The in-form LIV Golfer Joaquin Niemann has received a special invitation to play at the 2024 Masters following some impressive performances. The trip to Augusta will be the fifth of Niemann’s career and he will be hoping to achieve his best finish to date.
Niemann On Track for Best-Ever Major
A strong end to 2023 and an equally positive start to 2024 have seen Niemann named among a select few invited to the Masters. In the latest Masters odds from Paddy Power, the Chilean is priced at 50/1 to shock the world and lift the trophy.
Those looking to bet on golf will find Niemann at level odds with some superstars of the sport such as former U.S. Open champions Wyndham Clark and Matt Fitzpatrick, trailing the likes of Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood (40/1).
However, the 25-year-old isn’t there just to make up the numbers. He arrives in Georgia brimming with confidence following four top-five finishes in his last five events.
This includes an Australian Open victory back in December and a T4 at the Dubai Desert Classic, an event renowned for its stacked field.
Perhaps Niemann’s biggest accomplishment to date was shooting a 59 on day one of the LIV Golf Invitational in Mayakoba. A final score of 12-under was only good enough for a play-off, in which the Chilean dispatched Spanish legend Sergio Garcia.
The LIV Golf sub-60 club 💪#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/FLO0uqlPZP
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 3, 2024
Niemann’s Major Championship Record
Niemann’s major championship record thus far doesn’t make for particularly good reading. He has featured at 19 major events, missing the cut on seven occasions.
Of the 12 times he has made the cut, he has registered three top-25 finishes and is yet to breach the top 10.
However, Niemann is in the form of his career and will be looking to build on his best-ever major finish at last year’s Masters. His -2 scorecard was enough for a T16 finish last year, missing out on the top 10 by just two shots.
2024 will be Niemann’s fourth successive Master appearance, and he has been steadily improving year-on-year. It was a T40 finish in 2021, T35 finish in 2022, and a T16 finish in 2023.
When you factor in his incredible 59-shot round in early February, and the fact he managed to hang with the biggest golfers on the planet at the Dubai Desert Classic, there is no reason to think that Niemann is incapable of breaching the top 10 in the first major of 2024.
Three LIV Golf Players Invited to Masters
Niemann was one of three LIV Golf members invited to play at the Masters. Among the others is veteran Thorbjørn Olesen who achieved his best major finish (T6) at the Masters in 2013 and returns to Augusta for the first time since 2019.
Full of momentum, Niemann reiterated his drive to perform well on the big stage in a recent interview:
“If I keep driving it well, I think it is going to serve me well and I’m looking forward to that week.”
“I like my chances and I want to play well. Obviously, I can’t say what’s going to happen, I have to go out there and grind it.”
Joaquin Niemann received the Masters invite he’s been chasing. pic.twitter.com/PgxUYbIQmY
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) February 23, 2024
The Masters has often thrown up surprises. Could Niemann be the latest golfer to defy the odds at Augusta?
