The DP World Tour is in Doha this week for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. Damien Kayat previews.
2023 DP World Tour
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar
26th-29th October
Adrian Meronk overturned a four-stroke deficit in a memorable final round at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande. It was his third title of the season and lifted him to third in the current Race to Dubai standings.
The beanpole Pole- see what I did there- has been ruthless since his Ryder Cup snub and seems hellbent on showing Luke Donald what he missed out on.
This is really a pivotal week for many on the tour. It is the final full-field event of the season and represents the last chance for fringe players to force themselves into the top 116.
The top 64 following this event will qualify for the upcoming Nedbank Golf Challenge and that number will be whittled won to 50 for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The Qatar Masters has undergone some fairly significant changes over the past few years. Founded in 1998, the Qatar Masters was originally one of two events staged in the Arabian Peninsula.
The event started to attract plenty of promotional money and became an illustrious stop for many seasons. But tensions in the Arab world led to the event being moved to a later slot in the schedule in 2018. This saw a decrease in prize money and prestige.
The DP World Tour has attempted to reinvigorate the event by making it the last full-field meeting of the season. But I don’t think there’s really much they can do to attract Europe’s biggest names (short of making it a Rolex Series event). Ewen Feguson will be back to defend after claiming his maiden DP World Tour title in last year’s renewal.
Doha Golf Club
Designed by Peter Harradine, Doha Golf Club is the traditional host course of the Qatar Masters (though Education City hosted the event in 2020 and 2021).
It is your prototypical exposed desert layout, clocking in at a pretty hefty 7,466 yards. The fairways are quite narrow (though that is mitigated by minimal rough). Recent renewals of this event have been hugely affected by fearsome gusts of wind.
But the current forecast seems to indicate benign conditions and this should play right into the hands of the bombers. I think it’s always advisable to back players with solid Middle East form in these events.
Links specialists tend to thrive on these exposed layouts and I think this year should prove no different. Also, the fairly new Paspalum putting surfaces are rather slick and require a deft touch.
The Contenders
The attempt to relaunch this event hasn’t resulted in the most stellar field. Look, nobody was expecting McIlroy or Rahm to rock up this week. But I am surprised that neither Meronk or Fox is in attendance to put pressure on Rahm in the Race to Dubai standings.
Aaron Rai leads the markets this week, closely followed by Jordan Smith and Alexander Bjork. Only Robert MacIntyre is present from the victorious Ryder Cup contingent.
Elsewhere, the likes of Rasmus Hojgaard and Thorbjorn Olesen certainly leap off the page in a pretty mediocre field. Still, there is plenty on the line this week and it should make for pulsating viewing.
Past Winners
2022: Ewen Ferguson (-7)
2021: Antoine Rozner (-8)
2020: Jorge Campillo (-13) *playoff
2019: Justin Harding (-13)
2018: Eddie Pepperrell (-18)
2017: Wang Jeung-hun (-16) *playoff
To Win Outright:
Aaron Rai 18/1 | Jordan Smith 20/1 | Alexander Bjork 20/1 | Rasmus Hojgaard 22/1 | Yannick Paul 25/1
Value Bet
Thriston Lawrence- To Win 50/1 | To Place 11/1
Five South Africans have won this event since its inception in 1998 (Justin Harding won it as recently as 2019). I feel like Thriston Lawrence has the game to further that trend. One of the best putters on the tour, Lawrence should be well equipped to deal with these slick Paspalum surfaces. He has enjoyed a really strong campaign, picking up titles at the SA Open and BMW International Open. He also showcased his links credentials with a T3 finish at the Irish Open- links form has generally correlated well with success at Doha Golf Club. He just looks like incredible value at 50/1.
The Man to Beat- Thorbjorn Olesen- To Win 25/1 | To Place 11/2
Multiple DP World Tour winner Thorbjorn Olesen looks very enticing at 25/1 (especially in a field without a standout favourite). Olesen enjoyed a brilliant Middle East swing at the beginning of the season. He progressed from 20th in Abu Dhabi to 16th in Dubai and then capped it off with a 4th at the Ras Al Khaimah. He then went on to secure his 7th DP World Tour title in Thailand. A few more solid outings brought Olesen into the Ryder Cup conversation but his form did cool considerably. He has brilliant desert form, finishing in the top three in each of the traditional desert events. This included a runner-up finish here in 2016. He finished in the top ten in Andalucía and he is trending nicely for success this week.
