Stardom was predicted for young Joaquin Nieman when he turned professional at the tender age of 18.
He earned his PGA Tour card at 19 then on Sunday, became the first-ever player from Chile to win on the PGA Tour.
Nieman turned A Military Tribute At The Greenbrier into a runaway victory with a half-dozen back nine birdies that made his stroll down the final few holes a cake-walk.
The now 20-year-old sensation turned in a closing 64 that went with rounds of 65-62-68, good enough for a six-shot win over runner-up Tom Hoge.
Nieman was beside himself afterward.
“I’ve dreamed about this all my life,” he said as he struggled to come up with words that could match his emotions.
His victory at the Latin-American Amateur got him a spot in the 2018 Masters and he turned professional after that.
He played well enough to get his name on leaderboards last season but his talent was on total display all week at The Greenbrier.
Kevin Chappell stole the limelight for a moment when he made nine straight birdies last Friday, tied that tour record and went on to enter the “59” club. Things went downhill for Chappell over the weekend. Rounds of 73-72 dropped him from the top five all the way down to a tie for 47th.
This one belonged to Neiman and with his unmistakable talent, it looks like there will be more wins for the youngster from Chile.
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
That one guy who’s a huge advocate for paying attention to Joaquin is going to be happy.
Tom Edrington
Knew a lot about him because he almost came to play here at the University of South Florida…..going pro turned out to be the right decision for this kid!