Joaquin Niemman Can't Be Serious With His Latest Comments About LIV Golf

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Joaquin Niemann was one of many now former PGA Tour players to make their LIV Golf debuts this past weekend just outside of Boston. Given his T-2 finish and $1.8 million payout it was undoubtedly a successful weekend for the Chilean, but his post-tournament comments were flat-out ridiculous. After 54 holes, Niemann was tied with Dustin Johnson and Anirban Lahiri before Johnson shut the door with an eagle on the first playoff hole.

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While it had to be a unique and fun experience to go into a playoff with the winner taking home $4 million, Niemann said it was "the best experience I've had on a golf course by far." That simply does not add up. In 2019, Niemann became the first PGA Tour winner from Chile and the youngest international winner on Tour since 1923 with his win at The Greenbrier. That same year he made the International Presidents Cup team and started the event in Australia against none other than Tiger Woods in Thursday's fourball matches. Justin Thomas and Woods ultimately beat Niemann and teammate Marc Leishman, but competing against Woods at 21-years-old in the second biggest team event in the sport seems like it would be a pretty memorable experience. Most recently, Niemann was able to earn his second PGA Tour victory winning the Genesis Invitational, which is undoubtedly a Top 10 event on Tour.

Joaquin Nieman recently jumped from the PGA Tour to LIV. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Those three moments alone seem like they would rank well above losing in a playoff in a LIV Golf event. "Being in contention, with the crowd - just seeing the crowd so young. You can feel the energy. It's way different," Niemann went on to say. I'm not denying there was energy in the air when he was battling Johnson and Lahiri in the LIV playoff, but I'm absolutely certain there was energy in the air during those three other memorable moments as well. To each his own, but Niemann's comments sound more like a sales pitch than the truth.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.