Home

Golf

‘Incredible’: Joaquin Niemann Outshines Anthony Kim’s Legacy in a Gary Matthews Confession

Published 02/02/2024, 9:17 PM EST

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

Joaquin Niemann rakes in praises! The recent spectacular display by the Chilean professional left many in the golf world amazed. His 12-under 59 left many in the game shocked, especially Gary Matthews, the LIV Golf Pro’s current helper on the bags and the professional looper who once used to caddy for none other than Anthony Kim.

Complimenting him on the same, Matthews said, “Listen, you don’t expect your player to be shooting 59s. That’s incredible.” Adding on, he continued to say, “There’s only been a handful of them. But he has been playing well of late, trending in the right direction for sure,” while divulging how it was the first time he had caddied for someone who had scored a sub-60 round.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Meet Gary Matthews, the veteran looper of Joaquin Niemann

The first in a career spanning more than two decades, or more specifically, 23 years. Yes, that is exactly what the looper said following the 25-year-old’s achievement. What’s more, he has carried the bags for several high-profile golfers during that period. But it seems none on that list has managed to register a score of 59 involving 10 birdies and an eagle.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Matthews has worked with the likes of Tim Clark, Camilo Villegas, Sergio Garcia, Trevor Immelman, Anthony Kim, Brendan De Jonge, Lydia Ko, Minjee Lee, Luke Donald and Charles Schwartzel throughout the years. Meanwhile, the current partnership between the two started after the 2020 U.S. Open, during which the Chilean pro had Dean Elliot as a caddie.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Golf stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

How was he able to help Niemann so spectacularly? Well, much of it can be attributed to the bagman being quite the player himself. He was an amateur golfer who used to be a part of the University team at Arizona from 1993 to 1997. Surprisingly, he also has a handicap of one. Such a history has indubitably helped him achieve many memorable moments over his career as a looper, including being able to caddie at the Presidents Cup a total of two times, emerging victorious two times at the playoffs, a second FedEx Cup in 2008 where he carried the bags for Villegas, and winning two times at the South Africa Open.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Matthews has also helped Niemann rake in a win each on the PGA Tour and the European circuit, the former in which he emerged victorious at the 2022 Genesis Invitational and the latter at the 2023 ISPS Handa Australian Open. Now, the two would be aiming for his first triumph at the Saudi-backed league. Many of his fans would be awaiting the iconic moment as well. It seems the community is in for an exciting weekend of golf!

Watch This Story: Moments After LIV Golf Reveals Their Mount Rushmore, Fans Fire Up Social Media With a Barrage of Verdicts

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by:

Allan Abe

1,096Articles

One take at a time

My search for happiness eventually led me, Allan Abe, to the hallways of ES after dabbling in different fields. Following my childhood passion for the sport and coupling it with my passion for writing, the role of a golf writer was the perfect career path and has been more than a fruitful one. Through the live coverage and in-depth analysis of the lives of big stars like Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm, I have put to use all my journalistic-accolade-winning experience, from state-wide events to college competitions, to give the reader a great story with every piece.
Show More>

Edited by:

Tushhita.barua

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT