Joaquin Niemann narrows down LIV Golf path to playing PGA Tour majors
01/10/2025 03:20 PM
Earlier this week, LIV Golf star Kevin Na proposed that all winners plus the top 16 players on the Saudi-funded tour should be exempt into all four majors the following season. It is not a new sentiment, but one that remains to rub many people the wrong way. Fellow LIV captain Joaquin Niemann followed up on Na’s idea with a slightly more palatable solution.
“I would look at the rankings – whoever is the most consistent during the year has the chance to play at all the Majors next season. I would say the top-10 in the LIV rankings,” Niemann said per Golf Monthly.
“LIV winners could be a way to do it, too, because if you are winning tournaments then you have a chance to win Majors. But, at the end of the day, I think it's going to be pretty much the same with the top 10. They will all most likely win anyway.”
There is no denying the level of talent at the top of LIV Golf. Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Niemann are undeniably some of the best players on the planet.
Niemann took the golf world by storm over the last year or so. He captured a European Tour title by winning the Australian Open in December of 2023. Niemann followed that up with a sensational season on LIV as the Torque GC captain. He went nuclear and posted a round of 59 at LIV Mayakoba, won the PIF Saudi International tournament, and finished second to Jon Rahm for LIV Golf Player of the Year.
Niemann, alongside Nicolai Hojgaard, recently accepted invitations to play in the 2025 Masters Tournament. Niemann is currently slated to play in two majors in 2025 including The Open.
There is still no clear path or rule for LIV golfers to play in majors. Previous major winners have exemptions, but those expire. The Official Golf World Rankings is currently used to determine eligibility. LIV events do not garner OWGR points.
That has resulted in players plummeting in the rankings.
However, the depth of talent on the Saudi circuit is lacking compared to the PGA Tour. It is one thing to beat out a handful of elite players. It is another entirely to beat out elite players, and 100 or more other insanely talented golfers over 72 holes.
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