U.S. Open: Who will be low amateur at Erin Hills?

No. 1 Joaquín Niemann

Saying someone is the best golfer in Chile might not be enough to move the needle. How about best amateur in the world?

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The weighty title currently is held by the 18-year-old who hasn’t even teed it up yet for the University of South Florida.

He burst on the scene with a win at the renowned 2015 IMG Academy Junior World Championship and six worldwide wins in 2016, including another Junior World. More Justin Thomas than Dustin Johnson by body type, Niemann has a sound overall game that belies his stature.

Niemann nearly qualified for the 2017 Masters after taking second place at the Latin Amateur Championship. He made amends for his major championship debut by making birdie on his last hole of the Tequesta, Florida, qualifying site to make a playoff and advance.

“He has no glaring weaknesses,” said USF head coach Steve Bradley in a Golf Digest story. “He does everything well and he does some things really well. He doesn’t lack confidence. There’s not a shot out there that he can’t hit or he’s not comfortable hitting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a situation where the moment is too big for him.”

That’s all I need to hear. Niemann is going to gain some new stateside fans and win the low amateur honors with a top-30 finish. Book it.

Next: U.S. Open Top 10 Power Rankings

There may or may not be an amateur in the 117th U.S. Open field who will join John Goodman, Jerome Travers, Chick Evans, Francis Ouimet, and Bobby Jones, but at least five have the stuff in their bags that it will take to contend this week at Erin Hills. Let’s sit back and enjoy the show that’s about to unfold.