No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 380: Joaquín Niemann

Episode Date: November 25, 2020

Joaquín Niemann arrived quickly on the PGA Tour scene. We chat about growing up in Chile, what golf is like at home, learning from his early trips to the United States, playing against Tiger in the Presidents Cup, how Ernie Els helped his team strategize, his cousin's life that he's trying to save, and a lot more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ladies and Better than most. Expect anything different. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No Laying Up podcast. Solly here. Hope everyone is having safe travels around this Thanksgiving period. We have a good interview here coming up with Joaquin Neiman. Still can't believe this guy is 22 years old. I feel like he's been on PGA tour for about eight years now. Touch on his background coming from Chile,

how he got into competitive golf and a president's cup, real Melbourne, Augusta, all kinds of stuff. You guys are really going to enjoy that. Our friends at precision pro golf are starting their, their black Friday deals early this year. You all know this,

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All right. Admittedly, I have no idea what the golf landscape is like in Chile. I know I did. There's a PGA Tour video that it looked like they came down there and spent some time with you and your family, and that was helpful. But I think a lot of the listeners probably feel the same. So tell me about your background in golf. I know it's not a long story.

You're 22 years old, but how did you get into golf and where you are today? Yeah, so I started playing golf because my dad was playing golf just like weekends, like just for fun. And I was lucky enough to live like really close to a golf course. So every time I finish school, I'll go to the golf course until it gets dark. Since I was probably like two or three years old, I always walk around my house with a golf club, play with plastic clubs. And that's how I started. I mean, I never stopped playing since then. And I think every time I played, the more I enjoyed it. Well, it seems like for a lot of top players, the story from everyone that grows up with them

and their parents was, you know, oh, he was a natural, she was a natural. But sometimes I can kind of glance over a lot of the work that goes into it. So were you really as much of a natural. But sometimes I can kind of glance over a lot of the work that goes into it. So were you really as much of a natural at golf as your parents say you were? Yeah, it was funny because so when I was probably like two years old, it wasn't like my dad gave me, hey, here you got golf clubs. And now come on and start swinging. It wasn't like that. It was more like some random gift he gave me.

It was like three plastic clubs. I got a picture. It was like playing on the backyard of my house with carrying the bag. And it was just a random gift I have for my dad. And I don't know how I started swinging the club from nowhere. I'm just swinging the club all the time. and my father was like looking at me like oh he he can swing and i haven't teaching anything like he just grabbed the club and started swinging so that was kind of funny and he noticed that i i enjoyed it and i like it and he started taking me

out to the course well what's the competitive landscape like for a junior golfer uh in chile and and when did you start traveling the world for golf competition? And what was that experience like? Yeah, in Chile, so Chile has been good the last couple of years. I remember when I started playing. Because it's different the way we play there than we play here because every tournament they have in every club is bigger because we play with professionals, we play

with every kind of category. On the same week they got seniors, they got ladies playing and also the professionals. When you're 14 or 15 and you know that you can play good and you want to dedicate your life for golf, and you're playing against professionals, that's a lot of motivation for us because we want to beat them. I think the main thing about Chile that is good is that we play a lot with professionals. I think that doesn't happen in all the countries around South America.

I think that's the best part we got in Chile. Yeah, that's interesting because there's not, as far as I know, you're the only Chilean player on the PGA Tour. And I was just, I was wondering, you know, just how competitiveness among juniors is what is going to drive you to be better, right? If you were the best player around you and there was no one to, you know, to push you, to drive you to be better, there's, I would venture to say it'd be a lot less likelihood that you would end up in in the spot that you are today but that's that's interesting that uh that you know you tee it up with you know professionals and whatnot did you have anyone that you looked up to especially in chile or anywhere around the

world that was especially a role model for your game yeah so in chile yeah the only thing i wanted to it was win like the whole tournament uh me against the professionals and i think when i was 15 it was my first tournament i won 15 or 16 that i beat a professional in in a playoff so i think that was like really special for me uh it was a nice moment and yeah i mean mean, it's kind of different because it's not like a thing coming to the States and play like junior tournaments is tougher. But being back home, playing with professionals is like getting that win, playing, I guess, professional. It was nice.

When did you start, I guess, traveling the world for junior tournaments? And what do you remember about that time period and what you learned? I remember my first tournament, it was the Junior War, Junior Callaway War, I think it was called back then. I was probably like nine years old. Yeah, I mean, I was nervous.

