Following his second LIV Golf triumph of the year last weekend, Joaquin Niemann of Chile has reportedly gotten a special invitation to the PGA Championship in May, several reports on Monday stated.
Sports Illustrated and The Golf Channel confirmed the inclusion, which Niemann discussed with golfwrx.com on Monday.
The PGA Tour, which has banned its members from participating in any of its events, will be irritated by this development since it represents the most recent indication of a softening toward LIV Golf players from the four main championships in the sport.
Niemann has already secured spots in three of the four major tournaments of the year after winning the Australian Open in December to earn a special invitation to the Masters last month.
After all four players declined to give special invites to the majors in 2022 and 2023, Niemann is the first player since LIV Golf’s founding to get one.
The only other LIV Golf players to compete in the majors were granted exemptions based on their world ranking or their championship victories.
But those world rankings are still falling, and LIV Golf events are still not receiving any points from the OWGR.
Niemann’s got a serious chip on his shoulder this year and, from a golf perspective, I certainly do not hate it. His own revenge tour. Playing some incredible golf. https://t.co/wnyAWzUGrm
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) March 3, 2024
That indicates that Niemann is currently ranked 76th, despite being among the best golfers in the world in 2024.
After winning the competition in Jeddah last weekend, Niemann brought up this absurdity when he was questioned about his status as one of the favorites to win a major this year.
“How can I possibly do that when I’m only, like, 100th in the world?”
The Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, will host this year’s PGA Championship from May 16–19.
The PGA Championship was won by American Brooks Koepka last year, making him the first player currently playing for LIV Golf to win a major championship at Oak Hill.
Other notable recent winners of LIV include Australian Cameron Smith, the 2022 British Open champion, and Spain’s Jon Rahm, the current Masters champion.
Niemann left for the Saudi-backed startup series after winning two PGA Tour championships. The Chilean won
LIV titles this year in Jeddah on Sunday and Mayakoba last month.
