SANTIAGO — Joaquin Niemann has claimed his national open for the first time, winning the Abierto de Chile at Club de Golf Las Brisas de Chicureo near Santiago to secure his 23rd professional victory. The Torque GC captain finished on 15-under-par after a closing 67 featuring back-to-back birdies to beat Gabriel Morgan by four shots.
Niemann opened with rounds of 64, 73 and 69 to take a one-shot overnight lead into the final round. He closed with a 67 to pull clear of Morgan, sealing the title with birdies on his final two holes. The week made him the second LIV Golf player to win during the circuit's off-season, after Cleeks GC's Adrian Meronk won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour, an event that began with 26 LIV players in the field.
The victory carries particular weight for the 27-year-old, whose previous best finish at the tournament was third in 2019. The Abierto de Chile offered a prize fund of just $60,000, a stark contrast to the $25 million purses contested during the first five seasons of LIV Golf, but adds significant prestige to a resume that now stands at 23 wins — nine on the Chilean Tour between 2015 and 2021, two on the PGA Tour, one on the Asian Tour, one DP World Tour title and nine on LIV Golf.
The result continues a strong 2026 for Niemann, who has won two LIV Golf titles this year. Since the LIV Golf season ended in August, he has also made two DP World Tour starts, finishing tied for second at the Amgen Irish Open and T21 at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Following that event at Wentworth, Niemann revealed he had yet to commit his future to the proposed LIV Golf 2.0 as confirmation over the league's future is still awaited.