Yeah, I didn't play great. It was my first experience out, and I got to say I was really nervous. Well, did you, I guess when you came back home did it was I know you're nine years old but was the picture I guess a lot more clear for you as to what you needed to improve on and you know playing with other juniors that were around your skill level was there uh was there something to learn from that I think it took me like a lot of time to like figure out my game outside Chile like I used to play when I was 9, 10 or until 13. I was playing great back in Chile. But every time I came here to the States,

I was coming probably one time a year for the summer here and I would play one or two tournaments. I never played great coming up here I was nervous like I was spectating too much for myself like I was putting too much pressure on me you know and probably when I was like 13 14 I started I think I won a tournament it was called like the Optimist that they do in Palm Beach and it it is not like a a huge tournament but it was something really special for me because it was my first victory outside from Chile. So I think after that, I started getting a lot of confidence in my game and traveling and being myself. I think after that win, it helped me a lot to grow up a lot and start playing a lot better outside South America. You probably learned a lot from the adversity, too,

of some of the tournaments you didn't play great in and the nerves that came with that. I'm sure there was some learning experiences that came with that. So what's Chilean support like for you? What's the level of fame in your home country like? Yeah, so there is a junior league that is called the Gold Faction. It's for people under 18 years old. I remember every time I came to the States, it was because of the Gold Faction. You have to qualify to be the number one ranked junior player. Every time I finished first, they gave me an invite to come here

to the States and I got into one or two tournaments sometimes. It was hard but of course they didn't pay you to come here so I had to figure it out by myself. My family had to figure out how to get the flights and all that stuff. And yeah, I mean, it was also from the Chilean Federation. There was a lot of help in between, but yeah, I mean, I had to pay some of my stuff, which it was hard a little bit for my dad, but yeah, we always figured out a way to come here and play and get experience. Yeah. I was kind of going more towards, you know, what do you feel as far as, you know, when you're playing in professional tournaments even today and when you go back to Chile, how big of a rock star are you back in Chile? In the video, it looked pretty cool, the excitement of your family when you're going back home and whatnot. But is it a big deal? And are people gathering around TVs to watch you back home?

around TVs to watch you back home yeah is is yeah every time I go back is is a little bit different uh of course every time I go to a golf course where I play include Apollo uh all the people that I go through they are like hey how are you how was it congratulations I'm not alone they start talking to me and I mean I mean it's fine but I like more when like young people like kids like 10 years old kids come up to me and like hey like ask me any question I I enjoy I really enjoy doing that like helping out them uh sometimes I play with them we go to the putting together we hit some balls together and like being around kids I I really enjoy myself. I mean, I'm still a kid, so I like playing with them. But yeah, I mean, the only thing I don't like a little bit is when like older people like start talking to me like,

hey, what are you doing with this and blah, blah, blah. And what happened in this store? So that's kind of boring a little bit. But yeah, I mean, it's fine. It's part of the thing. Do the older people try to give you advice on things? Nah, sometimes they're asking me like some random questions that I don't like. it's part of the thing. Do the older people try to give you advice on things? No. Sometimes they're asking me some random

questions that I don't like. It's just that. Your path to the PGA Tour, I guess, were you expecting to make it so quickly? Was college golf ever a thought for you? When did you realize you had the game

to turn professional, especially at such a young age? So, yeah, I was trying to figure out if I wanted to go to school or just turn pro. And, yeah, I mean, I remember when I finished high school, I qualified for the U.S. Open in Erring Hills. And that was the moment I realized after that week that I just wanted to play golf and I didn't want to go to school. And also, I have good opportunities, good offers.

So I think if I was going to college, there were more to lose than to win. So I just decided to turn pro uh get my chances uh i got lucky enough that i got a really good agent carlos and he gave me a lot of sponsoring by also through sergio that sergio helped me a lot to get into a lot of tournaments so uh yeah i mean just yeah like you say it was it was really quick i didn't know it was going to be that quick i thought it was going to be that quick. I thought it was going to be... I mean, I got to say, I never thought I was going to make it through the first time to the PA Tour.

