LIV star makes world-ranking leap with playoff win in Saudi Arabia

After being burned by Jon Rahm on the final second to lose the 2024 LIV season-long title, Joaquin Niemann has fought again for a giant win of his personal, one which brings with it a ton of precious world-ranking factors.

The 26-year-old Chilean LIV star survived a livid nine-under cost by fellow LIV professional Cameron Smith on Sunday on the 2024 PIF Saudi Worldwide, finally outlasting Smith and Caleb Surrat — one other LIV Golf participant — in a playoff to win.

Regardless of the preponderance of LIV execs on prime of the leaderboard, the Saudi Worldwide is just not a LIV occasion. As an alternative, it’s an Asian Tour occasion sponsored by the Saudi PIF — monetary backers of LIV Golf. The event is a part of the Worldwide Collection, a 10-tournament collection which was created to each give LIV gamers an opportunity to earn world rating factors and new gamers an opportunity to earn a spot on LIV.

LIV occasions don’t award world rating factors, which has brought on its gamers to plummet within the rating and threaten their capacity to qualify for golf’s main championships. However as a result of the Worldwide Collection is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, it does award world rating factors to its rivals.

Niemann, who has two PGA Tour victories, reached as excessive as fifteenth within the Official World Golf Rating again in 2022, however he noticed his place dive after becoming a member of LIV in August of that yr.

By December 2023, he’d fallen to 87th, properly out of the vary to qualify for majors, then gained the 2023 Australian Open to leap to 59th.

However as not too long ago as a month in the past, Niemann’s rating had fallen all the best way all the way down to 138th, earlier than strong finishes on the DP World Tour Championship and 2024 Australian Open moved him to 124th heading into the Saudi Worldwide.

Along with his victory, Niemann is predicted to take a large leap up within the rating, seemingly inside the highest 75, in response to the Related Press.

Niemann’s win additionally earned him $1 million and the season-long Worldwide Collection crown. He led the LIV Golf season-long chase for a lot of 2024, however Rahm finally handed him at LIV Chicago to steal the title and its $18 million bonus.

After his win, Niemann admitted the loss to Rahm offered motivation for his efforts this week.

“The place the place I completed in second on LIV, I actually wished to win. I really feel like I labored actually onerous for it. I used to be going to say I really feel like I deserve it, however you don’t actually deserve something right here in sports activities,” Niemann defined. “I do know that I really feel prefer it give me that additional motivation to come back and play right here for this final occasion of the yr and make one thing occur.”

He continued, “It’s nice to have a win with the Worldwide Collection rating as properly. Yeah, it provides me a greater style on the finish of the yr that beats second on LIV. So I’m actually pleased with the best way it completed and looking out ahead for the day off.”

Niemann’s much-deserved day off may not be as stress-free as in different years. The professional additionally revealed that he’s getting married on December twenty first forward of Christmas and New Yr’s along with his household. Now they’ll all have just a little one thing additional to have fun throughout their busy vacation season.

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