LIV GOLF MAYAKOBA

February 4, 2024

Joaquin Niemann

El Camaleón Golf Course

Torque GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joaquín, congratulations. You have had a wild week. You started out with a 59, yesterday you got assessed with a two-stroke penalty, today a four-hole playoff with Sergio. Tell us about this week and what was going through your head as you sunk that final putt.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, it was a lot of different days. Obviously the first day coming with expectations. I was playing good. First tournament of the LIV season, and I was expecting a lot from myself, and I was able to manage myself through the golf course really well and ended up shooting 59, which was -- I think it's a dream to be under 60. It was close for the 54 but not quite.

Then Saturday was a really tricky day. The wind got up. Obviously I was on the lead by a few strokes. I think it was a little bit harder to play well after that round and then the wind getting up.

Then Saturday was still a pretty good day, a good test for what was coming on Sunday. Then Sunday started a little bit different because I got a two-shot penalty on Sunday morning, which it was a little bit hard to swallow at the beginning, but then I knew that I had to change the situation and not let the situation beat me.

I think it gave me more energy to go out and fight and prove myself that it's not going to bother me. I'm pretty happy that the day ended up this way, especially how the morning started. I think dinner is going to taste a little bit better than breakfast.

Q. Going down this four-hole playoff with Sergio, what's going through your mind as you guys are battling it out and thinking, hey, we might have to finish this tomorrow morning?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, at the first playoff hole I didn't think it was going to get too dark. I thought it was going to take a little bit -- you never know what's going to happen, but I was expecting to go as fast as I could.

I think I got lucky on the first playoff hole. I didn't hit the best driver. I hit it right, and it hit a tree so it bounced left. I think that shot right there got me back from that two-shot penalty that I had this morning. I kind of took it that way.

Yeah, just go one shot at a time. I'm in a playoff, especially with Sergio on the first tee shot that he hit the fairway. It was a second shot that he got into the wind and ended up being on the front of the green.

Had a good drop also for me, which I was in the rough and then I ended up getting a drop into the fairway, which was good, too. Then after that I hit my driver incredible the next three holes. My ball was within probably a radius of one yard. I saw my divot from the two holes before on the last hole. So I had the same number for the last three times, and that made it a little bit easier.

After the last hole, I saw Sergio missing it right, which is not in a good spot, and I just told myself to give myself a chance and ended up hitting a good shot and making that putt, which was awesome.

Q. Torque obviously won a lot last year, but the victory, personal victory, eluded you. How sweet does this victory feel, and does it feel better, the same as all those Torque team victories?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, it would have been nice to feel a little bit alone here. It's always fun to have the three other, Mito, Sebastian and Carlos on my side here, especially on interviews. I think it makes it a little bit more fun.

It would have been nice being with them throwing champagne.

But I think it's still good. We still had a good finish. We were kind of outside the top 6 during the day, and they started making some birdies, and we ended up in the top 3.

Obviously it's a little bit harder with the format being the four scorecards. We've got to play the four of us really good golf.

It's still a good finish for the team. I think we've got a lot more to prove during the season, and it's nice to take that first win for individual as a team.

Q. You obviously played a lot of golf in the off-season and you had a win. Did you feel coming into the season that this was going to be your year, and did you feel coming into this tournament that you had a chance to win?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: It's hard to tell, especially in this game which is hard. But yeah, I was playing great. I was being really confident on the golf course and hitting my shots. I was more excited than anything to start the season, to start playing on LIV and start playing for my teammates. I was just excited to get started.

I think this is the best way to get started.

Q. Do you feel like you're kind of on a mission this year to showcase exactly what you're capable of, not just here on LIV but in the golf world in general? Obviously you got the win in Australia, you got this one, played well earlier this year.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, I believe so. I think I have a different mindset for this year. It kind of hurt me a little bit not being in the majors and I think also helped me to get motivation to kind of earn my spot back into the majors, into the elite players.

I think it helped me a little bit to get focused back, to start working harder, to start working with a purpose.

I think it's paying off, and I just want to keep telling myself that I'm capable of doing this, of winning tournaments, and this is a good way to prove that, and I don't want to stop working the way I'm doing it. I just want to keep going.

Q. After you found out about the penalty, did you feel like it affected you at all out there on the course? Obviously you got off to a bit of a shaky start off the first tee. Were you able to shake it off at some point or did you feel like --

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: No, once I got to the golf course, I was fine. I think I took it off an hour after I got the news. Like I said, I told to myself that I don't want to let this situation beat me, and I tried to turn it around. The only thing I needed to do is just play golf. I still had a good chance to win the tournament. I was still two shots in front of the one who is behind, so I still had a bigger chance than anybody of winning this tournament. I just needed to go out there and play some good golf.

Yeah, the first tee has always been tricky. I didn't hit my best tee shot, but it was close. Then No. 3 was the first hosel off the tee. It was just the beginning, and I knew that I still had a big chance to win, so I didn't let myself down.

Q. How difficult was it to read that final putt? Obviously you were basically playing in darkness but you had the light off the scoreboard.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, I wanted to make that last putt on the 54th hole so bad that I probably started it a little bit too far left than I was supposed to. The last putt, which it was super dark, I think it probably helped me just not being so picky on picking my spot and just looking at the hole, getting a feeling and just get it there.

It was the best way to end it up. I wanted to make a putt on the last one to win.

Q. Did you guys have a bet on who would win the first individual title amongst you four guys?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: The four of us? No, we didn't. We'll do it now, who's next.

Q. Have you ever played in Brazil, and what do you think about the country?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: I played I think two eyes. I'm not 100 percent sure what was the first place I went. I was probably like 13, 14. And then when I was probably 18, I went to the PA Latin America in the Olympic golf course, Campo Olimpico, and it was great. I had a great time. It's a great location, also. Yeah, had a good time. I wish I could go more to Brazil. I didn't get to know the country as well. But I enjoyed my stay there for a week, and it was a lot of fun.