2021 men’s Olympic golf: Top 10 power rankings at Kasumigaseki CC

At time of writing, Chile has yet to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Joaquin Niemann has a good chance to enshrine his name into national history.

Only 30 Chileans have medaled over seven Olympic Games in six sports. Just two took home gold.

While winning a golf tournament is statistically improbable, we all know this is a sport where a lot of different players have a chance to win on a given week. Especially so when you’re a talent like Niemann.

He’s done a lot to enhance golf’s profile in a country of 18 million people and 50 golf courses. By age 22, Niemann is already a winner on the PGA Tour at the 2019 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.

The Santiago native was No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings shortly before turning pro. He’s used to playing new, international courses with few tournaments in Chile to play growing up.

Niemann is on the cusp of winning again. He came up shy in two playoffs in 2021 at the Tournament of Champions to a resurgent Harris English and this summer in a playoff with Troy Merritt and champion Cam Davis.

“For me it’s a pretty big deal,” Niemann told Golf.com in May. “There are not many media outlets in Chile, and being able to play for a gold medal would be awesome, and would be an honor for my country, because we don’t have many gold medals.”

Niemann’s low, penetrating ball flight is fun to watch. He ranks 12th in strokes gained off the tee (.597) and 43rd in SG approach (.418). These proficiencies aren’t new.

The big leap forward in the 2020-21 season has been on the greens. Niemann was outside the top-140 in SG putting the last two seasons before jumping to 23rd (.482). Beginning to see PGA Tour courses for the second or third time is huge for a young player.

Course knowledge isn’t a huge advantage for anyone at the Olympics, so I envision a young, spry Niemann outlasting the heat and contending to bring glory to his South American land.