My main goal was to qualify for the Tour Finals on the Comfury. And yeah, I mean, after I played a couple of good tournaments, I realized I was really close to get my car. So it was something really special. Yeah, I'd say, I mean, the class of guys that, uh, that earned special temporary membership through, you know, most people know this, but you get seven unrestricted, you know, sponsor exemptions that you can use in a year and you got to earn enough points to basically be 125th on the FedEx cup list. And you were, you were able to do that, that very quickly, your first PGA tour event, or I guess your first professional event,

I want to know what was the most like, hey, welcome to professional, even when you're an amateur, welcome to professional golf moment, somebody you saw on the range, something you saw. There has to be – you couldn't have been playing it cool that first time out there. What sticks out to you from that week? out there what was the what sticks out to you from that week yeah i mean i think i was more nervous like from monday to thursday morning like i i was like oh man how's it gonna feel to play as a professional and like doing me this type of question like is gonna be different playing for money playing for a living like get the pressure of getting my car and getting a job.

I was on Thursday on the tee and I was like, it's the same thing. I've got to hit the ball, I've got to do the same swing. I'm just playing with long pants. It's the only difference. So after I played the first hole, I was i mean it doesn't feel any much different um yeah i mean i i played great that week so it was i think i think playing great the first week as a professional gave me a lot of confidence for for the next events a quick break here to remind you it is not too early to start gift shopping for the holidays especially because today you can save big on a gift you're going to

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Was there anyone, like who would have been the person that you would have been the most nervous to be around, either to have played with or walk by on the range, or if they're watching you hit balls on the range, you would have been nervous to be around? Who's someone that at that age would have made you nervous? Probably, yeah, probably playing around Tiger, I think. I think the first time I saw Tiger was at Memorial.

It was like my third or fourth tournament, which it was a good experience. I remember I was playing great. I was almost on the last group on Sunday. And, I mean, I could hear that Tiger was, I don't know, like 10 groups in front, but I could hear that Tiger was like 10 groups in front but I could hear everything. I was like, oh Jesus, that's loud and all the people following him.

But I think Sergio helped me a lot to get that pressure off. Know him before I turned pro, I was able to play with him before and and and now how good they are and also know that I can like I can be here you know yeah I was actually at that memorial uh that year and I remember watching you tee off on the 10th hole one time I'd never seen you hit a ball in person and it just struck out to me immediately and it shines through on tv and I'm sure you hear a lot about how low you hit the ball and I'm just curious has that always been the case and is that something that you know you you were aware of growing up or is there any special reason why you would hit the ball low in Chile or do you I guess think about it that at all no it was yeah it's funny because at the

beginning that shot is giving me a lot of confidence when I'm a little bit nervous and I need to hit the fairway. I'll hit that shot. I remember when I started playing as a professional I used that shot a lot. But now during the time I've been using it less. I've been using more the high draw. I'm just trying to hit it farther. But yeah, I still have that shot. I feel really confident when I hit it.

And it's, yeah, I mean, it's like my go-to shot. That's what I was curious, and I was looking back at the highlights from when you won at Greenbrier. Every now and then, that 41-foot apex driver shot comes out. And I was just, it's just interesting because of how, you know, different the game appear, the direction the game appears to be heading seems to be, you know, track man, and everyone's telling you hit it high, hit it high, hit it high. And I'm wondering if, you know, as you were transitioning from amateur into pro, if anybody came along and said,

hey, you could hit it this much further if you hit it higher or it, but I think to what you just said, though, it's interesting how you've prioritized accuracy. But I'm wondering if that has evolved at all over the years. Yeah, I remember when I played in firm courses, that ball goes a long way. I mean, I can probably carry like 270 and it runs. It depends on the fairway, but sometimes when they're firm, for example a green

briar they they run a lot so sometimes it's not that short but yeah i mean normally i've been preferring just carrying more with the high draw sometimes i got bankers around or when it's tight i'm like all right i mean it doesn't matter i'm just gonna hit the the high draw and at the beginning i was probably i don't know if i was a little bit more scared or no, but probably I prefer just to hit that low one and be more confident with me and knowing that I'm going to hit the fairway. But now it's more like, I feel like I feel better around the course right now. And I just, I just hit that shot that I like more and it's been pretty good lately. So I like it. Do you feel, I guess, where do you feel most comfortable, like firm and fast conditions or when it's softer?

