Joaquin Niemann is returning to defend his Australian Open title this year.
Last season, he won in a playoff against Rikuya Hoshino at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, marking his third professional win outside Chile. This victory also secured him a spot at The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
In 2024, Niemann will join Ashleigh Buhai and Min Woo Lee as they compete at the Australian Open, held at Kingston Heath Golf Club and The Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne.
Event Prestige:
Niemann shared his thoughts on the event, stating: “I feel like a good golf tournament and a proper tournament has to have a great golf course, and Australia (is) always the leader in that. A great crowd, always the leader in that as well.” He emphasized how impressive golf tournaments are in Australia.
He continued by comparing it with other major tournaments: “Obviously you can’t say it’s a Major, but if you look around, I mean you got the US Open, it’s still an Open, then you got the British Open, which obviously they are majors.”
Fans might think this news is exciting because it shows how much Niemann values the Australian Open.
The Australian Open will be held from November 28 to December 1 and is part of the DP World Tour’s second tournament for the 2024-25 season. This follows right after the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland GC in Brisbane.
Part of why Niemann is keen on playing again is to gain more world-ranking points since LIV Golf doesn’t offer them. Currently ranked 110th in the Official World Golf Ranking, he needs to climb back into the top-50 to ensure spots at all four men’s Majors.
This year he played three out of four Majors but didn’t qualify for the US Open. His best result was T22nd at The Masters; he finished T39th at the PGA Championship and T58th at The Open.
Meanwhile, his participation in this event helps him fulfill one of his required four DP World Tour starts per season to keep his membership intact.
If Niemann doesn’t win again this year, he’ll aim for a top-three finish since it usually offers spots in The Open via their Qualifying Series.
Right now though, he’s focused on finishing first in LIV Golf League’s individual standings as they wrap up their season in Chicago this weekend. Trailing only Jon Rahm, he must outperform Rahm at Bolingbrook to claim that $18 million prize.
What do you think about Niemann’s chances?
