LIV Golfer Joaquin Niemann Enters Dubai Desert Classic In Bid To Make The Masters

Joaquin Niemann has entered the Dubai Desert Classic as he chases enough world ranking points to make The Masters in April

Joaquin Niemann with the Australian Open trophy
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Paul Higham
By Paul Higham
published

The name of LIV Golf player Joaquin Niemann has popped up on the entry list for the upcoming Dubai Desert Classic - where he can bolster his chances of qualifying for The Masters.

The Chilean is able to tee it up at Emirates Golf Club from 18-21 January after winning the ISPA Handa Australian Open in December, which was an event co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour.

Niemann's playoff win over Rikuya Hoshino in Sydney also secured his place at the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, and he'd now also like to try and grab another Major outing at Augusta National.

The Torque GC skipper played in all four Majors last year while remaining inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) - and started well enough with his best Masters result to date of a T16.

However, the 25-year-old had a T32 finish at the US Open and missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and The Open - and with no more ranking events after playing at Hoylake he'd dropped from 43 to 87 by the time he headed Down Under.

Finishing fifth at the Australian PGA Championship followed by his victory at the Australian Open dragged Niemann agonisingly close to finishing the year in the top 50, which would have yielded an automatic Masters invite.

Finishing 59th though, Niemann must now try and get back inside the top 50 by the week before The Masters to secure a fourth consecutive trip down Magnolia Lane.

And with the Dubai Desert Classic being a Rolex Series event with a strong field there are elevated points available for Niemann, who has been as high as World No.15, to climb well back up the rankings with a good finish.

Other interesting names joining Niemann and the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in the field are American pair Cameron Young and Brian Harman.

Open champion Harman will be making a rare DP World Tour start, with just appearances in the last two Scottish Opens to his name along with the Open Championship - which he won so dominantly at Hoylake last July.

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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