Men's Golf: Joaquin Niemann #1 in the WORLD

[Mama_Bull]

On 8/24/2017 at 3:56 PM, Triple B said:

Since this thread has basically been your baby, Mama, you let me know when it's time to move it to the General sports board ...

Well, he is still an amateur, after having won his 3rd professional tourney this past week.

http://www.wagr.com/en/Ranking/Player.aspx?playerid=12017&ismens=True

He is next going to play in a PGA Latin America Tour event, as an amateur:

"he will travel this Monday to play the Bolivian Open of the DEV Series of the PGA Tour Latin America."

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Feldeportero.cl%2Fjoaquin-niemann-se-quedo-con-el-titulo-del-abierto-las-brisas-de-chicureo%2F&edit-text=

He hasn't totally ruled out remaining an amateur and attending USF in January, although that seems highly unlikely.

If he turns professional, he will lose his right to play in the 2018 US Open and the 2018 OPEN Championship that  he earned by winning the Mark McCormack medal.

Perhaps, he does not want to do that just yet. He's testing the professional waters the next several months in order to to make that final decision.

I would suggest moving this thread if he turns professional between now and then. Or, by the time the spring semester comes and he's not enrolled at USF.

 

[Triple B]

1 hour ago, Mama_Bull said:

I would suggest moving this thread if he turns professional between now and then. Or, by the time the spring semester comes and he's not enrolled at USF.

If he doesn't turn pro and doesn't enroll in Spring, would there still be a possibility for him here next Fall?

[Mama_Bull]

1 hour ago, Triple B said:

If he doesn't turn pro and doesn't enroll in Spring, would there still be a possibility for him here next Fall?

Of course, but that is even more unlikely.

I expect he will turn pro right after the 2018 Open Championship, after having taking advantage of playing in the two majors, as the 2017 Mark McCormack medalist.

It is conceivable that Niemann could wait until After the 2018 US Amateur, because he might still be the #1 WAGR at that time and could gain entry to the 2019 US Open And 2019 OPEN Championship. Under such circumstances, it would make sense for him to enroll at USF in the Fall of 2018.

#2 Maverick McNealy waited until after the 2017 US Amateur to see if he could overtake Niemann for #1. When he didn't, he immediately turned professional. Had he become #1 again, he might have remained an amateur to take advantage of being in those two majors in 2018.

Niemann might very well be in an even better position in the WAGR than McNealy was, because he played in so many more WAGR events than him, over the two year counting period and can afford to not even play, if he wished, and still be the #1 WAGR for a long period of time. I expect he will pull further away from #2 WAGR as he racks up big points in playing professional events as an amateur.

For example, he earned over 17 points this week and is increasing his lead.

The WAGR stills lists McNealy as #2. He probably should not even be there at all, since he already announced that he has turned pro. Perhaps, they are waiting for him to actually play in an event as a professional to remove him.

The real #2 WAGR is now Braden Thornberry, the 2017 NCAA champion, who has returned to school. If you recall, he is the guy who recently defeated Niemann in match play at the 2017 US Am.

Niemann currently has a point average of 1310 and Thornberry 1198. As a poster from Chile explained earlier in this thread, those numbers represents a per round point average for each player.

So, Niemann averages 13.10 points/round and Thornberry 11.98 points/per round. That is a BIG difference.

 http://www.wagr.com/en/Mens-Ranking.aspx

Niemann has played 147 rounds and Thornberry only 116, during the two year counting period.

A player needs to have played a minimum of 52 rounds over two years.

So, Niemann could afford to not play and still be in first place for a long time to come, if he chose to, because his average/round would not be affected very much as older events come off from the counting period.

http://www.wagr.com/en/Mens-Ranking.aspx

Having said that, I can't see Niemann doing what McNealy did and waiting until after the 2018 US Amateur to decide, because he seems to be more itching to turn pro sooner.

However, he may find, as he continues playing in professional events, that the transition is much more difficult than he thought it would be and might, therefore, re-evaluate his options.

