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LOS ANGELES — Joaquin Niemann’s final round at Riviera Country Club on Sunday wasn’t outstanding by any means.
But after what he accomplished in the earlier rounds, it didn’t need to be.
Niemann, who set multiple tournament scoring records throughout the week, cruised to a win on Sunday at the Genesis Invitational.
The 23-year-old, who is now the second-youngest winner in Genesis Invitational history and the first wire-to-wire winner in more than 50 years, finished with an even-par 71 on Sunday to hold at 19-under on the week.
“When I finished it was like, hell yeah. It took forever,” Niemann said. “We’re finally done and I can have a smile on my face and just think about it like it was a fun day.”
The win marked Niemann’s second on Tour so far in his career, following his inaugural victory at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in 2019. He had 13 finishes inside the top 25 last season, and now has three top-five finishes so far this season. He finished T6 at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, his last Tour appearance.
Joaquin Niemann rolls through Riviera
Niemann opened his week in Southern California with a pair of 63s, which gave him a two-shot lead heading into the weekend and set a 36-hole tournament record.
He then entered Sunday with a three-shot lead over Cameron Young after posting a 3-under 68 on Saturday — which could have been lower had he not bogeyed twice in his final seven holes. Those slips, though, were offset by an eagle at the par-4 10th and still didn’t stop him from claiming the 54-hole tournament scoring record.
By Sunday, all he had to do was hang on.
Niemann made par on his first six holes of the day, and then offset a late bogey with a birdie to end his front nine at even par while still holding a three-shot lead. Then at the par-5 11th, Niemann chipped in for eagle to briefly push his lead to six.
That massive lead didn’t hold, and Niemann made back-to-back bogeys a few holes later while Cameron Young chipped in — which suddenly brought Young within two shots with only three holes to go.
That was as close as anybody got. Niemann made par on his final two holes to close out the day and kept both Young and Collin Morikawa — who climbed right into the mix after starting the day eight shots back — at bay to claim the two-shot win.
Morikawa finished in a tie for second with Young with his final-round 65, thanks to a pair of birdies and an eagle on the back side. Adam Scott and Viktor Hovland finished in a tie for fourth at 14-under on the week, and Justin Thomas finished alone in sixth at 13-under.
“I was more surprised by myself or how good I handled myself, my attitude on the course during the weekend,” Niemann said. “I know I didn’t play my best golf like I did the first two days, but I was impressed by the way I handled [it] … I think a couple tournaments ago that I didn’t win, I think my attitude wasn’t the same as [it was] here.”