The tournament, which was won by Finland’s Sami Välimäki in 2023, will take place from February 8-11, 2024 at Doha Golf Club, as it returns to its traditional date in the early part of the year.

The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters will be the fifth stop on the International Swing – and the last of five in the Middle East – before the Swing concludes in Africa, with the Magical Kenya Open, SDC Championship and Jonsson Workwear Open.

Ben Cowen, Chief Tournament Business Officer at the DP World Tour, said: “We are thrilled to complete the International Swing by adding the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

“The event has been a staple on the DP World Tour schedule for over 25 years and we must thank Commercial Bank, Doha Golf Club, the Qatar Golf Association and the Qatar Olympic Committee for their support in making this event what it is today.

“We are looking forward to working together again in 2024 as we plan for another highly successful staging of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.”

Doha Golf Club – Getty Images

Hassan Nasser Al Naimi, President of the Qatar Golf Association, said: “We are delighted to announce that the 2024 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters will be taking place at Doha Golf Club from 8 – 11 February 2024.

“The long-standing appearance on the DP World Tour schedule continues, and with a date change to the start of the season to fit in with the International Swing. Preparations are well under way, together with the title sponsor Commercial Bank, and we look forward to welcoming the players, golf fans and our valued sponsors to Doha Golf Club for another edition of world-class golf.”

Hussain Al Abdulla, Executive General Manager, Marketing and Alternative Assets at Commercial Bank, said: “The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters stands out as one of Qatar’s cherished annual sporting occasions, providing diverse experiences for players, golf fans, and families alike. Enthusiasts can witness the skills of the world’s finest golfers, while families can relish a weekend outdoors, fostering connections in the family zone and public village.

“Aligned with our strategic vision, this event contributes to positioning Qatar as a significant participant in the sports industry. Furthermore, it serves as a valuable platform for Qatar’s promising golf talents to share the field with the global elite. We are honoured to collaborate once again with the QGA, QOC, and Doha Golf Club to deliver a premier golfing event in the region.”

The International Swing is part of the new-look 2024 Race to Dubai, where each of the five Global Swings will have its own identity and its own Champion who will each earn $200,000 from an overall $1million Bonus Pool. Swing Champions will also qualify for the ‘Back 9’ events, before the season concludes with the DP World Tour Play-Offs.

Image: DP World Tour

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Trailing third-round leader Campillo all afternoon, Finland’s Valimaki finally hit the front at the 17th courtesy of a seven-foot birdie putt.

But the pendulum swung back Campillo’s way as the Spaniard birdied the last to join Valimaki on 18-under par and take the contest to extra holes.

And Valimaki only needed one play-off hole to seal victory, as a nerveless birdie putt earned him a second DP World Tour title.

Scott Jamieson secured his card for next season with another stunning back-nine display at Doha Golf Club, signing for a closing 69 to finish in a tie for third alongside Nacho Elvira on 16-under.

Valimaki went into the final round one shot behind leader Campillo but found himself two back straight away after his playing partner birdied the first for the fourth round in succession to get to 17-under.

And the 25-year-old appeared in danger of being cut adrift after dropping a shot at the sixth.

But he responded with back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth, holing from around 15 feet on both occasions.

He cut the gap at the top to one shot with an 11-foot birdie at the 12th, before pulling alongside 2020 champion Campillo with a 20-foot putt on the 13th, with the Spaniard narrowly missing his birdie attempt from 13 feet moments later.

Campillo came agonisingly close to getting a birdie on the next hole but his 16-foot effort clung to the left edge of the cup without dropping.

But no damage was done as Valimaki failed to take advantage from a little closer in.

Errant tee-shots from both of the leaders at the 15th threw the battle wide open, with Valimaki among the pebbles and Campillo in the thick rough.

While Valimaki opted to knock his ball back on to the fairway, Campillo went for the green and managed to two-putt from 40 feet for par, while the Finn surrendered a bogey after missing his 20-foot par try.

But it was Campillo’s turn to find the rocks with his tee-shot at the 16th, and he made his first bogey of the day to sit alongside Valimaki on 17-under.

Both players found the green at the short 17th, but after Campillo’s 13-foot putt pulled up just shy, Valimaki holed from seven feet to take the lead for the first time all afternoon.

The momentum swung back Campillo’s way on the 18th as he found the green in two, while Valimaki had to lay up. With Valimaki only managing a par to sign for a closing 69, Campillo tapped in his birdie putt from close range to post a 70 and take the contest to a play-off.

