Genesis Invitational: Joaquin Niemann sets torrid pace at Riviera, leads heading into Sunday

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Mito Pereira has seen this movie before.

The 26-year-old Chilean pro grew up competing with Joaquin Niemann, three years his junior, back home in Santiago at Club de Polo, where they both were taught by instructor Eduardo Miguel. Seeing Niemann dismantle a golf course with a combination of length off the tee and precision with his irons is old hat.

“Many times,” Pereira said following the third round of the Genesis Invitational. “Not everyone is used to seeing a guy shoot it on this course, but he has it in him.”

Indeed, he does. Niemann followed up a pair of 63s with a 3-under 68 at Riviera Country Club on Saturday to set a 54-hole scoring record of 19-under 194 and take a three-stroke lead over Cameron Young heading into the final round of the Genesis Invitational.

The 23-year-old Chilean is trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the Genesis since Charlie Sifford in 1969 as well as the youngest winner of the tournament. With a score of 69 or better in the final round, Niemann also will smash the 72-hole scoring record of 20-under 264 held by Lanny Wadkins since 1985, which is the longest-standing 72-hole record of any active Tour event since 1980.

“They’re going to be trying to catch me and I’m going to do my best to stay away from them,” Niemann said with a smile.

The putter stays hot for @JoacoNiemann 🔥

He leads by 4 @TheGenesisInv. pic.twitter.com/Oz0ZNFVecL

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 19, 2022

He got off to a sluggish start with a birdie and bogey through his first four holes before his swing started to click and he ran off birdies at Nos. 5, 7 and 8. As if he weren’t already running away from the field, Niemann ripped a 3-wood at the reachable par-4 10^th that he said came off the club face “hot” and trickled just 22 feet over the green. It left an uphill eagle putt that he canned to reach 21 under through his first 46 holes of the tournament.

“It’s a little frustrating because I’m 7 under through 11 holes and I had hardly gained any momentum,” said Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who is alone in third at 13-under 200 after a 65.

Sunday tee times | Catching up with Tiger

Young, a 24-year-old rookie from Wake Forest University, was doing an admirable job of following up his Friday 62, but was losing ground too. “I was 3 under through 10 and he was running away from me,” he said. “Yeah, hard not to notice.”

With hardly a breath of wind and sunny skies making for ideal scoring conditions, Riviera was picked apart to the tune of a 69.28 scoring average in round three, marking the lowest in a round at the Genesis Invitational since 1984.

There were a few stumbles coming home for Niemann as his driving strayed from the fairways. When he flared one to the right at No. 12, his caddie, Gary Matthews, attempted to steer him to play safe but Niemann would have none of it.

“I think I had like 200 front and I had a little window there that I had to cut it like 20, 30 yards with a 4-iron. Obviously he didn’t like the idea of that, but I felt pretty confident of that shot and I felt that I was able to do it,” Niemann explained. “I hit actually a really good shot, just a little bit lower than I thought and it just didn’t carry that, but it was close to being pretty good.”

That lead to a bogey and he gave back another shot at No. 15 when his tee shot found the right fairway bunker and he failed to make a 12-foot par putt. He closed with three straight pars and maintains his stranglehold on the lead. Niemann notched his first Tour title at the 2019-20 season-opening Military Tribute at the Greenbrier, and had three runner-up finishes last season. Asked if it feels like a long time since he’s tasted victory, he nodded and said, “Yeah, it feels like forever, actually.”

Niemann and Young have created separation from the field. There are only eight golfers within 10 strokes of Niemann’s lead, and only Young, who is seeking his first victory, is within five strokes. Justin Thomas, who was 1-over through 13 holes but birdied Nos. 17 and 18 to finish with a 70, is alone in fourth at 12 under.

“If they just keep playing the way they do, there’s not much I can do,” Hovland said. “Should have played better the first day (when he shot 71). All I can do is just keep playing like I am and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Young, who finished second at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October, isn’t waving the white flag just yet either.

“I’m still right there, I’ve only got one guy ahead of me,” said Young, who leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (+8.008) and driving distance (313.8 yards) through three rounds. “He’s a great player and I know he’s playing really well, but you just never know what can happen. Tomorrow that three shots can be gone in a hole and three shots can go the other way in a hole, so we’ll just have to see.”