Joaquin Niemann has issued his verdict on Aronimink after putting himself in a strong position to make only his second ever top 10 in a major championship.
Niemann was one of the players who managed to make the most of the favourable conditions earlier on Saturday.
The Chilean posted a 66 in the third round of the PGA Championship to move to two under par for the week. He looks set to start Sunday just outside the top 10 in Philadelphia.
Joaquin Niemann comments on the set-up at Aronimink for the PGA Championship
Of course, there has been so much talk about the set-up at Aronimink this week. Heading into the second major of the year, many were assuming that the winning score would be closer to 20 under par than level.
However, some tricky weather conditions, coupled with some truly brutal pin placements have ensured that no one has been able to get away from the rest of the field.
Speaking after his third round, Niemann outlined how much the pin positions have caught him off guard this week.
“It’s a tough course. It’s a tough course. It’s really tough. The rough is brutal. I mean, you want to be on the fairway every time, so every tee shot is like you must hit the fairway so you can score,” he said.
“Then the second shot is also the same. You’ve got to peripherally know what’s going on on the greens, where the uphill putt is, try to leave yourself that. And there’s some pin placements that are pretty crazy that we never thought they were going to put them, but they did. So, yeah, we had to play with it.
“I feel like it’s just try to miss the best you can in a way, so yeah.”
Niemann explains how an early bogey helped him on Saturday at the PGA Championship
Niemann did make some mistakes during his third round. He made three bogeys, including one on his very first hole of the day.
But he was able to bounce back, with five birdies and one eagle over the remainder of his day.
And he suggested that the early dropped shot actually had a positive impact on his mindset for the rest of his round.
“I wanted to go out there and put a low round. I feel like it’s hard to have that mentality knowing that it’s a really tough course, tough positions of the pins,” he said.
“I had to kind of be even more patient and kind of have the same strategy as I did the first two days.
“Yeah, I just started on the first hole, I just got a little bit too aggressive, missed on the wrong spot and start with a bogey there. I feel like that helped me out a little bit to kind of wake up and just keep the game plan.”
It has been a much-needed positive week for Niemann. He has registered just two top 10 finishes on LIV Golf this year, and is still awaiting his first podium of the season.
He was not even in the field for The Masters last month, so he will be keen to prove a point on Sunday.