Yeah, I like when it's firm. I mean, I know that I don't hit it really high also with the irons, so, I mean, also it's hard to me to stop a ball on the green when I'm like a 5-iron and they're firm because I don't hit it like really high but yeah i mean i like playing with firm conditions i think it's more fun and i'm playing around the green or hitting wedges from 120 yards is is is is good to see that like bouncing around the green i think that's more fun yeah i mean i find it interesting you know obviously when it's firm

your driver is going to run out a lot more but But like you said, it's harder to hold greens if you hit it low. And I want to talk a little about Royal Melbourne and the President's Cup. You know, you have it's interesting. You didn't have the most success at Royal Melbourne yet at the same time at Olympia Fields this year, which was, you know, very firm and fast. You finished third. And I want to talk a lot about Royal Melbourne but first off well I would say did you learn anything in particular from that week that helped you in later situations when it is going to be firm and fast yeah more than the course it was more like the atmosphere and like the like getting that that amount of pressure it was one of those weeks that I mean the whole week

was like really intense and the course at Royal Melbourne was unbelievable I mean I the whole week was like really intense. And the course at Royal Melbourne was unbelievable. I mean, I think it's one of my favorite right now. And it is a lot of strategy. I remember Ernie was telling us, like, don't hit many drivers. You got to positionate the ball like on the right side. And it was more like a smart play. And yeah, I think it was different course. I mean, I remember in chicago

you just hit driver everywhere and every bunker was like three or three or five three ten carry so i was trying to hit it as hard as i can and he was going straight to which is which it was really good that week well i want to unpack some of that then because uh i i am a i love when professional golfers especially have to play some kind of strategy, and you just outlined it perfectly there. Ernie telling you not to hit drivers, whereas Olympia Fields just gives you the right-of-way to just hit drivers all over the place. What are some of the examples from Royal Melbourne that you remember as far as strategy? Because I think back to that very first hole and seeing how the strategy on that hole changed

from session to session based on where the pin was you know some days it made sense to hit a driver way down there but you know if the pin was tucked on the right maybe it made sense to hit more of an iron off of it what kind of an influence did did ernie that did ernie as the captain have on on that decision making and uh what did you i guess learn about that as the as the week went on? The good thing is that when we were on the course, there were four captains. They were telling us, you better hit it here because the group in front was here.

It was tough for this pin. We always talk about it a little bit before the round, where it was better to hit it. I think we created a good strategy from the tee. It didn't depend on every pin where it was better to hit it. I think we created a good strategy from the tee on depending on every pin where it was. Probably if I would go there again, I'd probably be a little bit more aggressive of the tee. I like being more aggressive of the tee,

but it was a special week where I had to listen to the captain. Well, yeah. From what I gather, at least one of your teammates maybe had some issues listening to the captain, you know? Well, yeah. I mean, from what I gather, there were at least one of your teammates maybe had some issues kind of listening to the captain. Do you have any idea what I'm referring to? I don't remember. Which one?

I think we'd heard some rumors that Haotong Li was maybe a bit too aggressive with the driver, and that didn't sit very well with Ernie yeah Haddon yeah it was funny Haddon is a really funny guy I was laughing the whole week with him

just the way he talks the way he say things it was really funny but yeah I mean I don't think there was like something like off of him like Ernie didn't like it I think it was just something I don't know I mean he was don't think there was like something like off of him. Like Ernie didn't like it. I think it was just something. I don't know. I mean, he was, he wasn't like really much into it or I say, or I don't know.

I'm not sure. I mean, it was, it was different. Yeah. Well, I mean, so what's it like for your first match? What was your reaction? I guess when you see that, you know, one, you're gonna be paired with Mark Leishman and two, your first match, first one off at the President's Cup, you're going up against Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas.

The first name, of course, the one I'm focusing on the most. So, I mean, what was that excitement and nerve level like going into that opening match? Yeah, I remember they were doing the matches on the morning, I think. Yeah, I remember Ernie told me that, yeah, you're going to play with Leish, and I want wanted to go first because Marc is from Australia and I wanted to get the crowd going. I was like, yeah, perfect. Leitch is a really good guy. I love playing with him. It's easy to play with him. I was telling

