I knew that this triumph was going to be yours. How big, dog @mito_pereira! I can’t wait to see you on the PGA Tour next season! ” Thus, Joaquín Niemann (22 years old) congratulated his great friend Guillermo Pereira (26) after winning the REX Hospital Open of the Korn Ferry Tour, an achievement that will allow him to play the maximum golf circuit, where Joaco is increasingly consolidated and already it is ranked 30th in the world ranking. However, this history of friendship and sticks goes back to a common origin.
Until not long ago, both were the minors on the court of Las Palmas del Oliveto, in Talagante, the place chosen to live by the Niemann family in those years. Mito, meanwhile, lived in Pirque and moved there, “because it was a very good place to practice,” according to Guillermo Pereira Sr. explains. “It was the two old boys, who really liked to play. There were other kids, but they were just for fun. Joaquín was about five or six years old and Mito, about eight or nine”, Adds Pamela Zenteno, mother of the national number one.
Both came together very well, because they had similar aspirations in the tee and in the green. Then they were part of Golf Action, the main seed circuit in the country. “They began to coincide in the tournaments, they were two children well inside, with a very similar personality. They were super laid back, very focused on what they wanted for themselves in golf. Also, they both had a higher level. For example, after the tournaments they stayed practicing together and that is why many times they were not at the awards. We couldn’t find them anywhere ”, highlights Niemann’s mother.
A similar opinion has Sibylle Hinke, Mito’s mother. “In those tournaments there was a very nice interaction. Everyone knows each other there; adults and children share, play ball, do things and a friendship develops. That feeling It is very special, since neither competes against the other, but they do it against the field”, He maintains. And adds: “Seeing Joaco at home with Guillermito is totally different, because there you see the person and not the athlete. It is a very rich sensation, although they are the same everywhere. Also, golf is a very lonely sport and being together makes it very entertaining. And what better than in the PGA”.
The families became very close friends, it was common for them to share outside of tournaments. Even Guillermo’s father was one of Joaco’s biggest analysts. “He said that Joaquín’s swing was going to lead him to be among the best in the world. And he really wasn’t wrong, ”says Pamela Zenteno. The aforementioned explains that story. “What happens is that I always followed him on the court; I did not like to follow my son, because it is known that it is a disaster when parents are on top of their children when they are playing and that in the end ends up affecting them. So I saw Joaco and he was extraordinary. It was impressive around the green and he was barely one meter 30. His father asked me how far he thought he could go, and I did not hesitate to tell him that he was going to be among the 20 or 30 best in the world, ”he reveals.
At a very young age, Mito Pereira became one of the greatest national promises. He started playing at the age of four and at six he entered Golf Action. A student at Colegio San Isidro, in Linderos, the talented golfer took advantage of the facilities provided by the director Marcela Arteaga to combine classes and attend the Los Leones Golf Club. On the way, he took advantage of studying in the car. It was a time when it had several trainers, among which Guillermo Encina stands out.
The family intention was to stay in North America. On the advice of a sister of former tennis player Hans Gildemeister, Mito and his father began traveling to the United States. “At 8 years old, I started wearing it and in those tournaments there was already a cut. So imagine the pressure that was in those championships. That time there were 50 and 14. Myth passed it and ended 12 ”, remembers Pereira, who recounts the steps that came later. “Then I took Mito to Leadbetter, one of the most prestigious academies. I wanted them to examine it. And I’m going to tell for the first time something that only Mito and I know: I asked the person who received us for a written report on the skills that he had at 14 years old. At first the guy didn’t want to, but in the end I convinced him to do it to me. Of course he did it on a personal basis and not from the academy. Short story, the piece of paper said that he had good timing, good approach, Excellent putter, a privileged physicist … And he made a forecast: Myth is going to be among the 30 best in the world ”, he recalls.
With those encouraging omens, the sports center offered them a scholarship. “Mito went there, but he missed his family. There he came and spent a year without wanting to play until he started again ”, says his father.
At that time, Joaquín Niemann already stood out on the national circuits and was beginning his way to become number one in the amateur world. Anyway, their admiration was always mutual. “Joaco looked up at the Myth; for him he was an idol, because he had won many tournaments there in the United States and they always hit it off ”, confesses Pamela Zenteno. The relationship between both athletes became much closer thanks to one person: Eduardo Miquel, the key man in the launch of both.
At 39, Eduardo Miquel is one of the most successful coaches in the history of Chilean golf. He has been responsible for the careers of Benjamín Alvarado, Paz Echeverría, Nicolás Geyger and, of course, the training and presence of Joaquín Niemann. They were joined by Mito Pereira about seven years ago. The three became inseparable and that is why the coach is excited when talking about the achievement of his two pupils being on the PGA Tour.
“Having the two of them in parallel is incredible. The truth is that it is a dream that the three of us have been talking about, that we have been close friends for a long time. Imagine when a dream like this comes true … It makes us very happy. And I am very proud of them for how they have done it, ”says the coach.
That dream started with the desire, since the resources did not accompany much, because at that time they occupied soft balls, which they stored in a backpack and thanks to the support of the Polo Club they could practice with those battered balls, which they themselves had. to go to collect for many times a day.
Today, the reality is totally different. His two directed will meet again in the maximum circuit. “I think that the fact that Joaco is already here will help Mito a lot, because they are very friends, they push each other, they encourage each other, they share knowledge,” says the coach.
Miquel outlines the objectives before this new and challenging scenario: “In the case of Joaco, I think he needs to catch the rhythm of the majors. My goal is to get a top ten in one; while Mito needs to catch the rhythm of the Tour and gain experience, because technically he lacks nothing ”.
Both, too, will mark another milestone, since for the first time Chile will have two representatives in Olympic golf, at the Tokyo Games. “Chile can be excited with a medal. Not only from Joaquín, but also from Mito. They both have an amazing game. And if the two are having a good week, with confidence and they adapt well to the field, of course we can dream of a medal ”, he warns.
One of the great friends of Niemann and Pereira is Claudio Correa (25), who has shared from different functions with both athletes. “I have known them for about 15 years, when I joined Golf Action. We have always been together, traveling to amateur team tournaments and in different circumstances, “he says.
Off the court, the group always shares and usually does so on the edge of the grid, where several show their skills up front. Both Mito and Joaco are good steakhouses and have excellent handling with meats. “We all like roasts. We do them to talk about other things outside of golf, we try to get together often, ”says Correa.
Like most young people, video games are one of the main hobbies of boys. “Sometimes we play FIFA, but what we are playing the most is Call of Duty, because it allows us to play online and in pairs,” says Yayo, who is also a fan of cars, although not as much as Niemann. In any case, fishing is another of the great passions of the group. “Sometimes we go fishing. When I was living with Joaco, we would go. Also, when Mito was passing through Jupiter, where Joaquín’s house is, we would put together a good group and get on a boat. We really had an incredible time, ”he says.
On the future of both in the PGA, Correa is categorical. “Myth is very talented and works very hard. I saw him yes or yes in the PGA and Joaco did not say anything. They will both do very well and there is still a lot to see them play”, He gets excited.
Chilean golf lives a very good present and is heading towards a dream future, hand in hand with two great friends who promise to empower themselves and complement each other in the demanding world of the PGA, where very few are the privileged who manage to enter to face the best of the world.
