Joaquin Niemann finished 24th in the Spain event, and along with earning $195,000, he secured one of the most valuable things a LIV Golf player can have: a spot at a major.

Bob Harig reported on X that Joaquin Niemann’s finish at the Real Club Valderrama was enough to boost him to third in points and secure him a spot in The Open at Royal Birkdale. The season’s fourth and final major is scheduled from July 16 to July 19.

This would mark Niemann’s 7th appearance in golf’s oldest major. His best finish here so far has been 53rd place in 2022. Last year, he missed the cut at The Open. The spot sure means so much, especially after the week Niemann had.

He shot 1 over 72, and then on Friday, he shot 74. On Saturday, for round 3, he bounced back with one-under 70. The final round brought no rescue as he ended with par. Majors have always held an important place for the Chilean golfer. After winning LIV Mayakoba in early 2024, he candidly shared his thoughts.

“I’m not in the majors. I want to win majors, but I have to get in first.”

He has since worked his way to majors by first earning a U.S. Open exemption via LIV Golf standings and is now securing his spot at Birkdale.

Joaquin Niemann’s finish at the LIV Golf event in Spain was enough to boost him to third in points and secure the league’s exemption into the Open. The highest finisher at the Memorial will also get a spot via the Open qualifying series. Leader JT Poston and Eric Cole are not…

— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) June 7, 2026

R&A confirmed the LIV Golf exemption for the 2026 Open, with Louisiana to be the cutoff tournament around 8 months ago. The R&A announced that the bank entry will be made on behalf of the first player and anyone tying for that place, who is not otherwise exempt, in the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Season Standings on completion of LIV Golf Louisiana.

The 2026 exemption is slightly different than the one that was there for the 2025 Open. In 2025, an exemption was awarded to the leading player not already exempt among the top 5 in points, but for 2026, there is no top-5 limit. It also includes a possibility of multiple exemptions if the leading non-exempt players are tied in points.

Niemann sits third in the standings with 344.66 points to his name. He is behind Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, both of whom were already exempt. Notably, Niemann came to Valderrama in good form.

A rundown of Joaquin Niemann’s 2026

The week prior, he had beaten Tyler Gooch in a playoff at LIV Golf Korea to win his 8th career LIV title. This is more than any player in the league’s history. Before that, however, his 2026 season was inconsistent.

He finished 22nd in Riyadh, 12th in Adelaide, 41st in Hong Kong, 4th in Singapore, and 12th in South Africa. Before winning in Korea, he was 20th and 8th in Mexico and Virginia, respectively.

While Neiman made it through the week and did enough to qualify in the Open, Tyrell Hatton took the trophy at Valderrama. The Englishman was the man who made the most of the week, and he did it under remarkable personal circumstances.

Hatton had missed the previous LIV event in Korea entirely, as he had to stay home for the birth of his first child. He returned to Spain and finished 11 under, picking up crucial birdies on 13, 16, and 17 on Sunday to win by 2 shots.

Meanwhile, one open spot remains available through the Memorial Tournament this week. It will go to the highest place finisher who is not already exempt. Surprisingly, JT Poston and Eric Cole are not exempt.