But Valimaki came out on top at the first extra hole, knocking in his birdie putt from around six feet after Campillo had missed his attempt.

An emotional Valimaki was thrilled with his victory, saying: “Unbelievable. It’s hard to talk. It’s been a long journey and it feels great.

“I’ve worked so hard and I feel like I’ve earned it a couple of times but it hasn’t come my way. That’s why it feels so amazing.”

When asked what it meant to have his fiancée present for his victory, he added: “She is my number one.”

Main image: DP World Tour

The post Sami Valimaki secures play-off glory at Qatar Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
We all know that a vast number of footballers are avid golfers — but this is the stuff of dreams for anyone who likes both sports.

Education City Golf Club — home of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters — has begun to establish itself as one of Qatar’s top golf courses since its opening in 2019.

And as far as backdrops go, this club has one of the best in the Middle East. 

The 7,300-yard, José María Olazábal-designed layout is a stone’s throw — or short chip — away from the 40,000 Education City Stadium, one of the eight arenas hosting matches across Qatar at the Fifa 2022 World Cup this winter. With the likes of Denmark, Uruguay, South Korea, France, Portugal, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia set to play a number of matches at the stadium – right through to the tournament quarter-finals in December — Education City is a perfect venue for fans travelling to Doha for the World Cup who also want to squeeze in 18 holes, too. 

BE AT 1 SERIES:
Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at The Els Club Dubai
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Tower Links Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

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The post Fifa 2022 World Cup in Qatar can be quite an Education for football and golf fans alike appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Spaniard leads by one on nine under par after posting a one-under par round of 71 on day two, but the 38-year-old’s second round was truly a tale of two nines.

The overnight leader made the turn at four-over par following a double bogey on the par-5 9th, but immediately responded with an eagle at the 10th. Three additional birdies put the finishing touches to a five-under par back nine to complete a return to the top of the leaderboard on a windy day in Doha.

“It was a tough start. I didn’t expect the drive on the first to go so far right. I started par-bogey-bogey and that wasn’t in the plans for Friday,” said Larrazabal.

“I went bogey-double bogey on eight and nine to shoot 40 on the front nine but I said to Raul, come on, yesterday we shot six-under on the back and we know that we like the back.

“We know that we’re playing good enough, we’re not playing to shoot 40, we’re playing much better than 40 on the front nine. It was one of those days where you have to keep working and believe in the way you’ve been playing the last month or so and to keep fighting. There are a lot of birdie chances on the back and I took a few.

“It is even harder mentally when you shoot 40 on the front nine and you’re two over after three. Mentally you have to recover, you have to believe in the shots you plan and the shots you hit. That’s what we did and it paid off. To shoot one under par after going four over, it proves to us that we are in a good mental spot. We are ready to make mistakes and to recover them.”

The six-time DP World Tour winner is closely followed by Chase Hanna of the United States, Poland’s Adrian Meronk and South African Wilco Nienaber, who all share second place on eight under par, with  Romain Langasque of France a shot further back on seven under par.

Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, English duo Daniel Gavins and Matthew Jordan, and Austrian Lukas Nemecz share sixth place on six under par, while Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult, whose seven under par round of 65 was the lowest round of the day, is part of the group in a tie for 10th at five-under par.

[divider] [/divider]

They Said it

Wilco Nienaber: “Both days were pretty good. I’m happy with both of them but today, being bogey-free, I didn’t think it was easy with this wind so I’m happy with the score.

“I’m happy with my game at the moment. More of the same coming at the weekend, hopefully, and I’ll just keep on doing what I do.

“The second shot on ten was nice today. It was really nice to make a birdie on ten, but that made it easier because I had a makeable eagle chance as well. I had 238, three iron and I hit it really nice and low into the wind off the left and I was really pleased with that.”

Chase Hanna: “It feels good. I joke a lot with my buddies back home – I’m either a missed cut or in contention guy. I played well both days and I was happy with how today went.

“It was a lot steadier today. I really hit it nicely off the tee and my iron shots were good, especially on the par threes. I kept it pretty stress-free. The times I just missed the greens I hit good chips and just kept it steady.

“I had two good finishes on this Tour last year, both in the UK when it was windy and growing up in Kansas you get a lot of wind. I certainly like the wind and I think my game suits the wind nicely.”

Adrian Meronk: “I got off to a good start, all was going well and then I slowed down a bit in the middle of the round but I got a good birdie on the last and overall the result is very satisfying.

“It was nice this morning, it wasn’t as hot but the wind picked up straight away so it was tricky, but I played solid.