Ernie, yeah, sure, I'll go first with Leitch. Then they put Tiger and JT. I was telling 20 like yeah sure i'll go first with with leash and then they put tiger and jt i was like oh yeah i mean at the beginning i was like oh this is gonna be fun and then i got to the tea it was i was a little bit nervous i gotta say i was yeah i think it was my more more nervous t on the first tee i hit an awful shot but yeah it was it was fine after the first hole i played great and yeah i mean tiger played. After the first hole, I played great. And yeah, Tiger played awesome that day, I remember. Had you played with Tiger before in any other PGA Tour events? No, that was my first time. I remember I played just once here in Jupiter,

but just like a random day, you know, but it wasn't like a tournament. He's in a different mood. He's more serious. Yeah, he was extra dialed in that week. So what's the aura, I guess, like? I mean, I imagine it's kind of weird. It's a home event for you and your team,

even though you're obviously not from Australia. But I also get the sense that Tiger, even in Ryder Cups, carries this kind of... People are still cheering for him, even if they're rooting for the international team. I feel like people still want to see Tiger succeed. Could you sense any of that out there? And what was it like going up against him in competition? Yeah, I mean, the crowd in Australia, it was good. I mean, it wasn't like unfriendly with the America team. I mean, I've never been to a President's Cup in America, but I haven't heard great things.

They were telling me, like, yeah, it's tough, they're really rude. I mean, it makes sense. I mean, it's those type of events that, I mean, it is what it is. And you got to have fun and the crowd is going to be like that, of course, because you're in America. But yeah, I mean, it was, yeah, when you see Tiger playing great, I mean, nobody is, like, against him. I mean, Tiger is Tiger.

I think, for me, he's the best player in history. Yeah, I mean, the crowd in Australia, they were always clapping with him when he hit a good shot and when he was on the tee. So, yeah, it was fun to watch. Well, I got to ask, at one point, there's a point in your match against Tiger where he's stalking a putt and it almost looked like you were maybe a bit annoyed or maybe at how long he was taking.

And you made kind of like a motion, like a circular motion with your hand as if Tiger needed to speed up. And the cameras showed whatever that motion was. Did I read that motion right? Was that what you were referring to? No, no, no. I never tried to do anything to anyone.

It was just a caption that made a lot of sense. But no, I was just talking to myself maybe or doing some, I don't know. But no, it wasn't the case. Okay. I was going to say that would be quite the daring move for someone up against Tiger like that. But it really did look like that. I tweeted out something about it. Yeah, it really did look like that.

But yeah, no, I would never do that. Okay. It's a lot better story if it is something that you would have done. But that makes a little more sense than the other one. But what is it, I guess? We touched on it. But what did you think of Royal Melbourne as a test for professional golfers I mean as a fan that was as engaged as I've ever been watching strategy and watching shots unfold and had you

been to Australia before that or played any of those courses and what did you think of it? No it was my first time and it was I mean I really enjoyed myself there because playing that course it was so much fun because you gotta hit every every every shot you got I mean you gotta hit it high you gotta hit it low you gotta hit it left to right right to left and you gotta hit every kind of shot from the tee and from from from the fairway to the green and yeah I remember playing with Tiger that first day he he was playing also I mean he was I like like the way he hits the iris from the fairway to the green. I mean, every time it was right to left wind,

he would hit it like straight at the pin and cutting and like playing against the wind. And it was, yeah, it was beautiful. Is there anything that you've played in professionally that kind of compares to that in any way? I mean, I know Augusta National is designed by Alistair McKenzie as is Royal Melbourne, but it plays, I imagine, much differently. But anything that you've experienced anywhere in the

world that would compare to that? Yeah, I mean, now that you say it's kind of similar with Augusta, but it plays like really different because it's different type of grass, different because it's different type of grass, different weather. But, yeah, I mean, you got to hit it both ways, and the greens are with a lot of elevation and movement, which is kind of the same. But, yeah, I mean, Roy and Melvin plays three or five times faster and harder than the Masters. What kind of backtracking a little bit here and talking about,

I know we've kind of danced around and talking about your first win, which came at the, uh, at the Greenbrier last year. What was it like, you know, this wasn't your first time in contention for, for a win,

but what was it like kind of playing with the lead and trying to close that out compared to any other golf experiences you've had? Yeah, it was an amazing week. I, yeah, it was, it was the whole week was awesome i i really liked that place i've been it was my third time there i remember i played my first tournament my first like normal pa tour event as an amateur i played there and then it was where i got my my card from my tour my tour card and then where i got my first win so it was where I got my card, my tour card,

and then where I got my first win. So it's a really amazing place, which I love. And yeah, I mean, I just remember playing on Sunday, the back nine, and I just think about that and it's amazing. What do you think about at that point in your career? Are you thinking, what's the about at that point in your career? Are you thinking what's the, what's the biggest prize that comes with winning that? Are you,

you know, I love a story of somebody who hasn't made a lot of money yet on the PGA tour, winning a lot of money. Obviously the status that comes with it, you know, the locking that up for a couple of years. What,

what are you most nervous about coming down the stretch? No, I mean, I wasn't thinking like too many stuff playing on the back nine. I remember I was so much into my game, so much into getting the shot I wanted to. Everything was so quick during that back nine. I was really into every shot.

