JOAQUIN NIEMANN WINS MARK H McCORMACK MEDAL AS No 1 AMATEUR

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, 18, has won the Mark H McCormack Medal as the leading men’s player in the 2017 World Amateur Golf Ranking™ (WAGR™).

Niemann becomes the first player from South America to win the McCormack Medal since the inception of WAGR™ in 2007.

Niemann said, "I am very honoured to receive the prestigious 2017 Mark H McCormack medal. Thank you to The R&A and the USGA for this important award."

A 2016 Rolex Junior All-America First-Team selection, Niemann started this year with a joint runner-up finish in the third Latin America Amateur Championship as his compatriot Toto Gana won the three-man play-off.

He made several appearances in professional events in 2017, including the US Open and the Greenbrier Classic, where he posted a five-under-par total of 275 that included a 64 in the final round. He won three professional events in Chile.

Niemann also won consecutive events in April; the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior at Innisbrook and the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development at The RandA, said, “Joaquin is a thoroughly deserving winner of the McCormack Medal and I wish to congratulate him on an excellent season. It’s wonderful to see another talented young golfer emerge from South America to compete on the global stage and we look forward to welcoming Joaquin to Carnoustie for The 147^th Open next year.”