LIV Golf superstar Joaquin Niemann makes huge change to team ahead of 2026 season

Joaquin Niemann may have won five times on the LIV Golf League this year but he's reportedly made a huge change to his team ahead of the 2026 season. 

According to Handicap 54 on X / Twitter, Niemann, 26, has now hired a new golf coach, Nicolás Parra.

Who is Joaquin Niemann's new golf coach? 

Nicolás Parra acts as the director of Andes Golf Academy in Santiago, Chile, where Niemann was born.

Niemann and Parra have known each other since their junior amateur days. 

The Torque GC captain was previously working with Eduardo Miquel ever since he turned pro in 2018. 

But the LIV Golf superstar parted ways with Miquel after missing the cut at The Open this July.

He then chose to work with a friend of his for a period of weeks starting at LIV Golf UK, which he went on to win. 

Niemann also chose to change his caddie that week at JCB, switching from Gary Matthews to his good friend Diego Salinas. 

GolfMagic was first notified about Niemann's initial team changes at LIV Golf UK by Golf Lovers United GC, which is run by Pro Golf Critic and Golf Lover UK.

Niemann's decision to ring big changes has all stemmed from a frustration at his major performances. 

"I know Joaqo was super frustrated to miss the cut at both the US Open and The Open," Pro Golf Critic told GolfMagic.

"It's something we've been talking about for a little bit but he needed to make some changes, maybe his strategy and changing how he approaches some of these rounds, and the caddie and coach is part and parcel of that.

"Joaqo really wants to get to that next level. Even though he's had a super successful LIV season, to get to that next level you've sometimes got to make other changes and I think that's what driving it."

Niemann most certainly enjoyed a glittering 2025 LIV Golf League campaign with a record five wins. 

That vaulted the talented Chilean to seven career wins on LIV Golf - another record.

But despite lifting plenty of silverware this season, Niemann still came up shy for the LIV Individual Championship.

That's because an ultra-consistent Jon Rahm pipped him to the post, despite not winning a single tournament all season.

Rahm notched 12 of 13 top-10 finishes in the regular season to defend his title.

As Pro Golf Critic points out in his quotes to GolfMagic above, Niemann largely struggled in the majors with two missed cuts at the US Open and The Open.

Prior to those, he did finish a respectable T29 at The Masters and an impressive T8 at the US PGA.

That top 10 at the US PGA was remarkably Niemann's first-ever top-10 finish in 26 major appearances to date. 

Niemann knows that's not good enough though, hence his decision to switch golf coach heading into 2026. 

The Chilean is now winding down his 2025 campaign but he will end his season at the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne from 4-7 December. 

Rory McIlroy is also in the field there. 

Niemann is a former winner of the Australian Open having lifted the famous Stonehaven Cup in 2023, albeit the win counted on the 2024 DP World Tour season.

Carlos Ortiz and Sebastian Munoz, who also play on Niemann's Torque GC, will be in the field too. 

Mito Pereira has fallen out of Niemann's Torque GC for 2026 after he was relegated from the league this season, so his status remains unknown. 

Niemann's Torque GC finished sixth in the LIV Golf Team Championship.