The Peter Cowen Column: Chile's Joaquin Niemann the one to watch in DP World Tour Play-Offs

Greetings from my cold, damp driving range in Rotherham! Is it just me, or does time seem to fly as we get older? ! I can believe that.

Winter has arrived in Yorkshire, making it the perfect time for a trip to the UAE. I’ll be heading to Dubai in a couple of days and will hit the range at Emirates Golf Club, right away.

I’m excited to check out my brand-new Golf Academy. I've heard great things about it, though I’ve been warned not to lean against the walls—apparently, the paint may still be wet!

It’s taken some time to come to fruition, but I’m confident it will be worth the wait. This facility will be something that Dubai, Emirates Golf Club, and I can all take pride in.

It will elevate the Academy facilities and offerings as well as the entire EGC brand – thank you to all for their hard work.

Congratulations to Padraig Harrington on his third win of the season on the PGA Champions Tour – at the Simmons Bank Championship in Arkansas. It was his 41st victory of his career.

Harrington has the opportunity to top the Order of Merit. With just the Charles Schwab Cup to go in Phoenix next week, Harrington stands in fourth place and within striking distance of Ernie Els, with Steven Alker and Stephen Ames between them.

At 53, Padraig remains one of the hardest workers in the game and is probably still playing some of the best golf of his career - – I know that his caddie Ronan Flood agrees with that statement.

It is disappointing to not see Victor Perez (Fr) defend his ‘Unmissable’ title (as the promotional material tells us) at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links. He has focused on the PGA Tour this season and lies in 142nd in the Race to Dubai. I just feel a little uncomfortable that he cannot defend in Abu Dhabi – but I understand rules are rules and qualification is qualification.

As many will know to their detriment - it is easy to try and play too much tournament golf and fall between committing to both either the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.

Victor played last week in the ZOZO Championship in Japan and came tied 33rd on seven under par and currently lies 79th on the FedEx Fall Rankings and 75th in the OWGR.

I am with Joaquin Niemann and Dubai resident Guido Migliozzi for the next two weeks.

Migliozzi is in ninth place of ten available spots to get his 2025 PGA Tour Card. It is all about small margins that can change lives. We wish Guido all the best in the final two events of the season – he is easily good enough and a guy with huge talent – with some still untapped.

LIV Golf’s Niemann is only 25 years old and has huge potential as one of my favourites to go places in the world of golf. But he is essentially playing with one arm behind his back (which is never easy in golf!) due to the conflicts between PIF and LIV Golf, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. Is he really 138th in the OWGR? I checked his records – he has been as high as 15th!

I believe Niemann has the potential to be a Top 10 player in the world and is my top pick to watch during the DP World Tour playoffs in the UAE.

If you are going to the golf – enjoy your time – it will be two great weeks of golf here in the UAE.

See you all soon.