The European Tour ends its time in the desert this week when the Qatar Masters is played out to complete the desert swing. After a wonderful event in Oman last week we are down to a slightly lower key tournament here but one which will be won by someone.
Justin Harding won the tournament a year ago and he is in the field to attempt to defend the title. There are some good players out to deny him the chance of doing that though on what is a big week for many.
Recent Winners
2019 – Justin Harding
2018 – Eddie Pepperell
2017 – Jeunghun Wang
2016 – Branden Grace
2015 – Branden Grace
2014 – Sergio Garcia
2013 – Chris Wood
2012 – Paul Lawrie
2011 – Thomas Bjorn
2010 – Robert Karlsson
The Course
For the first time in a good while this tournament has left the Doha Golf Club. We are at the Jose Maria Olazabal designed Education City Golf Club this week, a course which is a par 71 which measures 7,307 yards if the European Tour website is to be believed. It is usually a par 72 but the final hole is a par four for the professionals this week.
Water is in play on a lot of the holes and with large greens which are likely to have pins tucked away, accuracy from the fairway is going to be of significance this week. The wind is always a factor in this tournament and I don’t expect the change in venue to alter that in any way. The greens are fresh for everyone with the course only open since last year so we can get stuck into average putters as they are not as disadvantaged here as they might be elsewhere.
The Field
With iconic tournaments across the pond this week and next the field here is on the average side in terms of depth and quality. That is nothing new here though as this tournament has become the weak link in the desert swing in recent times. Despite that, two men who will be eager for victory are teeing it up this week in Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters and they headline the field, which is competitive more than high class.
Two men who also catch the eye in the field this week are Joost Luiten and Robert MacIntyre while Thomas Detry once again goes in search of his maiden European Tour victory as do the likes of Mike Lorenzo-Vera and Matthias Schwab. More experienced players such as Ross Fisher, George Coetzee and Alex Levy are also in the field while Asian star Gavin Green has a tee time as well. Justin Harding, the defending champion, is here too.
Market Leaders
Martin Kaymer is the 16/1 favourite to win the tournament this week. I happen to think he is back on the up again and will go in soon, but he doesn’t win as much as he should do and I much prefer him as a slight underdog than as a favourite. He has a good desert record, but then at the same time few can forget his meltdown when lapping the field in Abu Dhabi a few years ago. He hasn’t been the same since so I’ll pass him over.
Thomas Pieters is 18/1 to come out on top and you can probably say much the same about him in terms of not winning as much as he should and probably being better as an underdog than one of the favourites. I would prefer him to Kaymer I think although there isn’t a huge amount in it. Pieters should really lead this lot a dance but it rarely plays out like that. I respect him but I can’t back him at this price.
Robert Macintyre is a 20/1 shot to come out on top here and he would have really appealed at the previous host course, but I’m not as sure this one will play to his strengths which is a bit of a concern. The Scot has been a winner in waiting for a while and when we get back to Europe later in the season I expect him to be contending on a regular basis. This just doesn’t feel like the right week for him though.
Matthias Schwab is still looking for his first win on the European Tour and he is a 25/1 poke to get it this week. I would put him in the same boat as Macintyre. He hasn’t been in the greatest form in recent times. He’s been competitive but if I’m taking someone at 25/1 I want to know he is going to be more than just competitive and I don’t feel that. He is another one that I’ll swerve. It is 28/1 bar those named.
Main Bets
I’ll take a couple of veterans of the European Tour as my main bets this week. Ross Fisher has three top 10s on this desert swing already and looks to be hitting the ball very nicely after a slow couple of years. He was fifth in strokes gained on approach last week in Oman which I think could be significant here. He was inside the top 15 for strokes gained tee to green so he is flushing it at the minute The only thing that has held him back has been the putting but nobody has an advantage in that department this week so Fisher should be a leading contender. One thing which might separate the men from the boys is the wind and Fisher is fine in that. He looks a leading man at 33/1.
George Coetzee is another man who has been in good form in recent times. His last three outings read 2-8-6 and South Africans have an excellent record in this tournament historically so he should fancy his chances of another excellent showing. He has shown throughout his career that he can handle the wind which has to be a positive and he is clearly hitting the ball well to deliver the showings he has in recent times. That is shown in the fact that he was inside the top 10 for strokes gained on approach in Oman last week. With any putting issues no longer in play here Coetzee looks an excellent price at 33/1.
Outsiders
My outsiders this week come in the form of a couple of Frenchmen who are in decent nick. The first is Antoine Rozner who caught my eye in Mauritius when he was a runner up and ever since I’ve been waiting for him to produce another decent showing and that came in Oman last week where he finished in the top 10 on the leaderboard and was as high as fourth in strokes gained from tee to green which as I’ve said all along is likely to be a big thing here. He has shown that he can deliver the goods on the greens and with everyone starting out even on them that is another important thing. I think he’s overpriced for a good showing.
Adrien Saddier is another who caught my eye in Oman last week. He was eighth in strokes gained tee to green in that tournament and that ranking in the strokes gained on approach too. He ended last season fourth in the Portugal Masters and he was third in Oman last week where he caught fire over the weekend. That bodes well. That effort in Portugal is of particular appeal because the qualities needed there should come to the fore here. At 100/1 he could give us a decent showing here.
Tips
Back R.Fisher to win Qatar Masters (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Betfair (1/5 1-7)
Back him here:
Back A.Rozner to win Qatar Masters (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Betway (1/5 1-7)
Back A.Saddier to win Qatar Masters (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 101.00 with Betway (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Back G.Coetzee to win Qatar Masters (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-6)
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