 

 

 

 

      

Edited September 13, 2017 by Mama_Bull

[Mama_Bull]

This week Joaco Niemann, as an amateur, is playing on the PGA Latin American tour at the 64 Alberto do Brazil (Brazil Open),  but that is not the only reason why I am updating this thread.

After two rounds, another former USF golfer, Oscar Fraustro, is leading the field at -8.

Niemann started the tourney horrendously, being +6 after his first four holes. He then went -7 for the rest of the day and finished at -1 in 4th place. Today, he shot -6 and is one behind Fraustro at -7 and tied for 2nd.

Incredibly, another former USF golfer, Joseph Winslow, is -5 for the tourney which is T4.

So, we currently have three USF golfers in the top 5, and if you want to follow thardem there, you can do so at the link below.

https:// f/la/en/tournaments/64-aberto-do-brasil/leaderboard.html

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world today, former USF golfer played in China on the European Challenge tour. He did not make the cut. However, that is really of no importance, since he has already locked up his European Tour card for next year.

 

In other related news this week, USF  Men's golf played in its second tourney of the fall semester.  They had won their first tourney and finished T6 in this one, which had a much stronger field. Undoubtedly, they would have done better if Niemann and Lee had enrolled.   

[CousinRicky]

3 hours ago, Mama_Bull said:

This week Joaco Niemann, as an amateur, is playing on the PGA Latin American tour at the 64 Alberto do Brazil (Brazil Open),  but that is not the only reason why I am updating this thread.

After two rounds, another former USF golfer, Oscar Fraustro, is leading the field at -8.

Niemann started the tourney horrendously, being +6 after his first four holes. He then went -7 for the rest of the day and finished at -1 in 4th place. Today, he shot -6 and is one behind Fraustro at -7 and tied for 2nd.

Incredibly, another former USF golfer, Joseph Winslow, is -5 for the tourney which is T4.

So, we currently have three USF golfers in the top 5, and if you want to follow thardem there, you can do so at the link below.

https:// f/la/en/tournaments/64-aberto-do-brasil/leaderboard.html

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world today, former USF golfer played in China on the European Challenge tour. He did not make the cut. However, that is really of no importance, since he has already locked up his European Tour card for next year.

 

In other related news this week, USF  Men's golf played in its second tourney of the fall semester.  They had won their first tourney and finished T6 in this one, which had a much stronger field. Undoubtedly, they would have done better if Niemann and Lee had enrolled.   

Don't want to be THAT guy but I don't think Niemann counts as a USF guy.

[Mama_Bull]

4 minutes ago, Bourbon Bull said:

Don't want to be THAT guy but I don't think Niemann counts as a USF guy.

You make a good point.

Wishful thinking on my part.

It's still possible, but not likely.

BTW, since I posted that, everyone completed the 2nd round:

#1 Rodolfo Cazaubon -9

#2 Oscar Fraustro  -8

T#3 Joaquin Niemann  (a)  -7

T#6 Joseph Winslow  -5

https://www.pgatour.com/la/en/tournaments/64-aberto-do-brasil/leaderboard.html

[efuenzalx]

The word here is that if Niemann qualifies for the web.com tour he will become pro and thus will forfeit his spots at the US Open and The Open.

Last week he played the second stage of the q-school and needs to finish T45 in the final stage to get full status.

 

https://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq17/event/pgatq1726/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

[Mama_Bull]

1 hour ago, efuenzalx said:

The word here is that if Niemann qualifies for the web.com tour he will become pro and thus will forfeit his spots at the US Open and The Open.

Last week he played the second stage of the q-school and needs to finish T45 in the final stage to get full status.

 

https://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq17/event/pgatq1726/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

Well, he does undoubtedly intend to turn pro sometime in 2018, but it won't be dependent solely on whether he finishes in the top 45 at the Web.Com Q school finals in December 2017.

