“The Rough Is Brutal”: Joaquín Niemann Gives Honest Verdict on PGA Championship Test at Aronimink
Joaquin Niemann gives a thumbs up to the crowd before he tees off from the first hole Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, during day two of LIV Golf Indianapolis at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield.
Joaquin Niemann gives a thumbs up to the crowd before he tees off from the first hole Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, during day two of LIV Golf Indianapolis at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield.
In the midst of a tightly clustered leaderboard, Joaquín Niemann appears well-poised in the hunt for his first major victory, while the course conditions are proving extremely difficult.
In Round 3 on Saturday, the Chilean golfer carded a score of 66, catapulting him to a tie for 11th spot after completing three rounds at 2-under par overall. Following his impressive performance, the LIV Golf star gave an honest verdict on the venue's immense difficulty.
"It's a tough course. It's a tough course. It's really tough. The rough is brutal."
According to Niemann, one simply cannot afford to mess up the tee shot when faced with such difficult conditions. The brutal conditions of the rough implied that any ball of the fairway would be expensive. Niemann explained his strategy.
"You want to be on the fairway every time, so every tee shot is like you must hit the fairway so you can score."
The rough caused Niemann some issues as well, as Round 3 saw him drop three bogeys. He did not let this phase him, as he also carded five birdies and even an eagle on the 16th.
The challenge of Aronimink is forcing players to think defensively on their approach shots.
Joaquian Niemann Responding to Difficult Pin Placement
The historic venue introduced highly unexpected elements that caught the elite field off guard. Niemann noted that the setup team really did a number.
"There's some pin placements that's are pretty crazy that we never thought they were going to put them, but they did."
Faced with these positions, he altered his aggressive mindset and mentally accepted defensive targets. He summarized the grinding mindset required.
"We had to play with it. I feel like it's just try to miss the best you can in a way."
Regardless of the conditions, Niemann ended up with an impressive score, ending Round 3 tied for 12th.
With such an impressive scoring spree, he finds himself in an ideal position to outdo his career-best in major tournaments, which include a tied eighth place at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.
Do you think Joaquin Niemann will be able to meet the Aronimink challenge and clinch his first major victory? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Abhishek Sharma
Edited by
Surjo Ray