As the 2025 Masters arrive, the chatter coming out of LIV Golf has largely surrounded Joaquín Niemann. The 26-year-old Chilean is one of the rare LIV Golf players who joined the league before his prime years, and he has been red-hot to start the season with a pair of wins in Adelaide and Singapore.
Those in LIV Golf have, unsurprisingly, been singing the praises of Niemann with Phil Mickelson making headlines when he proclaimed Niemann to be the best player in the world on social media. While there’s certainly some earnest belief in Niemann’s abilities, it’s clear that the bluster around Niemann is part of LIV Golf’s never-ending quest to earn more respect from the broader golf community.
Niemann’s hot start has provided LIV with a player to prop up, and his status as one of the tour’s few young stars with serious potential makes LIV even more eager to give him a push. When the other top stars win or perform well in a major, the tour has not been at the top of the list of entities receiving credit.
Bryson DeChambeau exists in his own world with LIV as just a part of his schedule alongside the YouTube golf space, and he was a major champion before delivering the first major win by an active LIV player last year at the U.S, Open. Brooks Koepka is known for his pedigree as a five-time major champion, all of which came before he departed for LIV amid long-term injury concerns. It’s rare to find anyone who would say LIV (or even PGA Tour) events were a catalyst for Koepka performing well in majors. Cameron Smith left for LIV after winning The Open Championship and has three top 10s in majors since, but once again, his pedigree as a strong competitor was forged before joining.
If anything, LIV has been blamed more than credited for getting guys out of rhythm with the 54-hole events and scattered schedules. Jon Rahm most famously has turned the wrong way since defecting from the PGA Tour, having one of his worst major seasons in 2024 and seemingly falling off the pace from the best in the world after being firmly in the conversation with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in 2023.
That is why Niemann means so much to LIV; he could be the closest thing they’ve ever had to a developmental success story. In fact, he enters the Masters at 28-1 odds per BetMGM Sportsbook — tied for ninth in the 96-man field alongside Patrick Cantlay. A great major season would be a feather in their cap as much as his, proof that — even with a shortened season of shortened events — players can hone the skills needed to compete in the biggest events on the golf calendar while working LIV tournaments.
The flip side? LIV is putting an immense amount of pressure on a player who has never finished among the top 10 in a major across 22 such starts in his career.
No one will ever be convinced that wins in LIV events are representative of unimpeachable greatness. The only chance for Niemann to prove he belongs in that conversation with the game’s elite is in the majors.
When he steps foot on the grounds at Augusta National Golf Club as the recipient of a special invitation for the second straight year, the clock will begin ticking on his opportunity to stake claim to the argument that he’s one of the best in the world.
To this point, he has been perfectly adequate, but not spectacular, at the Masters. Niemann made the cut in each of his last four visits, never finishing worse than T40 nor better than T16. Another week like that won’t be enough to change anyone’s mind.
The way for Niemann to enter that conversation is to truly be in contention on the back nine on Sunday. A win would obviously cement his place, but a strong top-five finish without fading late would also be a success.
While the PGA Tour-LIV Golf war has somewhat cooled in recent years — players on both sides have become much friendlier than they were at the beginning — the LIV side still wants and needs to prove itself in the majors. Niemann, more than any of their other contenders, represents the best chance for a real win the league can celebrate and get the general golf fan to buy into.
The result is an immense amount of pressure on Niemann to validate his early season performance in his first opportunity up against Scheffler, McIlroy and the rest of the world’s best. The margin for error is slim, but that was always part of what came with leaving for LIV.
Watch all four rounds of the 2025 Masters with expanded coverage from CBS Sports. It starts Thursday with Masters Live as we follow the best in the world across Featured Groups, Amen Corner and holes 15 & 16. Watch those streams live across Paramount+, CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App with extended broadcast coverage Saturday and Sunday from 12-2 p.m. on Paramount+ and 2-7 p.m. on CBS.