I was feeling every shot. It was amazing. I wasn't thinking. I remember I was feeling every shot. So it was amazing. Like I wasn't thinking on, I mean, I remember I was on 18 and I have no idea how, what was my score, you know? So it was kind of those rounds where you don't even know what your score is. I was, yeah, I was enjoying so much that every shot that I, I just took everything away from my mind. And then when I realized that I was on the green on 18, I was like, oh, Jesus.

Well, you know, I don't know how to get to this next topic, really. It's obviously been a tough couple weeks for you here, starting with, you know, from that win, you're obviously eligible for the 2020 Masters, which gets delayed from April into November. And then yourself and Sergio both were the two people that came down with positive COVID tests before the Masters. Is it any easier to kind of accept that knowing that you're already in another Masters that's just a few months away? Yeah, it was hard at the first time.

But yeah, I mean, it was hard because I was feeling that I was playing one of my best golf. I was hitting the ball great. I was hitting great of the tee. I was putting great. So I was like really prepared and looking forward for that week. But yeah, I mean, I mean, it wasn't hard also to stay home and just, I mean, obviously I didn't feel great for like three or four days. So I had to stay on bed. But yeah, I mean, after that, I was like, nah, I mean, it's fine.

I'm going to be back in April. So yeah, I mean, it wasn't that hard, but yeah, I mean, it hurt a little bit. Yeah. Well, hopefully you've got many, many, many more years to come playing. This would have been your first one as a professional, and I want to talk about your first experience in it. But were you able to trace back where you got the virus from? Yeah. So I was here at my house and I was, it was my mom here. It was my brother, my sister, and one friend, and I was playing golf and I invite another friend that was, that lives close by and we play. then we came to my house and did like a barbecue and then he left

and like two or three days after he takes me like hey i i don't feel great i'm gonna do the test and blah blah and he did the test and he went positive and i'm like oh jesus and i went there on monday of houston to do the test on the morning and i and i tested negative which i thought it was weird because i wasn't feeling great on monday so i said like nah i mean it can be because i wasn't feeling great i was a little bit sore and and i came back and did it again and then i tested positive and i was like yeah this makes more sense well was it did you watch much of it on television? No, not really because I was so much looking forward to getting out of the house

that when the Masters started, I was able to go out of my house on Friday at the Masters. So I spent the whole day for those three days outside. I just couldn't wait to go outside and play golf. So you won the Latin American Amateur which got you in the Masters into 2018. What was it like? What was your first Masters experience like? What was it like playing as an amateur?

Did you stay at the Crow's Nest and do all that? It's just a dream for everyone to experience that and I love asking people about their first time there. Yeah, the Crow's Nest was amazing. It was a dream for everyone to experience that, and I love asking people about their first time there. Yeah, the Cronus was amazing. It was a cool experience being around with all the members here at the amateur dinner on Monday.

It was a lot of fun. It was funny because there were more than 200 people there, and it was like five or six amateurs. They always pick one amateur to to say like a little speech like saying thank you and we're happy to be here and for like one person to say for all the amateurs and they pick the only guy that doesn't speak english of course and they pick me and they say like hey you say some words. And that was before the dinner. And I was the entire dinner so nervous, like practicing what I'm going to say. Like, oh, my God, it was bad.

But, yeah, I mean, I remember I saw a member the other day and he was like, yeah, I remember the speech. I mean, he said it was great. So hopefully it was great. Well, what is your experience with English? When did you learn it as a kid? You obviously speak it very well, but was that always the case? Yeah, I went to a school back in Chile where they do both. I mean, almost every class I did was in English, but I wasn't very good at school, so I never got to learn it too much. learn it so too much you know but yeah i mean i think i learned more like traveling and being around people that speak english i think at the beginning it's hard to to to speak because you're

