Joaquin Niemann earned his second PGA Tour win at the 2022 Genesis Invitational. He holds off Collin Morikawa and Rookie Cameron Young to clinch a remarkable wire-to-wire victory.
After a final-round level-par 71 at Riviera Country Club, the Chilean, 23, ended two strokes ahead of Morikawa. He was chasing the world’s No. 1 title with a victory, and Young. Niemann, who had previously won at The Greenbrier in 2019, finished the week one shot short of matching the tournament’s lowest 72-hole score.
“To be honest it was a really long day today,” Niemann said, “I’m so happy it’s finally done.”
After playing partner Young birdied the first, Niemann’s three-shot overnight lead trimmed to a single stroke. Niemann is the youngest champion of the event. Niemann, on the other hand, bounced back to birdie the next as Young bogeyed, leaving Morikawa. Morikawa was in the penultimate group, six strokes down at the turn. He had a combination of three birdies and one bogey.
He chipped in for an eagle on the par-five 11th to take a five-shot lead, only to bogey the 14th and 15th holes. The latter after Young holed out from 53 yards for an improbable birdie to cut the gap to two strokes. Young, on the other hand, bogeyed the 16th after failing to get out of a greenside bunker.
Morikawa birdied the 16th and 17th holes after holding out for an eagle on the 10th but missed from 10 feet for another on the 18th as the two-time major winner scored his lowest round of the week, a 6-under 65. As a result, Niemann was able to make two final pars to secure victory in a field that included the world’s top ten players. Rory McIlroy shot a final-round 68 to tie for 10th place with England’s Paul Casey and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre.
In the case of Niemann, Riviera hasn’t produced a winner under the age of 23 since Phil Rodgers in 1962, when Jack Nicklaus made his pro debut. Nicklaus tied for 50th place and took home $33.33 in that year’s tournament. For his second PGA TOUR victory, Niemann earned $2.16 million. On a cold, breezy afternoon at Riviera, no one else stood a chance. Niemann dominated the event from the start, shooting a pair of 63s and setting or matching a tournament scoring record.
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