Joaquin Niemann (COVID-19) withdraws from Masters

The first Masters withdrawal related to COVID-19 came Friday.

Joaquin Niemann announced via Twitter that he has tested positive for the coronavirus and will subsequently miss next week’s major at Augusta National.

“I have tested positive for coronavirus and unfortunately I will not play in the Masters next week as a result,” Niemann wrote. “This event means a lot to me, and I have had incredible memories playing as the LAAC champion … I am disappointed but will do everything possible to recover quickly while keeping my family and team safe.”

The Masters Tournament also confirmed the news, tweeting: “Joaquin Niemann has informed Augusta National Golf Club that he will not participate in the 2020 Masters Tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test result.”

The 21-year-old Chilean was set to make his second Masters start after first appearing in 2018. The 2018 Latin America Amateur champion missed the cut that year.

He was in good form, too, with five top-25s in his last six Tour starts.