TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Joaquin Niemann spent his youth growing up in Chile trying to follow in the footsteps of Mito Pereira, who didn’t exactly make it easy the way he kept winning prestigious amateur golf events in the U.S. and Scotland and points in between.
Niemann sure did a nice job following Pereira’s path in the opening round of the PGA Championship.
Two of a record six Latin American players in the field, Neimann and Pereira each shot rounds of 2-under 70 at Southern Hills, leaving them just three shots back of leader Rory McIlroy heading into Friday’s second round.
“I remember when I was probably 12, 13, and he was probably a couple years older, and he would win everything in Chile,” Niemann recalled. “He would come to the States and play the Junior World, and I think he won that, too. For me and all my friends that we, like, grew up playing together, seeing Mito, it was like, ‘Oh, there’s Mito.’ He was impressive.”
Pereira stepped away from the game for a while before coming back to it, and now he’s playing better than ever. He made four birdies during his round Thursday, including three in a span of five holes on the back side.
“It’s nice to see on the first page two Chilean flags,” Niemann said, “and a Mexican flag, too.”
Niemann may not believe it, but Pereira admitted Thursday that he always knew who was chasing him growing up.
“Yeah, I think it was mutual. We both kept feeding each other,” he said of Niemann. “Obviously he got here first. I turned pro first, I got to the Latin American, Korn Ferry (tours) first, so it was like we were all trying to feed each other. And then when he got up here and just played amazing golf, you just see how close it is to get here.”
There is a rich history of Latin American players in professional golf, but few have contended in major championships. And only two, both from Argentina, have won: Roberto De Vicenzo by two shots over Jack Nicklaus in the 1967 British Open at Hoylake, and Angel…
Source : yahoo
