Joaquin Niemann defies windy Doonbeg with ‘sexy’ golf to lead Irish Open

Joaquin Niemann’s navigation of the Wild Atlantic Way was carried out brilliantly, as the Chilean defied windy conditions – with balls oscillating on some greens – to claimed the clubhouse lead in the first round of the Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Links with a five-under-par 65 that included birdies in four of his five closing holes.

Niemann, who has played his golf primarily on LIV in recent seasons, claimed his experience to be “a lot of fun” which perhaps explained how his positive mindset produced such a good finish on a day where rounds were painfully slow and extended to beyond five hours and 40 minutes.