Niemann looks to translate LIV Golf success to major stage

Joaquin Niemann has added yet another LIV Golf victory after emerging from a crowded leaderboard at LIV Golf Virginia presented by Maaden last week. After approaching the14th tee in a six-way tie for first, Niemann pulled away with a four-hole birdie streak (holes 14–17), beating Graeme McDowell and Anirban Lahiri by one stroke.

Fresh off his final round 8-under 63, the Torque GC captain is now setting his sights on the U.S. Open at Oakmont, aiming to translate his LIV Golf success to the major stage.

“I feel like it's just another golf tournament,” Niemann said after winning for the fourth time in the first eight LIV Golf tournaments of 2025. “I've got to figure out stuff in my game and ... improve my driving. I feel like next week is going to be a good challenge. I feel like this is going to be a good preparation for what's coming.”

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Niemann visited Oakmont for the first time on Monday and said he would focus on managing his expectations, prioritizing course management over aggressive play.

In May, Niemann had the best major championship result of his career at the PGA Championship (T8), providing him with a new perspective for this week. He'll be taking on the notoriously challenging Oakmont layout with a blend of strategic caution and hard-earned confidence.

Majors, Niemann notes, are different beasts.

“Most of the courses we play in majors are hard. There aren't many birdies going on. There aren't many crazy low scores,” he said.

On Sunday at the PGA Championship, Niemann shot a final-round 68, walking into the scorer’s tent in 15th place but eventually moving up the leaderboard by 7 spots. Experiencing an improvement in the standings by simply allowing other players to make mistakes taught the 26-year-old how important it is to navigate the golf course and exercise caution in majors.

“At the end of the day, in majors, you don't win on the first day or the second day,” he said. “I feel like the weekend gets pretty intense.” Niemann then referenced his ascension into the top 10 while he was in the clubhouse. “That tells you how hard it is to play well in a major on a Sunday,” he added.

Niemann is a low-ball hitter. He acknowledged that to contend at the U.S. Open, he’ll need to control his ball trajectory to better hold Oakmont’s firm, lightning-fast greens.

“I do have a lower flight. It's something that I've worked a lot on during the last probably 2-3 years, trying to get a lot more extension on impact, get the launch angle a little better so I can take off and launch the ball a little higher with more spin,” he explained. “More than the way I need to stop it quickly, you know, it's having that distance control, and I think I'm pretty good at that. I know where I can land the ball.”

Niemann’s aggressive approach has propelled him to the top of LIV Golf’s individual standings, but it has occasionally hindered him in majors, where conservative play is often necessary.

“I feel like it's who makes fewer bogeys and fewer mistakes,” he said. “I’ve learned that you have to keep those high numbers away and be probably a little bit more conservative. It’s, in a way, easy to make a run if you're not in the best position going into the weekend. You can kind of chase the leader because of the high pressure the leader has.”

With Oakmont’s reputation for rewarding par and punishing mistakes, Niemann’s game plan is clear: “It’s not going to be a lot of 5-footers, 6-footers for birdie. I feel it’s going to be a lot about where you position your golf ball to have an accurate maybe, which is going to be easier.”

His focus will be on landing the ball in the right spots and maintaining discipline to avoid costly errors. “It’s just a better strategy and knowing where to have the right numbers. I feel like I'm good at that,” he said.

This mindset is in contrast to the one he had going into the year’s first major championship at Augusta National.

“Yeah, I do think [I need one],” he said at LIV Golf Miami in April. “The majors are a big stage for both tours to prove you can have consistency throughout the year. I haven’t felt like I’ve really been contending [in majors] yet, so yeah, that might help to think I’m one of the best players in the world. I feel like that’s something that’s eventually gonna happen.”

With renewed confidence from a strong performance in the most recent major at Quail Hollow and a refined mental and strategic approach to his game, Niemann is ready to tackle the difficulty of the U.S. Open.

“Majors are interesting in that way. You know, there's a lot going on until the last hole, which is fun,” he reflected.

For a player with exceptional talent, the U.S. Open offers a chance to prove that his top 10 at the PGA Championship was just the beginning.