“He finished pretty up there on the player ranking” - Joaquin Niemann talks about having Carlos Ortiz on his LIV Golf Torque GC team
Joaquin Niemann recruited one of the best cards available in the LIV Golf transfer market, Carlos Ortiz, for his Torque GC. "He finished pretty much up there on the player ranking," said the Chilean about his new teammate.
Joaquin Niemann was one of the most recent guests on the Fairway to Heaven podcast, hosted by Su-Ann Heng and Jerry Foltz and dedicated to following LIV Golf. Among other topics, Niemann talked about the changes in his team.
This is part of what Joaquin Niemann had to say on the podcast:
"It was a hard decision obviously, we have won four last season. So it's kind of hard to have a new team knowing that we did so well during the season. And Carlos also has been playing amazing golf. He finished pretty up there on the player ranking.
And obviously David [Puig] is a great player and he's becoming a great player. And I think he will be one of the best golfers. I mean he has the right attitude, he has the fire inside and I think Sergio will hoping a lot to develop that to have a better game."
Carlos Ortiz played the 2023 season for the Fireballs GC captained by Sergio Garcia. The Mexican was the best placed of his team in the individual ranking at the end of the season, finishing 15th. His performance included four Top 10s in the 13 individual events of the season.
Joaquin Niemann's Torque GC, meanwhile, finished the season ranked third in the team standings. They won four tournaments (Orlando, DC, Andalucia and Greenbrier), and were in the Top 8 in nine of the remaining 10.
What does 2024 look like for Joaquin Niemann's Torque GC?
Carlos Ortiz joins Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz on the Torque GC. If individual results are maintained at a similar level to last season, the team should remain among the best on the LIV Golf circuit.
Niemann himself was the worst placed of the players repeating from one season to the next (21st). The Chilean told Fairway to Heaven that he had not played his best golf, with a seventh place and three other Top 10s as his best results.
However, Niemann wasted no time during the postseason and won the DP World Tour's Australian Open. This was his first professional victory since winning the 2022 Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour.
Pereira was the Torque GC's top player during 2023. He finished ranked 8th, with six Top 10s, including one second and one third place finish. He also finished outside the Top 20 in only three tournaments.
Muñoz, meanwhile, also did very well and finished 11th, with a second place and four other Top 10s as his best results.