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.
Joaco Niemann is on the entry list for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, getting a chance to move back to top 50 and qualify for #TheMasters and other majors... #OWGR pic.twitter.com/QGrBIzbboCJanuary 5, 2024
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.
