Sign in/Register 
Lightning Striking Twice?
Joaquin Niemann will be 19 years, 8 months and 8 days old on Sunday. Victory at the John Deere Classic would make him the third youngest winner in PGA Tour history and the youngest since 1931. Jordan Spieth’s remarkable win at the 2013 John Deere Classic came at the tender age of 19 years, 11 months and 17 days. Rory McIlroy (20 years, 11 months, 28 days) is the only other player since the turn of the millennium to win in the States and not be able to legally tuck into the champagne.
Teenage Sensation
9 tournaments, 5 cuts, four top-10s. WOW. His first tournament as a pro - a 6th place finish at the Valero Texas Open- saw him finish behind major winners Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson. Then came a T8 at the Fort Worth Invitational, where he was topped by the likes of Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm. My favourite, though, was his T6 at the Memorial Tournament. Who did he tie for sixth? The previous week’s champion Justin Rose. But the Who’s Who of golfing superstars lying in his wake at T8 is what I love most: Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler.
In truth, the weakened field at the Greenbrier Classic, where he finished T5 last week, provided an obvious opportunity for Niemann and I can’t be the only one who expected him to finish in the top-10. Saying that; I EXPECTED a 19-year-old to finish in the top-10 on the PGA Tour, sounds absurd. But his incredible prolificacy makes the absurd seem… Surd? I don’t know, but I’m rapidly running out of superlatives for this kid.
Niemann’s Chance
This week will be the weakest field (that’s not to say it’s weak) he has faced since turning pro. Despite gaining entry to The Open by finishing the season as No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, the Chilean forfeited that exemption, along with the U.S. Open, to turn pro. That means that whilst others have turned their attention to the season’s first major, Niemann is fully focused on victory at TPC Deere Run. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so surprised, then, that he’s fourth favourite (16/1) behind Bryson DeChambeau (10/1), Francesco Molinari (10/1) and Zach Johnson (12/1).
Niemann doesn’t turn 20 until November 7th, so he has the rest of the season to make history, but topping Spieth’s amazing feat at the same place would be awesome.
Written by Joe Carabini
