Roundtable: Joaquin Niemann’s ‘discrepancy’ in majors, Happy Gilmore 2 | Golf Today | Golf Channel

The Golf Today roundtable discusses Joaquin Niemann’s struggles in major championship play related to his five-win season with LIV Golf, the “buy-in” from Tour players in Happy Gilmore 2, among other topics. #GolfToday #Golf #GolfChannel
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Roundtable: Joaquin Niemann’s ‘discrepancy’ in majors, Happy Gilmore 2 | Golf Today | Golf Channel
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NONE WERE PLAYED OVERSEAS. I THINK THEY HAVE TO MOVE ON BECAUSE GROWTH AND THE UNITED STATES IS PROBABLY NOT AT THE CEILING, BUT YOU ARE GOING TO REACH A POINT WHERE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GROW AS MUCH. GROWTH INTERNATIONALLY, I THINK THAT’S OPEN. >> LAV, WE HAVE HEARD THE CEO OF LIV GOLF, SCOTTO NEAL, SAY HE IS AN ACQUAINTANCE OF BRIAN ROLAPP AND SAID THAT HE BELIEVES LIV WILL OWN THE GAME OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THAT THE PGA TOUR WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT DOMESTIC FORCE. YOU HAVE TO ADMIRE HIS CONFIDENCE IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY EVIDENCE. YESTERDAY, JOAQUIN NIEMANN WON AGAIN IN ENGLAND. HE HAD A HANDFUL OF WINS THIS YEAR. EVERY TIME HE STEPS OUT OF THE LIV ECOSYSTEM TO A DEEPER FIELD HE IS A NON-FACTOR, IRRELEVANT IN THE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS YEAR. DOES IT BECOME PROBLEMATIC FOR NIEMANN OR LIV THAT HE IS NOT BEING TESTED TO THE EXTENT HE OUGHT TO BE TO BECOME THE PLAYER HE SHOULD BE OR THAT LIV’S BEST PLAYER SIMPLY CAN’T CUT IT AMONG THE DEEPER FIELD? >> YEAH, I THINK IT’S PROBABLY MORE AN ISSUE FOR JOAQUIN NIEMANN TO ADDRESS THAN LIV GOLF. REX AND I TRIED TO SORT OF ADVANCE THIS TOPIC ON THE PODCAST LAST NIGHT. WE DON’T REALLY HAVE A SIMPLE ANSWER FOR THE DISCREPANCY OF HOW HE CAN WIN FIVE TIMES IN 11 STARTS ON LIV THIS YEAR AND ONLY BACK DOOR A TOP TEN, FIRST TOP TEN IN A MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE PGA. OTHERWISE, LISTLESS, PEDESTRIAN. I THINK SOME CONTEXT IS WARRANTED HERE, IS THAT WE HAVE SEEN PLAYERS, AT LEAST ON THE PGA TOUR, WHO HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD ON A WEEK-TO-WEEK BASIS WHO STRUGGLED TRANSLATING THAT TO MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS. LUKE DONALD, FORMER WORLD NUMBER ONE COMES TO MIND. BILLY HORSCHEL, UNTIL LAST YEAR, HIS MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD WAS POOR. RUSSELL HENLEY HAS NOT SERIOUSLY CONTENDED FOR A MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP. MAX HOMA, AT LEAST A PERIOD OF TIME IN HIS CAREER, HAD TROUBLE ON THE BIGGEST STAGES. AND SO THERE IS AN ADJUSTMENT PERIOD THAT JOAQUIN NIEMANN IS TRYING TO MAKE. PHYSICALLY WHAT HE IS TRYING TO DO, HE DRIVES IT BETTER ON LIV THAN HE DOES IN THE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS. THERE IS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT HIS IRON PLAY, POTENTIALLY LOW BALL FLIGHT WAS A DETRIMENT. HE IMPROVED THAT. STATISTICALLY, HE WAS BETTER IN THE MAJORS IN 2025. DOESN’T PUTT AS WELL. I THINK IT’S A MENTAL THING, GUYS, AT THIS POINT. HE IS TRYING TO SHOW PATIENCE, TAKING THE BIG PICTURE, KNOWING WHEN HE SHOWS UP TO A MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE