LIV GOLF ADELAIDE

February 14, 2025

Joaquin Niemann

The Grange

Torque GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome the captain of Torque GC, Joaquín Niemann. He is currently sitting at T2 next to his teammate Carlos Ortiz.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, it was a great day. I played great. Of course the course is playing really tough. The greens are starting to dry out. The last couple holes it's kind of hard having all that wind from the side, the greens being that dry.

So yeah, it was a good round. I made a few good putts, good shots feel good about it.

Q. How does it feel to be back in Adelaide with these incredible crowds?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, amazing. I really missed it. I really enjoy playing in front of a lot of people, and especially the Australian people. They are really energized. They're having fun. They love watching golf. It's fun for me to go out there and try to hit golf shots and try to impress them and get a few claps, so it's fun.

Q. I saw something on Instagram where you can do a backflip, but I was told if you get a hole-in-one at the Watering Hole that you are going to be doing a backflip at the Watering Hole. Patrick Reed got a hole-in-one today --

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: He can't do a backflip, though.

Q. Will you actually do a backflip?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I will do a backflip if I make a hole-in-one, yeah, 100 percent. It's got to be worth it.

Q. How was your Watering Hole today? Was it everything you remembered?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, it was actually a great vibe in there. I got a nice song from Fisher. People was going -- I hit a decent shot. I was really trying to go for it and do a Patrick Reed, but it wasn't quite there. Hopefully tomorrow.

Q. We talked about just the course playing different this week being in the summertime, a little bit firmer and faster. You mentioned it earlier. What do you think the winning number is this week?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, it's hard to tell. It's just the first round. I feel like we're expecting a lot of wind, same as today for the next two days.

It all depends on the greenskeepers. If they want to keep it super dry it's going to get harder and harder, especially during the day. I'm bad saying numbers, but it's definitely going to be around probably -- I don't know, 14, around there, I think.

Q. Torque, obviously year one you guys were winning left, right and center. Didn't quite get it done last year. You guys are playing awesome this tournament already with you and Carlos obviously tied for second. Tell us about Torque the team this year and if you guys think you can get it done this week in Adelaide and how the team has evolved from last year?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, 100 percent we think we can win. We had a good week last week in Riyadh. Sunday wasn't the best round. But I feel like we've just got to click in on all those three days.

I mean, if I knew it was the key -- I have no idea. I feel like nobody has figured it out. But I feel like we're there, and anytime it's going to come our way. That's going to make it taste better when we win.

Q. Joaco, you mentioned this a little bit on the broadcast, but obviously Australia has been very good for you with the Australian Open and you played well here last year. Is there one particular aspect or kind of explanation why you do play well here?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I feel like one of them is definitely the crowd. The Australian crowd is really good. They kind of like me a little bit, I think, and you can feel the energy. There's a few guys following around, really energized, enjoying my shots, enjoying when I was making a putt. So that gets me going also to me. So I think that's one of the reasons.

Also the courses here are always in great condition. The turf is a little bit firmer. I think I like that, then I see the ball rolling a lot on the fairways and on the greens. I feel like my game is good, and if it's good on these courses, then I love the crowd here.

Q. Going back to last year, obviously it was a very good season for you. You got off to such a great start last year. How important is it to kind of have a similar beginning to this season?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, obviously it's on my mind. After last season, obviously I really wanted to win, and I'm going to work for it and try to be in that rhythm.

Yeah, for me it was a hard start to the season. It wasn't my best result in Riyadh. I think it's in the back of my mind having a good result this week, which I feel like is -- I like that pressure. I like the pressure of pushing myself and trying to show what I'm capable of. So yeah, I feel like that's on the back of my mind, and I want to work for it and try to make it happen.

Q. Quick one on your love of Australia. Obviously you won the Australian Open 2023, mixed format, came back to defend your title last year. They've dumped that now and it's going back to standalone. I'm wondering your thoughts on that as Australian Open winner and whether it might --

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: What did you say, they what?

Q. There's no more, now it's just going to be a standalone men-only tournament. The mixed gender is not happening. Just your thoughts on that and whether that might inspire you to come back even more.

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, obviously I love the Australian Open. They are going to Royal Melbourne, which is a great course. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to be there or not, but I would love to go.

I feel like playing just men, I feel like it's going to help to probably have the courses a little bit firmer, a little bit faster and a little bit harder. I think it would be interesting for us. Obviously sad for them that they're not playing in the Australian Open. I think they're still doing the Australian Open, just separately. I feel like it's great.

We're all used to playing separate fields, so I think it's going to help on everything. Pace of play, you see the pace of play here is extremely amazing, and when you go to the Australian Open with such a big field, it was hard to get that rhythm, so I think it's going to help in that term and also in the conditions and the toughness of the golf course.