“It matters where you play to stay sharp and to test yourself against the best,” said Brandel Chamblee, a former PGA Tour player turned golf analyst known for throwing shade at LIV Golf now and then. According to him, the PGA Tour provides stronger competition and better prepares players for majors. LIV Golf doesn’t do that. He believes the drop in form of many top players who moved from the PGA Tour to LIV is clear proof that LIV is not helping their careers, players like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.

During the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow this year, “When it mattered the most… Scottie had it. Bryson didn’t. Rahm didn’t.” During the final holes of the PGA Championship, 16, 17, and 18, Scottie Scheffler handled the pressure, while Rahm and DeChambeau could not. But the performance of Joaquin Niemann was nothing but quite a slap on Chamblee’s opinions. 

“I did not anticipate that we’d be talking about Joaquin Niemann, the LIV Golf world beater but that’s exactly what he has become. He’s a thrill to watch.” Rex and Lev on the Golf Channel podcast. Niemann’s performance so far has been thrilling; he recently won the LIV Golf Virginia, finishing T1 at 15 under par. “when he is driving it, as he was driving it at RTJ, particularly down the stretch. I mean, it’s on a frozen rope. The shot-making—he had a really sick, like 40 50 yard, uh, pitch shot.” Niemann’s exceptional driving and shot-making were key to his win at the LIV Golf event in Virginia. They added, “He was a multiple-time winner on the PGA Tour as well at Riviera, like the guy clearly has the goods.” Niemann has won twice on the PGA Tour, first at the 2019 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier and then at the 2022 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club so yeah, the guy indeed knows how to play. 

“Joaquin is… by far the player in my mind who joined LIV and got better.” Unlike several top players who’ve struggled since switching tours, Niemann has actually elevated his game in LIV Golf. While critics like Chamblee argue LIV doesn’t prep players well for majors, Niemann’s sharp form and confidence have only grown since he made the move. “When he went to LIV, he was a very good player. I didn’t imagine him being a world beater…where he is winning four times in a single season.”  Niemann has been on an absolute tear — winning LIV Adelaide, LIV Singapore, LIV Mayakoba (Mexico City), and LIV Virginia. That’s four titles in just eight starts, something even the best players struggle to pull off. So yeah, his performance so far definitely indicates the opposite of what Chamblee has pictured about LIV Golf. 

But it seems that Nieman is not the only one who made headlines at LIV Golf Virginia.

Niemann is not the only player shutting critics up…

Joaquin Niemann may be grabbing headlines with his consistent wins, but he’s not the only one lighting it up on the LIV Golf stage. At LIV Golf Virginia, it was Phil Mickelson who turned back the clock with one of the most jaw-dropping birdies of the season. That’s true; he has not been able to win the tournament, but the 54-year-old has still got it!

After a drive that landed him behind a tree on the 17th hole, Mickelson’s second shot left him on the edge of a greenside bunker with the ball sitting above his feet a brutal lie by any measure. But in true Lefty fashion, he delivered magic that got even Bryson ranting, “Man, he created some Phil Mickelson magic there. Vintage Phil, that’s got to be one of the greatest shots I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” With soft hands and perfect spin control, Mickelson floated the pitch out of the bunker. It landed just left of the flag, spun sharply, and tracked right into the cup.

One thing’s clear: Niemann’s dominant run and big win have definitely put pressure on Chamblee’s take that LIV Golf hurts players by keeping them away from elite-level competition. Sure, some players may have dipped, but clearly, not all.