What Is Joaquín Niemann's Net Worth?
Joaquín Niemann is a Chilean professional golfer who has a net worth of $60 million. Joaquín Niemann had a successful early career on the PGA tour before joining LIV Golf in 2022. He reportedly accepted a $100 million guarantee to join LIV. He had previously earned $40 million during his time playing for the PGA. Additionally, from 2017 to 2018, he was the number-one-ranked amateur golfer in the world before he turned professional in April 2018.
Early Life
Joaquín Niemann was born on November 7, 1998, in Santiago, Chile. He is the son of Jorge Niemann and Pamela Zenteno. His parents were athletes as well, as his father played basketball, and his mother used to play for Chile's national hockey team. Joaquín grew up with his brother, Luke. Niemann was introduced to the game of golf by his father who began taking him to a golf club at the age of two. Joaquín quickly showed great potential and began taking golf lessons from a young age and competing in youth tournaments. After finishing high school in Chile, Niemann planned to attend the University of South Florida to play golf there but was unable to gain entry to the school due to his low skills in English.
Career
Niemann began playing on the amateur golf circuit as a teenager. His first amateur win came in 2013 when he won the Campeonato Sudamericano Pre Juvenil. The following year, Joaquín won the Abierto Club de Polo San Cristobal and then the IMG Academy Junior World Championship, the Junior Orange Bowl Championship, and the Canadian International Junior Challenge in 2015. In 2016, he won the Junior Golf World Cup, the IMG Academy Junior World Championship, the Campeonato Sudamericano Juvenil, and the Abierto Prince of Wales Country Cup.
Beginning in May 2017, Niemann was the number-one-ranked golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He won the Mark H. McCormack Medal for being the top-ranked player of the year at the conclusion of the summer's championship season. He held onto the position until April 2018, when he turned professional. Because he had been the top-ranked amateur of 2017, Joaquín had been able to gain entry into the 2018 U.S. Open and into the 2018 Open Championship. He also won the 2018 Latin America Amateur Championship to gain entry into the 2018 Masters Tournament.
In his first tournament as a professional golfer, the 2018 Valero Texas Open, he finished in sixth place. He earned a Special Temporary Member Status on the PGA Tour for the rest of the 2018 season after another top-six finish at the Memorial Tournament. Joaquín then earned a PGA Tour card for the 2018-2019 season after another top-10 finish at The Greenbrier tournament. In doing so, Niemann joined the ranks of fellow golfers, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm, who had also managed to bypass the traditional system of earning PGA Tour cards after starting the season without any status.
In September 2019, Niemann won A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier for his first PGA Tour victory. He became the first PGA Tour winner from Chile and the youngest international PGA Tour winner since 1932. A few months later, in December 2019, Joaquín played on the international team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia, though he did not perform particularly well.
Niemann's next notable golf performance came in January 2021 when he shot a final round of 64 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He joined Harris English in a playoff but was defeated on the first extra hole. A week later, he finished only one stroke behind Kevin Na at the Sony Open in Hawaii. In July of that year, Joaquín almost won the Rocket Mortgage Classic before being eliminated in the playoff round. In February 2022, he won the Genesis Invitational hosted by Tiger Woods. He finished the tournament at 19-under par.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
In August 2022, it was announced that Niemann had joined LIV Golf, another professional men's golf tour created in June 2022 that is a competitor to the PGA. Some have criticized LIV Golf, as it is financed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. After joining LIV, Joaquín was named captain of the Torque GC team and finished runner-up in his first start at the LIV Golf Invitational Boston after losing to Dustin Johnson. In the 2023 LIV Golf League, his Torque GC team won more team titles and collected more prize money than any other team during the regular season before finishing in third place at the Team Championship in Miami.
In February 2024, Niemann shot a 12-under par score of 59 in the first round of the LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico. He ended up winning the tournament with a birdie for his first individual LIV Golf title.
Personal Life
Niemann is married to Christina Hellema-Puga, who is also from Chile. The couple first began dating in March 2017 and then married in September 2023. Puga is an architect and often also travels with Niemann when he is golfing in tournaments. The couple resides in Florida, which is the home to many professional golfers.
