'Chile's First PGA Champ' Niemann: "This Time, Wire-to-Wire Victory~"… Lee Kyeonghun 26th Place

'Tiger Woods Host' Genesis Invitational Final Day Even Par '2-Stroke Victory', World No. 2 Morikawa Ties for 2nd Place

Joaquin Niemann is teeing off on the 10th hole on the final day of the Genesis Invitational. Pacific Palisades, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] It was a ‘wire-to-wire’ victory for Joaquin Niemann (Chile).

On the 21st (Korean time), at the final day of the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational (total prize money $12 million) held at Riviera Golf Club in Pacific Palisades, California, USA (par 71, 7,322 yards), Niemann maintained his 2-stroke lead with an even-par round to finish at 19-under 265. This marked his first win of the season and his second career victory, coming 2 years and 5 months after the Military Tribute in September 2019, which was included in the 2020 season. The winner’s prize was $2.16 million (25.8 billion KRW).

Niemann is the first-ever PGA Tour champion from Chile. He gained the spotlight by holding the world amateur number one ranking for an impressive 44 weeks in 2017. After declaring his professional status early in 2018, he successfully transitioned by finishing 6th at the Texas Open as an invitee in April. In just five events, he achieved three top-10 finishes, earning a temporary card. It is interesting that he secured his tour card for the 2018/2019 season by finishing tied for 5th at the Military Tribute in July. The Military Tribute ultimately became his ‘promised land.’

This tournament showcased a strong early surge with consecutive 8-under rounds in the first and second rounds. He set the 36-hole scoring record at 126 and posted a 3-under round on the third day to set the 54-hole scoring record at 194. Leading by three strokes, his iron shots faltered on the final day, resulting in one eagle, one birdie, and three bogeys for an even-par round, leaving some regrets. He fell two strokes short of breaking Lanny Watkins’ 72-hole scoring record of 20-under set in 1985. He was satisfied with his wire-to-wire victory, the first in 53 years since Charlie Sifford (both Americans) in 1969.

Joaquin Niemann (right) is taking a commemorative photo with host Tiger Woods immediately after winning the Genesis Invitational. Pacific Palisades, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits Photo by MultiBits

Niemann had been frustrated last year with three runner-up finishes at the Sentry Tournament, Sony Open in January, and Rocket Mortgage Classic in July. In this special event where ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods, the host, personally presented the trophy, Niemann finally demonstrated his exceptional power. He relied on an average of just 1.55 putts per hole over four rounds, a ‘stingy putting’ performance. He secured a three-year PGA Tour card and jumped to 7th place in the playoff (PO) rankings.

World No. 2 Collin Morikawa (USA) stopped his late charge of 6-under in the final stretch at a tie for 2nd place (17-under 267). Viktor Hovland (Norway) tied for 4th (14-under 270), Justin Thomas 6th (13-under 271), ‘Phoenix Open champ’ Scottie Scheffler (USA) tied for 7th (12-under 272), and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) tied for 10th (10-under 274). From Korea, Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) tied for 26th (6-under 278), Im Sung-jae (24) tied for 33rd (5-under 279), and Kim Si-woo (27) finished 73rd (3-over 287).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.