East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia (CNN)Golf has been described arsenic a 'good locomotion spoiled,' but determination wasn't overmuch walking by Joaquin Niemann successful the last circular of the Tour Championship successful Atlanta connected Sunday -- the Chilean was running.
Under the baking-hot prima of a September Georgia afternoon, Niemann, his South African caddie Gary Matthews and a radical of scorers, could beryllium seen scrambling from tee to green, often chuckling and high-fiving arsenic they went.
"I utilized to tally a batch successful precocious school," said Niemann to the media afterwards, "But now, I hatred it. I conscionable did it for amusive and it was beauteous fun."
Niemann began the time successful past spot connected the leaderboard. It should person been a 30-man field, but the withdrawal of the injured Brooks Koepka connected Saturday meant that determination was an unusual fig of players and truthful helium teed disconnected first, alone.
With nary anticipation of winning the $15 million-dollar archetypal prize, helium decided to effort and constitute his ain portion of unofficial past -- the fastest recorded circular astatine this tournament.
In 2016, the American golfer Kevin Na played a circular astatine East Lake successful 1 hr and 59 minutes, but Niemann wasn't definite that helium was going to effort to bushed it until halfway done the day.
He told the media afterwards, "It has been a agelong 3 oregon 4 weeks that I've been playing, and I wasn't playing my champion play this week. I was successful past spot and wasn't going to win. I was beauteous acold behind, truthful I was like, 'Let's marque it fun.'"
Following alongside with a woody scoreboard were 2 teenage brothers, Tyler and Evan Henley. "Me and my member heard the connection 'run,'" Tyler told CNN Sport. "And past helium conscionable took off. On the backmost nine, helium finished 5 holes successful astir 20 minutes. He conscionable bucked it. He conscionable looked backmost astatine america and said, 'We're beating this record.'"
After the round, the brothers were flushed to the look and trying to drawback their breath. "I wrestle," said Tyler, "so I'm successful the champion information I'll beryllium in, but it inactive wore maine out!"
Anticipating the grounds attempt, Niemann's caddie Gary Matthews said helium tried to lighten the container that he'd beryllium moving with each day. He packed conscionable 3 balls alternatively of nine, lone 1 glove, nary rainfall cover, and nary umbrella. He estimated the load to beryllium astir 25 pounds.
Niemann ended up playing truthful accelerated that erstwhile helium was connected the 15th hole, helium noticed that the radical down him -- Stewart Cink and Masters champions Hideki Matsuyama -- were lone conscionable teeing disconnected astatine the eighth hole.
Overstating their record-attempt for comedic effect, Matthews joked astir the crowd's absorption to it: "Everyone was clapping, they got the gist of what we were doing. If 10 radical were moving [alongside us] down 18, it felt similar Tiger's clip here!" He was referring to the 2018 Tour Championship, erstwhile Tiger Woods was mobbed by thousands of fans connected the last hole.
When Niemann tapped successful for par connected the 18th spread and a tourney people of 4-over, the timepiece stopped astatine 1 hr and 53 minutes, a caller -- if unofficial -- record. But arsenic helium walked disconnected the green, milking the applause, not everyone was amused; 12-time PGA circuit victor Paul Azinger described it arsenic a "meaningless record" connected the Golf Channel, and successful the scorer's tent, Niemann realized that his antics mightiness person landed him successful trouble.
Waiting for him was PGA Tour Executive Andy Pazder, who informed Niemann and his caddie that they had disrespected the crippled and disrespected The Tour Championship. Their punishment was going to beryllium a $10,000 fine. Before the Chilean had a accidental to respond, Pazder broke the hostility and revealed that helium was lone joking.
When CNN asked Niemann if possibly determination is thing astir speed golf that mightiness payment a player, helium stated definitively that determination was not. "No, it decidedly doesn't help. I deliberation it helps for your health, but it doesn't marque you play better." Would helium bash it again? "No, I don't deliberation so," helium said, earlier adding: "Hopefully not."
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