On a day when many players were left cursing the vagaries of links golf, Joaquin Niemann embraced the challenge – and reaped the dividends.

Story by Spencer Robinson, Asian Tour contributor, at Royal Troon.

Maintaining an even keel throughout, the 25-year-old Chilean relished the chance to display his shot-making skills.

The result was a round that contained two birdies, two bogeys and 14 pars. It all added up to an even-par 71, an outstanding effort in trying conditions at Royal Troon Golf Club.

“This type of golf is completely different than what we’re used to,” said Niemann, who took up membership of the Asian Tour at the start of 2023.

“We only play this type of golf probably once or twice a year. I’m just trying to enjoy this moment. I feel like it’s fun,” added Niemann, who is well placed to make his third cut in five Open Championship appearances and better his previous best performance of 53rd at St Andrews in 2022.

TROON, SCOTLAND – JULY 18: Joaquin Niemann of Chile and his caddie, Gary Matthews look on from the fifth green on day one of The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon on July 18, 2024 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

As evidenced during the opening day here, a strong mindset and an ability to shape shots are pre-requisites for succeeding in these type of circumstances. On both counts, Niemann excelled.

He said: “I feel like it’s about how much you know your game and how much you trust your game. You’ve got to hit a lot of different shots during the round with different winds, different bounces. You’ve just got to adjust to that.

“You’ve got to be so creative in your mind in trying to hit those shots. There’s a lot of shots that you go with different trajectory, or it could be (a choice of) two different clubs.

“You just have to stick to one of those shots, and hopefully it will be the right one and you commit to that. I feel like that’s a lot of fun, and that’s the way I like to play.”
source: https://asiantour.com/blog/encouraging-even-par-start-for-even-keeled-niemann