Joaquin Niemann to play DP World Tour Play-Offs
Chilean will make his debut at the Abu Dhabi Championship and DP World Tour Championship
Joaquin Niemann is set to make his debut in both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship, according to fellow LIV Golf star Adrian Meronk.
Currently ranked 32nd in the Race to Dubai standings, Niemann has secured his place in both events, with the top 70 qualifying for Abu Dhabi and the top 50 advancing to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
However, until recently, it wasn’t clear if Niemann would make the trip to the UAE.
But with valuable World Ranking points at stake, Meronk confirmed that a quartet of LIV Golf players, including Niemann, will be in attendance after appealing fines for competing in LIV Golf events.
“Joaquin Niemann is going to play both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship,” Meronk said during a media session at The Els Club earlier this week.
“All of us from LIV Golf that are eligible are coming for the Play-Offs: me, Niemann, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. 100 percent.”
With LIV Golf events offering no World Ranking points, the two Rolex Series tournaments in the UAE provide the quartet with a critical opportunity to climb the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and boost their chances for Major invites.
Majors generally invite the top 50 to 100 players from the OWGR, depending on the tournament.
Jon Rahm is already guaranteed a spot in all four Majors next year, thanks to his 2023 Masters win, while Hatton, ranked 19th in the world, is also likely to compete in all four.
Meronk and Niemann, ranked 90th and 136th respectively, currently have no assured Major appearances in 2025.
That could change after the DP World Tour Championship, as The Open Championship will invite the top 30 from the Race to Dubai standings following the Dubai finale.
“I’ve got three tournaments left this year to improve my World Ranking,” said Meronk, who is 38th in the Race to Dubai.
“I’ll be playing both events in the UAE and the International Series tournament in Saudi in December. Dubai and Abu Dhabi will offer big points, so we’ll see where I stand afterward.”