“We had to adapt today because the wind was from completely the other direction and much stronger. We changed strategies and did a good job. It wasn’t as good as yesterday but I think it’s playing tougher.

“Today was much harder than yesterday. The wind direction was completely different and much harder so I just had to adapt my strategy and play from different positions with different clubs but I felt like we did a good job today.”

Round two scores 

135 – P LARRAZABAL (ESP) 64 71,
136 – A MERONK (POL) 66 70, W NIENABER (RSA) 68 68, C HANNA (USA) 70 66,
137 – R LANGASQUE (FRA) 66 71,
138 – L NEMECZ (AUT) 71 67, D GAVINS (ENG) 71 67, M JORDAN (ENG) 69 69, E FERGUSON (SCO) 67 71,
139 – T LAWRENCE (RSA) 70 69, M KINHULT (SWE) 74 65, J DANTORP (SWE) 68 71, S SHARMA (IND) 66 73, J BRUN (FRA) 70 69, E MOLINARI (ITA) 69 70,
140 – R MCGOWAN (ENG) 69 71, W ORMSBY (AUS) 68 72, R ROUSSEL (FRA) 71 69, Z LOMBARD (RSA) 68 72, A OTAEGUI (ESP) 70 70, T OLESEN (DEN) 71 69, P WARING (ENG) 69 71, D DRYSDALE (SCO) 72 68,
141 – O WILSON (ENG) 71 70, B RITTHAMMER (GER) 71 70, J CALDWELL (NIR) 71 70, C PIGEM (ESP) 74 67, L GAGLI (ITA) 71 70, M KORHONEN (FIN) 69 72, L CANTER (ENG) 68 73, R FISHER (ENG) 69 72, N KEARNEY (IRL) 70 71, M HELLIGKILDE (DEN) 66 75,
142 – J WALTERS (RSA) 74 68, A PAVAN (ITA) 69 73, D BURMESTER (RSA) 70 72, H DU PLESSIS (RSA) 72 70, D FICHARDT (RSA) 72 70, J KRUYSWIJK (RSA) 71 71, M KIEFFER (GER) 71 71, W BESSELING (NED) 71 71,
143 – S KJELDSEN (DEN) 72 71, J SENIOR (ENG) 70 73, C WOOD (ENG) 72 71, L BJERREGAARD (DEN) 73 70, Y PAUL (GER) 69 74, R SANTOS (POR) 75 68, L DE JAGER (RSA) 73 70, J SJ?HOLM (SWE) 70 73, S V?LIM?KI (FIN) 71 72, G COETZEE (RSA) 71 72, M PAVON (FRA) 72 71, A WU (CHN) 69 74, J GUERRIER (FRA) 70 73, B STONE (RSA) 75 68, G FORREST (SCO) 76 67, N M?LLER (DEN) 71 72, R ROCK (ENG) 67 76, K SAMOOJA (FIN) 74 69,
144 – S KIM (USA) 73 71, C HOWIE (SCO) 70 74, J CAMPILLO (ESP) 70 74, C SHINKWIN (ENG) 72 72, N VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER) 76 68, J HARDING (RSA) 76 68, M ARMITAGE (ENG) 71 73, A ROZNER (FRA) 68 76, O LIESER (CZE) 74 70, G GREEN (MAS) 77 67, T PULKKANEN (FIN) 71 73, N BERTASIO (ITA) 69 75, J LAGERGREN (SWE) 68 76, A COCKERILL (CAN) 72 72, N ELVIRA (ESP) 73 71, J SCRIVENER (AUS) 72 72.