He still wants to play as an amateur in the Latin American Amateur Championship in January 2018. Last year he lost in a playoff there which would have earned him a spot in the 2017 Masters. So, he will try to do one better this time around and if he does will remain an amateur at least through the 2018 Masters.

If he fails to win the LAAC he might very well turn pro at that time.

In the meantime, I expect he will continue to play in some pro events as an amateur. He might even get some more sponsor exemptions on the PGA Tour as an amateur.

Even the top 45 finishes at Web.com Tour school don't all earn the same privileges. Where you finish in that group determines how many guaranteed tour spots you get:

Finals - Chandler, AZ

Thu, Dec 7 - Sun, Dec 10 

After the conclusion of play in the Final Qualifying Stage the contestants in the Final Qualifying Stage will be eligible for 2018 Web.com Tour membership, unless the PGA TOUR, in its sole discretion, elects not to award a membership based on other factors. Contestants who are; under the age of 18; an amateur; or do not become members will be included to determine the following categories as described in the Web.com Tour Tournament Regulations.

• Article III, Section A.1c: Winner and ties of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament (Medalist) - exempt for the 2018 season and from peridoic re-order.
• Article III, Section A. 1f: Players finishing after the Winner and ties through tenth and ties position - exempt until the third periodic re-order of the 2018 season.
• Article III, Section A. 1g: Players finishing after the tenth and ties position through forty-fifth and ties position - exempt until the second periodic re-order of the 2018 season.
• Article III, Section A. 1t: Players after the forty-fifth and ties position - conditional status for the 2018 season, alternating with seventy-sixth through the one hundredth (76-100) on the 2017  Web.com Tour Regular Season Final Official Money list, and two through five (2-5) on the 2017 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, MacKenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China Final Official Money Lists.

Ties among those earning Web.com Tour membership will be broken for the purpose of ranking (i.e., determining a Qualifying Tournament player’s initial number on the 2018 eligibility list) by matching combined 3rd and 4^th round scores. Ties remaining after a match of combined 3rd and 4^th round scores will be broken by matching 18-hole scores from the contestants’ last completed round on the Host Course or such course as designated by PGA TOUR. Ties remaining after a match of rounds will be broken by matching individual hole scores in descending order, beginning with the 18^th hole from the contestants’ last completed round on the Host Course or such course as designated by PGA TOUR. (PGA TOUR reserves the right to periodically reevaluate Qualifying Tournament members in 2018 and to reorder the ranking based on competitive performance during the 2018 season).

Access to Web.com Tour cosponsored tournaments is initially determined by a player’s finish position at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament and is subject to change as a result of the periodic reorder, which benefits those players who perform best. Players who earn conditional status for the 2018 season (finish after the forty-fifth and ties position) may have limited access to Web.com Tour tournaments.  Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament Fincal Stage contestants that are eligible to join the Web.com Tour are not guaranteed that their eligibility ranking will provide access to a Web.com Tour tournament.

The top ten available Web.com Tour members, based on Web.com Tour eligibility have access to PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, MacKenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China tournaments.

https://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq17/event/pgatq1732/agendas.htm?type=1&stype=12&hagenda=d0d8256d-31d1-4053-94a5-667fef27fdd2

The one thing that is certain at this point is that Joaco will not be attending USF in the future.

Good luck to him.

 

PS: I believe that former USF golfer Oscar Fraustro will also be playing at the Web.Com Q school finals, by reason of his current #10 ranking on the PGA Latin American Tour.

Good luck to him.

 

10

Oscar Fraustro

5

$53,981

https://www.pgatour.com/la/en/stats/stat.109.html

The following applicants shall be eligible to start at Final Qualifying Stage:

1. Applicants ranked either: a) first through tenth (1-10) on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica 2017 Official Money List, as defined in the PGA Tour LatinoamericaTournament Regulations as of the Final Qualifying Stage entry deadline, (October 25, 2017) or; b) second through tenth (2-10) on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica 2017 Final Official Money List, as defined in the PGA Tour Latinoamerica Tournament Regulations.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Mama_Bull

[Mama_Bull]

No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world finishes strong at Highland Oaks

• Jon Johnson 
  jjohnson@dothaneagle.com
•  
  • Nov 3, 2017
  •  
    •  (0)

 

 

Joaquin Niemann of Santiago, Chile, finished second overall in the Web.com Tour Q-School tournament at Highland Oaks in Dothan.