LOOKING AT HIM AND SORT OF WAVING THE FLAG TO LIV GOLF. CAN HE PUT THAT ASIDE AND SORT OF SUMMON HIS BEST GOLF? HE IS YET TO DO IT, BUT WE CAN ALL AGREE HE IS A TOP TEN PLAYER IN THE WORLD, ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED THAT WE HAVE. HE WILL FIGURE IT OUT EVENTUALLY. >> YOU REALLY THINK HE IS A TOP TEN PLAYER IN THE WORLD? >> DATA GOLF SAYS AS MUCH. THE EYE TEST SAYS AS MUCH. HE WAS A MULTIPLE TIME WINNER ON THE PGA TOUR BEFORE HE WENT TO LIV. PLAYING BETTER GOLF WHEN HE WON AT GREENSBORO. HE IS A VERY TALENTED PLAYER WHO IS STILL VERY VERY MUCH SORT OF THE PRIME YEARS OF HIS CAREER. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT JOAQUIN NIEMANN IS A TOP TEN PLAYER IN THE WORLD. AGAIN HE NEEDS TO SHOW IT AGAINST ALL OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD, NOT JUST SOME OF THEM. >> REX, IS IT MENTAL OR THE FACT THAT THEY ARE NOT GETTING TORREY PINS, TPC SAWGRASS, MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT WRAPS BEFORE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, NOT TO MENTION A FOURTH ROUND OF GOLF WEEK TO WEEK? >> I THINK IT MIGHT BE REPS AND ALSO MIGHT BE VENUES. I WANT TO ADDRESS THE QUESTION THAT LAV DIDN’T ANSWER, IS HE A TOP TEN PLAYER? DATA GOLF HAS BECOME THE DEFAULT BECAUSE IT’S THE ENTITY THAT TRIES TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO TOURS. HOWEVER, I SAY THE DISCREPANCY IN THE MAJORS, JUST NOT JUST THIS YEAR, THE 26 MAJORS HE PLAYED, ONE TOP TEN AND NINE MISSED CUTS, INCLUDING THE OPEN AND U.S. OPEN THIS YEAR. SO I WOULD ARGUE ALMOST THE OPPOSITE OF THAT. THAT EVEN THOUGH HE IS NINTH, I DON’T THINK HIS RECORD IN THE MAJORS SUGGEST HE A TOP TEN PLAYER IN THE WORLD. TO YOUR QUESTION, DAMON, THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR VENUES. IF YOU LOOK AT HIS STROKES GAINED DATA IN THOSE EVENTS ON LIV GOLF, HE IS THREW THE ROOFF CHAMPIONSHIP IN MEMPHIS, BMW CHAMPIONSHIP AT CAVES VALLEY, AND FINALLY THE LUCRATIVE FINALE, TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT EAST LAKE IN ATLANTA. WE’RE BACK WITH REX AND RYAN, CONTINUING THIS ROUNDTABLE. LAV, I WANT TO DIP DOWN INTO THE MINOR LEAGUE TOURS FOR A MOMENT. THERE WAS AN INTERESTING SCENARIO ON THE KORN FERRY LAST WEEKEND WHEN DAN MADE HIS KORN FERRY TOUR DEBUT. HE IS ACTUALLY A PROFESSIONAL GOLFER, APPARENTLY. HE ALSO A KORN FERRY EMPLOYEE. HE SHOT 91 ON A SPONSOR’S EXEMPTION AND THEN WITHDREW. I HAVE TENDED TO THINK THAT SPONSORS HAVE AND SHOULD BE GIVEN CERTAIN LATITUDE IN TERMS OF THEIR ABILITY TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THEIR TOURNAMENTS. HAVE WE GOTTEN TO A LEVEL HERE WHERE A COMPANY EMPLOYEE GETS A SPOT IN A TOURNAMENT WHEN GUYS ARE TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING, SHOOTS 91 AND WITHDRAWS? >> YEAH, I MEAN, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE FINANCIAL REALITIES AND THERE IS PROBABLY A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS THAT WENT ON HERE OF TRYING TO APIECE AN UMBRELLA SPONSOR OF A TOUR THAT HAS $1 MILLION PURSES FOR GOLF’S MINOR LEAGUES. OPTICALLY, IDEALLY THIS IS THE SORT OF STUFF THAT YOU ARE WEEDING OUT. COLLEGE GOLF HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER OR DEEPER. THERE ARE LITERALLY DOZENS OF PLAYERS WHO JUST GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE