Joaquin Niemann is one of the hottest golfers on the planet. After winning the Australian Open this fall, the Chilean has gone on to win two of the first three LIV events including LIV Mayakoba and LIV Jeddah.

His excellent play has resulted in a well-deserved Masters invite, although ANGC didn’t mention LIV in their statement announcing his invitation.

Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann have accepted invitations to compete in the 2024 Masters Tournament. pic.twitter.com/2O6yAncMIb

— The Masters (@TheMasters) February 21, 2024

“The Masters Tournament has a long-standing tradition of inviting leading international players who are not otherwise qualified. Today’s announcement represents the Tournament’s continued commitment towards developing interest in the game of golf across the world. We look forward to welcoming each player to Augusta National this spring.”

While speaking to GolfWRX, Niemann revealed that the Masters wasn’t the only major he’s received an invitation to.

Vincenzi: “So, you’re now in the Masters. You’re in the Open via your win at the Australian Open. PGA Championship, you’ll probably be in?”

Niemann: “Yeah, I got an invite for the PGA Championship as well. So I’m in that one.”

Niemann also added that he intends to qualify for the U.S. Open.

“I’m going to try and qualify for the U.S. Open. Hopefully I have a good finish at the Masters and I won’t need to.”

The top 60-point leaders and ties as of May 22, 2023, in the Official World Golf Ranking will receive an invite. Joaco currently sits at 72nd in the OWGR. Therefore, a strong finish at the Masters could certainly get him in.

If Niemann is successful in qualifying for the U.S. Open, the 25-year-old will be in all four majors in 2024.

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This year, the “signature events” on the PGA Tour are designed to include the top 50 on last year’s FedEx Cup rankings, as well as the players who are playing the best this season (Aon Swing 5).

In addition to the players who qualify, the tournament sponsors can invite players as well.

At this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, Adam Scott and Webb Simpson have received sponsor’s exemptions, which has captured the attention of PGA Tour player, Dylan Wu, who expressed his thoughts on X.

And trust me, they’re both great players that probably deserve it but this new model is all about meritocracy. Sponsor exemptions going to the same players every elevated event doesn’t seem to follow the “play better” saying. Seems like “be more famous” or “know the right people”

— Dylan Wu (@dylan_wu59) March 2, 2024

Adam Scott finished just outside the top-50 in last year’s FedEx Cup standings, however Webb Simpson has struggled mightily for a few years now. Simpson has just one top-5 finish on the PGA Tour since January of 2021.

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On Thursday, Phil Mickelson took to social media to share a tip with amateur golfers.

Hand speed, not club head speed. pic.twitter.com/tZm4GQWRVS

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 29, 2024

In the video, he talks about “hand speed, not club head speed”.

He then explains that when chipping, we want “hand speed”, unlike a shot with a driver, when club head speed is more important.

“We don’t want the club accelerating and having the ball jump off the face”

The video is certainly worth watching and any time you can get advice from one of the most creative shot makers in the history of the game, it makes sense to listen!

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