a little bit afraid like it's not gonna sound great or you're gonna talk i don't know nothing or you're at the beginning i think you're a little bit scared but then you get a little bit more confidence and you just don't care what you say. That's what, you know, some people will, you know, say like, you know, why does so-and-so need a translator? You know, he speaks English, why does he need a translator? But I imagine, like you said, there's just a fear of one, saying something wrong, two, misunderstanding a question and just being self-conscious of, you know, how you sound. That's why I always, you know, respect the people. When people are willing to try English when it's stepping out of their comfort zone,

that's something that I'm sure a lot of people kind of struggle with back and forth. That's the first thing you went for when you talk about going for your speech, so I find that interesting. Yeah, it was hard at the beginning, but now, yeah, it's fine. Now they all mess with me like,

hey, I can understand you but just joking so it's fine well who did you seek anybody out for practice rounds at Augusta that first year did you get to who did you play with and what were some cool experiences I played with

I think on Tuesday I played with the Spanish guys with Sergio, Rafa and La Razabal, which was a lot of fun because we speak a lot of Spanish. And then I played with Sergio again. I played with Brandon Grace, and I don't know who else we played with. But, yeah, I mean, also at the U.S. Open, I played with Roddy,

which was a lot of fun. Well, and a story emerged this past week about your cousin and fundraising efforts you're making to help with a very expensive injection that will hopefully save his life. I'm wondering if you could share some of the details of that story and maybe how people could get involved with your efforts as well if they're interested. Yeah, the last couple of days I've been posting a lot of Rafita. Rafita is really close from me.

He's just one month old. He was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy. So it's a really rare disease. It's really rare. The odds of getting that kind of disease is like one out of 10,000. And it's really uncommon. And to get the cure, the only medicine that you can get is the more expensive medicine in the world that is almost like 2.1 million. So, yeah, I mean, so I'm trying to help him out to get his medicine.

Also, back in Chile, I got all my brothers that are helping out. They created an Instagram that is called Salvemos Rafita. They've been getting more than 10,000 followers right now, which is really amazing. I mean, it's amazing to see how many people has been helping out because it's i mean it's really expensive medicine and to get to that amount of money is really hard i mean any family in chile cannot afford that and so yeah i mean i also last week i was donating 5 000 for every birdie and 10 000 for every eagle that I made during the week and also my prize money. So, yeah, I mean, I've just been trying to help him out,

and it would be awesome to get the cure as soon as possible because, I mean, he needed it, and it's the only way that he can survive and is still alive, you know? Yeah. I have it here. and Steve is still alive, you know? Yeah, I have it here. You were contributing $152,450 just from your prize money and your birdies and eagles that you made this past week.

So it's wild. The timeline of the story is what's especially wild to me and how tight the timeline is and yeah, how expensive it is. I've never even heard of anything like this. Which is more amazing, I mean, other than like trying to get the money. It's amazing to see all the support from all the guys. I mean, I've been here for like just two years and I haven't, like I haven't get to know every one of them, but it's crazy the amount

of support that I've been getting from all the guys from TOUR. It's amazing. I don't know if Rafita is going to make it or not, but hopefully he does. Because it's a lot of money, but just knowing that I got the support from all the guys is really amazing. And also from all over the world, there's a lot of people that has been helping out i got i did a go follow me on on my instagram to try to get all the money so yeah i mean more than 2 000 people has been donating which is really really really amazing and yeah i mean just know that i got all the support from all those people is is really special yeah Who are some of your closer friends out there?

Either that you've known for a long time or friends you've maybe made on the PGA Tour. The main guys that I play practice round with and it's all the Latin guys. I play a lot with Carlos that he just won, which was amazing to watch. And also with Sebastian. Now that Camilo is back on tour and he played

great last week too, it's nice to be around him because I remember I grew up watching him on TV which was amazing and now I'm able to also play with him and I played a couple of times with him also here in Jupiter. There's a lot of guys, Sergio, Johnny Vegas. Yeah, it's a really, really nice group we got on all the Latins. How did you end up in Jupiter? How long have you lived there, and why did you choose to live there? I've been here since I turned pro for a little more than two years. And, yeah, I remember I came here once with a friend that lives here in Jupiter.

