Joaquin Niemann has enjoyed an excellent 18 months of golf, with the Chilean continuing to rack up victory after victory on the LIV Golf League circuit.
At just 26-years of age, he is one of the more exciting prospects in the game of golf, especially with 17 professional wins worldwide. However, according to two-time US Open winner, Curtis Strange, Niemann "needs to be" on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour to prove his record further.
Speaking on an ESPN Masters Tournament Media Conference Call, Strange stated: "I think Joaquin Niemann is a hell of a young player. I wish he was playing the DP World Tour or the American (PGA) Tour. He needs to be playing over here.
"He is the talent that, at the end of the day, 25 years from now, I would like to see his record put up against a lot of other people. It’s not going to happen when you’re at LIV. Y’all know what I’m saying.
"He’s over there and we only see him four or five times a year, and it’s disappointing for all of us. Those guys, I want to watch play. I miss watching them play. They made their decision, and that’s okay.
"I think that the public and the TV people and all of us fans of the game would like to see those guys play more often on our Tour. Not to let them back, don’t get me wrong, but I wish they were playing on our Tour, not over there."
As of writing, Niemann is ranked 84th in the Official World Golf Ranking due to LIV Golf not possessing OWGR points. However, in Data Golf's rankings, which includes LIV Golfers, Niemann is positioned eighth.
Many have stated that he is a top 10 player in the world, including Phil Mickelson, but some have also questioned this theory, especially when it comes to Niemann's Major form, where his best finish is a tie for 16th at the 2023 Masters.
Going into The Masters, Niemann is around the 12th favorite to slip on the Green Jacket, with Strange claiming he's "looking forward" to the LIV players being at Augusta National, specifically how "(Bryson) DeChambeau, (Jon) Rahm and Niemann stack up next week."
Also heaping praise on the four-time LIV Golf winner was two-time Major winner, Andy North, who has known Niemann since the early days of his professional career.
"He is really playing exceptionally well," stated North. "Of the guys that are on LIV that I would like to see playing on our Tour, he's probably at the head of that list because I think he's an incredible young talent.
"Once he does well in a Major, I expect he's going to do well in a lot of them after that. Will he win them? You never know. But he has that kind of ability and that kind of confidence."
Currently, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to defend his Masters title but, with Rory McIlroy claiming the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Players Championship, he has seen his odds significantly slashed ahead of next week.
Ahead of The Masters, which gets underway on the 10th April, Niemann is another player who has seen his odds drop, following his recent win at LIV Golf Singapore, as well as LIV Golf Adelaide in February and the Saudi International in December 2024.
Explaining that Niemann won't be a "dark horse" in Georgia, North went on to add "I think he's in that category of guys that you wouldn't be a bit surprised if he had a really good week and played well.
"Obviously, he's got a lot of confidence in what he's doing well. He's shooting some really, really good scores. You expect him to do well."