OR LEFT EARLY WHO COULD MAKE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES AND HAVE POTENTIAL STAYING POWER IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY. THERE ARE SO MANY CLOSING AVENUES TO GOLF AT THE ELITE LEVEL. YOU HATE TO SEE A SPOT LIKE THIS, PARTICULARLY AT THIS TIME OF THE SEASON, OCCUPIED BY A KORN FERRY EXECUTIVE. AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND IT. DOESN’T MEAN I HAVE TO LIKE IT. >> REX, IS THE PGA TOUR, AS THEY CONTINUE WITH THE FAN FORWARD INITIATIVE CONNECTING WITH FANS, I HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED AT THE ROLLOUT OF “HAPPY GILMORE” WITH PLAYERS LIKE MORIKAWA AND ZALATORIS ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES WITH THE ALLIGATOR. SCHEFFLER DOING THINGS AT THE PREMIERE. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE MOVIE AND KIND OF THE BUY-IN THAT THE TOUR PLAYERS HAVE GIVEN TO THIS ROLLOUT? >> I THINK I HAD SUCH LOW EXPECTATIONS. THAT’S PROBABLY NOT FAIR BECAUSE ADAM SANDLER HAS DONE SOME REALLY IMPRESSIVE WORK OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER. I AM A MAN OF A CERTAIN AGE, SO, OBVIOUSLY, THE FIRST MOVIE WAS SPECIAL TO ME. IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE NETFLIX REALLY HAS ANY INTEREST IN CREATING GOOD CONTENT. I DIDN’T HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS IF I’M HONEST. I WAS BLOWN AWAY. I WATCHED WITH MY SONS, WE LAUGHED OUTLOUD, APPRECIATED THE CAMEOS, 50 MILLION OF THEM, SOME OF THE ONE-LINERS. TO YOUR POINT, I THINK IT SHOWED LEVEL OF PERSONALITY FROM TOUR PLAYERS THAT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THEY ARE NOT ACTORS. THEY ARE ATHLETES. SO THEY ARE NOT GREAT PERFORMANCES BUT BETTER PERFORMANCES THAN I ANTICIPATED. SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER BEING AT THE TOP OF THE LIST. I DON’T WANT TO DO ANY SPOILER ALERTS. HE HAD SOME FUNNY LINES ABOUT A POSSIBLE ARREST SITUATION. SO YOU GET AN IDEA OF WHERE THIS MOVIE WAS GOING. AND I DID APPRECIATE IT. I KNOW IT’S BECOME A BIT POLARIZING WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU LOUVRE IT OR HATE IT. THEY DID A GOOD JOB OF DOING SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CLUNKY AND SORT OF UNCOMFORTABLE. >> YOU SEEM LIKE THE DEMOGRAPHIC FOR THIS KIND OF MOVIE. HAVE YOU SEEN IT WITH YOUR KIDS? >> I HAVE NOT. I WAS GOING TO SEE IT SATURDAY. I WATCHED THE O.G. VERSION WITH MY SON, WHO IS 6 YEARS OLD. HIS TAKEAWAY, HE LIKED IT BUT ALSO LEARNED SEVERAL NEW CURSE WORDS. NOT SURE IF HE WILL BE WATCHING THE SEQUEL. I WILL BE DIVING THIS WEEK TO GET A FULL REPORT NEXT WEEK. >> SHOULD KEEP YOUR SON AWAY IF YOU WANT HIM LEARNING NEW SUCH WORDS LIKE THAT. THIS IS INTERESTING. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MOVIE HERE. WE ARE NOT EVEN IN AUGUST. WE ARE ABOUT TO PLAY THE LAST MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP OF STATURE THIS SEASON WITH THE AIG WOMEN’S OPEN. REX, DOES THE SCHEDULE NEED SOME KIND OF ADJUSTMENT WHEN HERE WE ARE IN THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER AND, YES, WOVE THE PLAYOFFS COMING UP, BUT ALL OF THOSE DEFINING MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS HAVE WRAPPED UP BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE END OF JULY. >> I WILL SAY I ALWAYS GIVE