"They keep acting like he’s the next Rory McIlroy" - Brandel Chamblee sounds off on $60M-worth LIV Golf star

Brandel Chamblee recently claimed that Joaquin Niemann was not as good as people were making him out to be. He said that the LIV Golf star was being highlighted as the next Rory McIlroy, but he was not even close to that caliber.

Chamblee is a former PGA Tour professional turned analyst. He is a regular voice on the Golf Channel and one of the harshest critics of LIV Golf. Niemann is a two-time PGA Tour winner and is now one of the strongest players on the LIV Golf circuit.

On Tuesday, February 4, Brandel Chamblee referred to the $60 million Chilean star as overhyped.

"Niemann, yeah, he’s a good player, but let’s not pretend that he’s as good as they pretend he is," he said as per Bunkered. "He’s played in 22 majors and never even finished in the top-15. Seven missed cuts."

"They keep acting like he’s the next Rory McIlroy, the same way they were talking about Talor Gooch last year, who, by the way, played in three majors, missed two cuts and finished 34th in the other (in 2023), so turns out he’s not as good as they said he was," he added.

Although Niemann doesn't have a top-10 finish in majors, he has achieved some impressive results outside of them. Since 2023, he has won twice on LIV Golf, once on the Asian Tour, and once on the DP World Tour. Last week, he finished T3 at the International Series India after leading for 54 holes.

The 26-year-old Chilean golfer has earned an invite to the Masters Tournament and has also received an exemption into the PGA Championship.

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Brandel Chamblee takes a dig at Phil Mickelson's comments on the LIV-PGA Tour comparison

Brandel Chamblee recently took a jab at Phil Mickelson over his comments comparing the fan experience at LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. While speaking to Joe Pompliano, the 45-time PGA Tour winner claimed that kids and parents have a better experience at LIV Golf events compared to the PGA Tour, where they are forced to stay quiet.

On Saturday, February 1, Brandel Chamblee took to X to take aim at Mickelson.

"So Phil says kids get a better experience at events funded by a murderous regime than at events funded by a philanthropic organization… got it," he wrote.

While the PGA Tour season began last month, the 2025 LIV Golf season will kick off this week on Thursday, February 6, with LIV Golf Riyadh. Mickelson has withdrawn from the event due to a minor injury and has been replaced by Ollie Schniederjans.