images

“At the end of the day, the majors are supposed to attract the best players in the world,” Niemann added.

“Everyone knows who they are. If you take out the Official World Golf Rankings, I don’t think it’s really a ranking, but you can easily tell who they are.”

Mr. Niemann delivered these messages from Oman, where many LIV golfers are competing in the Asian Tour’s International Series Oman tournament.

Luis Oosthuizen and Carlos Ortiz, two other LIV players, hold a 54-hole lead at 12 under. Niemann was three shots behind them, shooting a 4-under 68 on Saturday.

Five players from LIV Golf finished in the top 10 as the circuit prepares to move the third round of the 2024 season to Saudi Arabia next week.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.