THE TOUR CREDIT FOR CONDENSING THE SCHEDULE OR GETTING OUT OF THE SHADOW OF NFL AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WIN THAT BATTLE. COMING UP WITH A WAY TO FINISH THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THOSE SEASONS STARTS IS A GOOD IDEA. TO YOUR POINT, DOESN’T MAKE SENSE THAT THE LPGA TOUR OF CHAMPIONS AND THE PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS DECIDED TO FOLLOW THE SAME SUIT. I DON’T KNOW THAT THE AUDIENCES FOR THOSE TWO ARE STILL FOOTBALL AUDIENCES. I AM NOT SURE IF IT WOULD BE A TERRIBLE IDEA IF THEY DIDN’T EXTEND THE SEASON AND PLAY SOME MAJORS OUTSIDE OF THE TRADITIONAL WINDOW. YOU WILL NOT WIN AGAINST FOOTBALL. IT’S TILL GOING TO BE A LIMITED OF AUDIENCE OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY LIKE GOLF. I THINK IT WOULD BE A GREAT IDEA. >> ON THE EACH OF THE FINAL REGULAR SEASON EVENT OF THE PGA TOUR SEASON, THE WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP, 70 SPOTS IN THE PLAYOFFS AVAILABLE. I AM CURIOUS FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HAVING COVERED THE SEASON, HAS IT SEEMED MORE SOBER, MORE SERIOUS, MORE AT STAKE, MORE JEOPARDY INVOLVED THAN MAYBE PAST SEASONS WITH LARGER PLAYERS AND LARGER FIELDS MAKING IT INTO THE PLAYOFFS? >> YES. AND I THINK THAT’S A GOOD THING. ANY MOOD THAT YOU CAN MAKE TO MAKE IT MORE COMPETITIVE, MAKE IT MORE CUTTHROAT IS ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE MORE COMPELLING FOR THE AUDIENCE. I THINK THE 3M WAS A PERFECT EXAMPLE. THE TOP 13 PLAYERS ON THE LEADERBOARD, EIGHT OF THEM WERE OUTSIDE THE TOP 100 IN THE FEDEX CUP STANDINGS. NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME HOW THEY SUMMON THE GOODS WHEN THEY HAVEN’T DONE MUCH OF ANYTHING OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. NOW WITH DIFFERENT CHECKPOINTS AND BAROMETERS WITH PROFESSIONAL STATUS, THE TOP 100, SECURE YOUR PLAYING PRIVILEGES, TOP 70, TOP 50 TO GET TO THE SIGNATURE EVENTS FOR 2026, THE TOP 30 TO GET TO THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP AND SET YOUR SCHEDULE THAT WAY AS WELL, I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. THIS IS REALLY GEEKY. YOU HAVE TO LOVE THE GAME LIKE ALL FOUR OF US ON THIS ROUNDTABLE DO. BUT I THINK THAT IN PARTICULAR THESE LATE-SEASON SCHEDULE EVENTS REALLY HIT THE MARK. I THINK THE MORE SIGNIFICANT, THE MORE IMPACTFUL, I THINK TRANSLATES TO AUDIENCES AS WELL. >> DO YOU SENSE, REX, ANY OF THE GUYS OUT THERE ARE MORE RECONCILED TO THIS NEW SYSTEM THAN THEY WERE CERTAINLY AT THE START OF THE YEAR WHEN IT WASN’T EXACTLY A POPULAR THING? IS BRIAN ROLAPP GOING TO HEAR ABOUT THIS ON HIS LISTENING TOUR? >> I AM SURE HE ALREADY HEARD ABOUT ABOUT. AT THE TRAVELER CHAMPIONSHIP HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME WALKING AROUND. I DON’T KNOW IF THEY CAME TO TERMS WITH IT. IT IS REALITY. YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS THE WORLD THE WAY IT IS. SO PLAYERS UNDERSTAND IT. TO LAV’S POINT, I THINK IT ACTUALLY IS GOOD FOR THE PRODUCT. IT HAS CREATED A MUCH MORE COMPELLING FINISH. LOOK AT THE FIELD AT THE WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP. I SPOKE WITH MARK A FEW WEEKS AGO AT THE SCOTTISH OPEN. BEST FIELD HE EVER HAD IN GREENSBORO AND IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN CONDENSED.