“Do I believe he deserves to be in Majors? Yes” – Jon Rahm says it’s ‘sad’ that Joaquin Niemann isn’t on the Majors already

Joaquin Niemann won the LIV Golf Mayakoba event on Sunday, February 4. Following the win, the Chilean expressed his wish to compete in the Major championships this year. However, he noted that he doesn’t have a spot in the competitions and will have to try and qualify in the coming months. The comments caught the attention of several golfers, including Jon Rahm.

Rahm thinks Niemann should be competing in the Majors. Speaking in his Legion XIII side’s press conference ahead of LIV Golf Las Vegas, the reigning Masters champion stated that the 25-year-old was deserving of contending at the big stage. The Spaniard said that he ‘believes’ that the Chilean could even win a Major championship.

Speaking about Joaquin Niemann in the pre-event presser in Las Vegas, Jon Rahm said (10:27):

"I mean it's hard to say, do I believe he (Niemann) deserves to be in Majors? Yes. Does he have the talent to contend and possibly win Majors? Yes. But unfortunately, the reality is that he's going to have to try to qualify for both two of them and I don't think he can play two of the other ones.”

Furthermore, Rahm said that the Major Championships’ qualification system needs a re-check. He claimed that there were “a lot of players” on LIV Golf who were 'capable of contending and winning' in the competitions.

“It's a little bit sad, but it's hopefully something that we see a change in the future, encouraging players in LIV golf to be able to qualify or whatever it may be. Cause there's definitely a lot of players here that are more than capable to contend and win majors and are not going to have the chance in the near future. So, I hope it changes,” the two-time Major winner added.

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Joaquin Niemann says he ‘gotta get in’ the Majors to win it

Rahm’s comments come after Niemann ridiculed the idea of him being doubtful for the Major championships this year. The Chilean was speaking after his LIV Golf Mayakoba win when he shed light on the eligibility issue. Niemann noted that he wants to ‘win the Majors but got to get in first.’

The 25-year-old, who leads the Torque GC side, is a star on LIV Golf. He won the 2024 season-opener last week beating Sergio Garcia in a playoff.

Joaquin Niemann said after his win in Mexico:

"I mean, I'm just ready. I want to win Majors but I gotta get in first."

For the unversed, Niemann turned pro in 2018. He has won 11 tournaments in his career but is yet to win a Major event. Notably, the golfer played in all four Majors in the last few years but failed to make it to the top 15 each time.

Joaquin Niemann’s career-best finish at the Masters came last year when he managed a T16. His best finish at the PGA Championship came in 2022 when he finished T23.

The Chilean managed a T23 at the 2020 US Open, making it his best outing in the competition. Meanwhile, he could only manage a T53 at the Open Championship in 2022.