 

 

The No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world – Joaquin Niemann of Santiago, Chile, – is now one step closer to earning his Web.com Tour card.

Niemann, who is 18, finished off the second stage Web.com Q-School tournament at Highland Oaks on Friday with a 5-under-par 67 to place second overall (67-71-69-67—274). He advances along with 21 others from the field of 71 in the Dothan tourney to the third and final stage in Chandler, Ariz., Dec. 7-10 for a chance to earn a Web.com Tour card for the upcoming season.

Andrew Novak of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., finished atop the leader board on Friday with a four-round 271.

 

“It was a really nice week,” Niemann said. “I played really good golf. What is coming next (third stage in Arizona) is pretty nice because I’m turning pro, maybe starting the next year.

“It all depends on how I do in the finals.”

Niemann played solid golf throughout the week at Highland Oaks, a challenging course on the Robert Trent Jones Trail.

“You have to be in the right spots because the greens are really tough and they’ve got like big hills, so you have to be on the right part,” Nieman n said. “You’ve got to be in the fairway. ”

Niemann originally planned to sign with the University of South Florida before this school year, but decided against it and is determined to turn professional in the coming months even if he doesn’t earn his Web.comTour card this year.

“I decided that I don’t need to go there (South Florida),” Niemann said. “I’m turning pro and try to get some exempts on the PGA Tour or Web.com and see how I do.”

Niemann qualified as an amateur for the U.S. Open last August after earning a spot in the Greenbrier Classic on the PGA Tour in early July. At Greenbrier, Niemann tied for 29 th overall after shooting a final-round 64. He won three pro events in Chile this year.

“I played (Greenbrier) before the U.S. Open and that is where I saw these guys weren’t so far from me,” Niemann said. “I was able to make some scores.”

It was roughly five years ago that Niemann really began stepping up his game and looking to make a career out of it. He said he was 4 years old when he first began playing the sport with his father.

“Like five years ago is when I decided to quit my normal school and go to another school that you go just three hours a day,” Niemann said. “I decided I wanted to be a golfer.”

The sport has already given Niemann a chance to see many places around the world.

“I have been to a lot of places, but I really like this country,” he said. “I think maybe I’m moving here next year to live here.”

Niemann said many of the veteran golfers he has come in contact with have been helpful.

“They always try to help,” Niemann said. “I think that is a good part of golf that they are always trying to help you and give you some advice.”

Being No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings is something Niemann has much pride in.

“It feels really nice because of all the work behind,” Niemann said. “I have been working really hard since four years ago and it feels really good to be on the top.”

The only other amateur in this week’s tournament – Matt Oshrine of Baltimore – made big news on Thursday when he tied a course record with an 11-under 61. On Friday, Oshrine shot a 2-over 74 but still advanced to the third stage with a 282 total.

http://www.dothaneagle.com/sports/local/no-ranked-amateur-golfer-in-the-world-finishes-strong-at/article_f9445c20-c0eb-11e7-a5a2-67542276b724.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

 

[Mama_Bull]

Niemann will be playing this week in the PGA Latin America Tour at the NEC Argentina Classic.

PGA LA Leaderboard.

https://www.pgatour.com/la/en/leaderboard.html

 

Former USF golfer Oscar Fraustro has received a sponsor exemption to play this week on the PGA Tour at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

PGA Leaderboard 

https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html

PS: Since Oscar has already qualified for the Web.com Q school Finals, he does not need to play at the PGA LA event this week. He will, therefore, likely drop out of their top 10 ranking, but it won't matter.