And, yeah, I mean, I always heard that there are really good golf courses and all the guys live here. Also Florida is one of my favorite places in the States. It's also easy to fly back to Chile from Miami that is just an hour away. I think that's why I choose Florida. I'm right next to the ocean, which I like too. So yeah, I like it here. It's amazing. Just the gravitational pull that place seems to have for professional golfers. It grows bigger and bigger and bigger. It's all the, a lot of the biggest names and a lot of, you know, many tour guys and everyone seems to be going there. Where

do you, where do you play most of your golf down there? What kind of games do you get in down there? be going there where do you where do you play most of your golf down there what kind of games do you get in down there yeah i so i started being member at diapreserve where there's a lot of guys there it's curry corners and long and i also joined medalist a couple months ago which is nice with a lot of guys there and i got a friend from chile also there is hugo leon and that i play a lot of golf with him so yeah it's nice There is a good group around here. You said you played with Tiger out there. Was it at Medalist? And was that just kind of a random accident that happened one day?

Or how did you end up playing with him? Yeah, I was there. And then I was with Hugo. And, yeah, he was like, yeah, yeah, let's go and play. And we played a couple holes. From where I'm sitting, I mean, your game has obviously translated well to the professional scene. You've won at such a young age.

How would you kind of assess how your transition has gone, and what do you see as areas that you need to improve in? I'm looking at your ball-striking stats are fantastic. Your putting seems to be pretty solid. Where do you see your best opportunity to get even better? Yeah, I think it's not more like about that. I mean, it's just try to get everything together on the same week. And I think that's when you win out here on tour

because you got to have every part of your game on your 100% to have a chance to win. So, yeah, I mean, I've been feeling great with my whole game. I think it's been getting more consistent during the time, which is good. And, yeah, I mean, I just feel that I need to be patient and wait for my week. Do you have a favorite stop yet on tour? It can be for food reasons. It can be for weather.

It can be for golf course. It can be for hospitality. What are some of the highlights of the tour season for you? Yeah, I got to say Hawaii was one of my favorites. Yeah, that's easy. I mean, more than just being out there, it was beautiful. Anything you've learned, I guess, from planning, scheduling, and everything? Did you overdo it early in your year?

Did you want to play more tournaments? I feel like every pro kind of goes through some kind of learning experience when it comes to scheduling and traveling and things like that i'm wondering if you've gone through that yeah it's hard to get a scare because every time and i was looking at the other day like what tournaments i want to play and there's so many tournaments that they're so good and i'm like oh man i wanted to play everything you know it's got to be hard to take weeks off you know when there's so many opportunities like this yeah I mean there's so many good places good golf courses good fields so yeah it's hard it's really hard to decide and

sometimes not play one of your favorite events because you want to play I don't know like you're planning your strategy for for the whole. But yeah, I mean, it's hard, but at the minute, they think that you got to rest sometimes also. So yeah, I mean, it's hard to do a good schedule. Do you have a rule of, you know, I won't play this many weeks in a row? And have you ever kind of overdone it a little bit? Probably, I'll say that my max will be like three weeks. I think sometimes last year I did need to play a little bit more because I wasn't playing great for a time. So I decided to play a little bit more and just keep going. But yeah, I mean, after that, I learned that I don't need more than three weeks.

Do most of the guys that fly come to and from Jupiter? How often do you fly private versus flying commercial? Or do you ever hitch a ride back on some of the guys that have their own planes? How often does that ever happen, if at all? No, I mean, not many times. Just a couple of times I got lucky enough to get into somebody's plane.

But yeah, which it was unbelievable. So yeah, I mean, I think there is nothing better than flying private. I mean, it's so easy, especially when you work out of your house and you got to travel a lot. I mean, I think it's the best thing that you can do. I mean, just you will have more days off, but yeah, I mean, there's not many, many times, hopefully near the future. Well, you know, it's, it's, I remember hearing Billy Horschel kind of explain the value in flying private. It might sound really expensive, even to a player as young as you, but if it saves you one shot over the course of a month, the fact that you were able to get in your own bed

and get there in time, is that how you look at it, I guess, at all? Yeah, that kind of makes sense. I mean, I remember Sergio told me that uh for one year flying private he who probably have more like probably like two like three weeks more off so which is really amazing like if he starts flying normal flights he will have like three less weeks of like off which is a lot yeah all right joaquin we're gonna let you go, man. Really appreciate you jumping on here, and best of luck in the Masters next year. We look forward to watching you tee it up there, and can't wait to see what's next for

you, but we'll have to do this again sometime. Thanks for coming on. Yeah, perfect. Thank you, Chris. It was fun. Cheers. Be the right club. Be the right club today.

Yes! Be the right club. Be the right club today. Johnny, that's better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most! Expect anything different?