MISSED CUT
145 – O FISHER (ENG) 72 73, P ANGLES (ESP) 72 73, J SMITH (ENG) 75 70, G MIGLIOZZI (ITA) 70 75, A HIDALGO (ESP) 74 71, J SINGH BRAR (ENG) 72 73, S TARRIO (ESP) 74 71, A GARCIA-HEREDIA (ESP) 72 73, J STALTER (FRA) 69 76, S BROWN (ENG) 76 69, S SODERBERG (SWE) 74 71,
146 – S HEND (AUS) 77 69, E PEPPERELL (ENG) 73 73, J CATLIN (USA) 74 72, R PARATORE (ITA) 75 71, B EASTON (RSA) 74 72, O BEKKER (RSA) 74 72, A CHESTERS (ENG) 71 75, E KOFSTAD (NOR) 73 73, M SCHMID (GER) 74 72, A MARJAN (MAR) 74 72, C PAISLEY (ENG) 72 74,
147 – M SOUTHGATE (ENG) 73 74, M ANTCLIFF (AUS) 77 70, A ARNAUS (ESP) 74 73, G PORTEOUS (ENG) 76 71, M SCHNEIDER (GER) 71 76, G STORM (ENG) 72 75, H LEON (CHI) 70 77, A WILSON (ENG) 74 73, S CROCKER (USA) 73 74, D HORSEY (ENG) 73 74, S AL KURDI (JOR) 74 73,
148 – N LEMKE (SWE) 79 69, M SCHMITT (GER) 72 76, D COUPLAND (ENG) 73 75, M KAWAMURA (JPN) 70 78, D WHITNELL (ENG) 75 73, F LACROIX (FRA) 78 70, H LONG (GER) 74 74,
149 – A SULLIVAN (ENG) 77 72, H PORTEOUS (RSA) 77 72, H ZHANG (CHN) 77 72, D HOWELL (ENG) 74 75, C SHARVIN (NIR) 74 75, J KIM (KOR) 77 72, J REBULA (RSA) 72 77,
150 – A CA?IZARES (ESP) 76 74, R MCEVOY (ENG) 74 76, M WARREN (SCO) 77 73,
151 – S YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 74 77, Z BAI (CHN) 78 73, J JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 76 75,
152 – F SALHAB (AM) (KSA) 76 76,
153 – J KENNEGARD (SWE) 76 77,
155 – S AL KAABI (AM) (QAT) 78 77, M MATHIESEN (AM) (DEN) 75 80, G FDEZ-CASTA?O (ESP) 82 73, E WALKER (SCO) 77 78,
169 – A AL SHAHRANI (AM) (QAT) 88 81.
**
WD – T LEE (KOR) 78 WD, K BROBERG (SWE) 78 WD, D HUIZING (NED) 78 WD, C HILL (SCO) 70 RT.

The post Pablo Larrazabal shows grit to keep Qatar Masters lead appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Spaniard, who secured his sixth DP World Tour title at the MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood a fortnight ago, started on the 10th hole and made the turn in 30, six-under par, before adding two more birdies on the way in to set the target at eight under.

That first-round total proved to be unassailable and the 38-year-old leads from Denmark’s Marcus Helligkilde, Frenchman Romain Langasque, Poland’s Adrian Meronk and Shubhankar Sharma, of India on six under par.

“I’m very pleased. I played very solid,” said Larrazabal. “I missed only a couple of shots. I did an up and down there on the last green which I missed, but happy days. It’s been a couple of nice weeks. I missed the cut last week but I played very solid golf and today we keep doing the job.

“The conditions are great. When you come to a golf course that they’ve really changed, and they’ve not only changed it for us, they’ve changed for this course for amateur golf. I’m sure the members here enjoy it a lot more and obviously, there are a lot more pin positions for us. I think they did a great job and it’s looking magnificent.

“It’s not nice when you have your alarm at 4:00am, but it’s all about going to bed early. I went to bed at 9:00am, so I got my seven hours. The temperature was nice this morning but now it’s boiling. It’s probably 35 or 36 degrees right now, so I kept drinking a lot of water and making birdies.”

Helligkilde, who topped the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings last year, carded four birdies in his final six holes to join that group in a tie for second, with two players – Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson and Englishman Robert Rock – a shot further back in a tie for sixth place on five under par.

Defending champion Antoine Rozner, who won his second DP World Tour title at Education City Golf Club last year, is among a group of seven players a shot further back in a tie for eighth place. 

[divider] [/divider]

THEY SAID IT…

Shubhankar Sharma: “I played really well. It was quite an early tee off, I don’t remember the last time I teed off at 6:55am so I just tried to stay awake on the back nine, which was my front nine, but I made two quick birdies straight out of the gate and then made another three birdies in the next seven holes to be five under after nine. The front nine here is tougher, I think, compared to the back nine and it got slightly windier so I made a few good par putts and it was good to make that birdie on the eighth and finish with a 66.

“It’s more mental, I think. Technically, I’ve not really changed anything but I’ve just become more process-oriented. I’ve also learned to let go of bad rounds and bad shots. I’ve been playing well for some time now, it started last season, at the end of last season where I had some good finishes and I’ve managed to carry it forward into this season as well.”

Marcus Helligkilde: “It was a good round. I’ve been playing nicely for this four-week stretch and the putts just haven’t dropped. I’ve missed a few fairways and I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole. Suddenly today, I holed a chip shot, holed a putt from off the green and some putts dropped and suddenly I’m six under. I’m very happy about it.

