New star signing for the Open de España to be held at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid from 9 to 12 October. It is Joaquín Niemann. The Chilean, winner of five tournaments this year in LIV Golf and second in the individual ranking behind Jon Rahm, will make his debut at the great Spanish event. He joins other confirmed players such as Jon himself, Sergio García, Tyrrell Hatton or Shane Lowry, to name just a few.
Niemann holds the DP World Tour card, so he does not need an invitation. He enters by his category. The confirmation of his presence in Madrid has come through his agent, Carlos Rodríguez, following a direct inquiry from Ten Golf. It will be Joaco’s third regular tournament this season on the European Tour, after the ISPS Handa Open de Australia, where he defended his title at the end of last year, and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Undoubtedly, one of the great attractions of the Open de España this year is the direct qualification of the winner for the Masters Tournament, as well as the best-ranked player who does not already have their place secured for the Open Championship. At the moment, Niemann, whose main goal is to play in all the Majors possible, is not exempt for either. In fact, the Masters is currently very challenging for him. He would need to finish the year among the top 50 in the world, and he is currently ranked 108th.
A very good performance in Madrid would not only allow him to climb the world ranking, but it could also open the doors to the last two tournaments of the year on the DP World Tour: Abu Dhabi and Dubai. With good results in those events, in addition to the Open de Australia, if he decides to play at the end of the year, the Chilean would still have chances to finish the year among the top 50 in the world.
Un matiz importante respecto a la exención del British en el Open de España
In any case, after his great season in LIV Golf and given the efforts he is willing to make to get into the Masters, the possibility of receiving a direct invitation from Augusta should not be ruled out, as has happened in the past, even if he does not meet any of the exemption criteria.
As it stands, Niemann will play the Open de España for the first time in two weeks. A good opportunity to see one of the players with the most birdie potential in Madrid.
