Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton, two members of the LIV Golf circuit, are hoping to thwart Rory McIlroy’s bid for a double victory at this week’s DP World Tour Championship.

McIlroy is currently tied at the top of the leaderboard with Antoine Rozner and Rasmus Hojgaard, all at 12-under-par after 54 holes, making him the favorite going into Sunday’s final round.

The Northern Irishman entered the tournament already leading the season-long Race to Dubai title, with only Thriston Lawrence potentially standing in his way of securing a sixth Tour crown. For Lawrence to become the Race to Dubai champion, he needs to win the event and hope that McIlroy finishes outside the top 11.

However, with Lawrence currently in 17th place and McIlroy eight shots ahead, it seems highly likely that McIlroy will prevail. A Race to Dubai win would be McIlroy’s third consecutive victory, but this time he also hopes to claim the DP World Tour Championship crown, as he did in 2012 and 2015.

He faces stiff competition not only from those tied with him at the top but also from the chasing pack. Among the chasers are Niemann and Hatton from LIV, who are hoping to dash McIlroy’s double victory dreams.

Niemann, the Chilean player, is the closest contender from the breakaway league pair, trailing by just two shots at 10-under for the tournament.

Joaquin Niemann of Chile and Tyrrell Hatton of England interact on the first hole on day three of the DP World Tour Championship 2024

Niemann and Hatton are both in contention ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

The Torque GC captain, after a solid three-under 69 in round three—capped with a nearly-there eagle turned tap-in birdie on the last hole—kept himself in the running at the tournament. Niemann, who narrowly missed snatching the LIV circuit’s season-long individual title from Jon Rahm, could seal an impressive year with a desert victory.

Alongside Niemann on the greens this Saturday was another LIV champion, Hatton, who made sure the third round wasn’t short of theatrics. Despite what appeared a relatively straightforward one-under 71 on the scorecard, leaving him three shots shy of McIlroy and others at the lead, Hatton was once again the center of debate. At the par-five 14th, frustration got the better of him, resulting in a snapped club.