“It was a good five-under on the back nine. I’ll take that. I’m very much enjoying life. We’re getting treated so nicely. I’ve never played out here before, it’s my first season and I love it. Great people, great golf courses, great conditions and we’re getting treated very nicely.”

Romain Langasque: “I started really well again. It’s now three weeks in a row that I’ve played well and it is a really different course to the last couple of weeks where you have to play better golf to shoot a good score and that happened so it was a good start.

“I think everything was really good today. My putting was strong, also my chipping, but all my round was really good so I think I can be really happy about that.

“I don’t really care about what the other guys do on the course. This is really my thoughts for the last six months now; just focus on my round, my course and do my best.

Adrian Meronk: “It was a really solid round. We executed the plan quite well today, it was quite tricky, it got windy at some points so I’m very pleased with my round.

“The greens are huge so the pin positions are tricky. I did a good job today in putting the ball in the right places so I’m just going to continue trying to do that. I’ll just take my time, adjust as the week goes on and play my game every day and see what happens.”

Ewen Ferguson: “I felt knackered when I woke up but it was actually quite refreshing when you’re on the first tee, there’s not much wind and you know it’s going to get windy so I think it was key to get off to a good start and I managed to do that.

“It’s a tough golf course. It’s quite tight and it’s firm so I was just trying to play really smart, disciplined golf – middle of the greens and fairways and I just managed to hit it into the middle of the greens. I read them nicely, tried to get the pace right and if they go in it’s a little bonus. It just so happened that a couple of them went in today, it always feels nice and hopefully I can keep it up for the next few days.”

Scores after round one:
64 – P LARRAZBAL (ESP), 

66 – R LANGASQUE (FRA), A MERONK (POL), S SHARMA (IND), M HELLIGKILDE (DEN), 

67 – E FERGUSON (SCO), R ROCK (ENG), 

68 – A ROZNER (FRA), W ORMSBY (AUS), J DANTORP (SWE), Z LOMBARD (RSA), W NIENABER (RSA), L CANTER (ENG), J LAGERGREN (SWE), 

69 – Y PAUL (GER), R MCGOWAN (ENG), M JORDAN (ENG), A PAVAN (ITA), N BERTASIO (ITA), M KORHONEN (FIN), A WU (CHN), R FISHER (ENG), P WARING (ENG), J STALTER (FRA), E MOLINARI (ITA), 

70 – J SENIOR (ENG), C HOWIE (SCO), J CAMPILLO (ESP), T LAWRENCE (RSA), J SJ?HOLM (SWE), M KAWAMURA (JPN), H LEON (CHI), A OTAEGUI (ESP), C HANNA (USA), D BURMESTER (RSA), J GUERRIER (FRA), N KEARNEY (IRL), G MIGLIOZZI (ITA), C HILL (SCO), J BRUN (FRA), 

71 – O WILSON (ENG), B RITTHAMMER (GER), J CALDWELL (NIR), M ARMITAGE (ENG), L NEMECZ (AUT), D GAVINS (ENG), L GAGLI (ITA), M SCHNEIDER (GER), R ROUSSEL (FRA), T PULKKANEN (FIN), S V?LIM?KI (FIN), G COETZEE (RSA), A CHESTERS (ENG), T OLESEN (DEN), N M?LLER (DEN), J KRUYSWIJK (RSA), M KIEFFER (GER), W BESSELING (NED), 

72 – S KJELDSEN (DEN), O FISHER (ENG), C WOOD (ENG), C SHINKWIN (ENG), P ANGLES (ESP), M SCHMITT (GER), G STORM (ENG), M PAVON (FRA), A COCKERILL (CAN), J SINGH BRAR (ENG), H DU PLESSIS (RSA), A GARCIA-HEREDIA (ESP), C PAISLEY (ENG), D FICHARDT (RSA), J SCRIVENER (AUS), J REBULA (RSA), D DRYSDALE (SCO), 

73 – M SOUTHGATE (ENG), S KIM (USA), E PEPPERELL (ENG), L BJERREGAARD (DEN), D COUPLAND (ENG), L DE JAGER (RSA), N ELVIRA (ESP), E KOFSTAD (NOR), S CROCKER (USA), D HORSEY (ENG), 

74 – M KINHULT (SWE), A ARNAUS (ESP), S YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA), O LIESER (CZE), J CATLIN (USA), C PIGEM (ESP), J WALTERS (RSA), R MCEVOY (ENG), B EASTON (RSA), D HOWELL (ENG), O BEKKER (RSA), H LONG (GER), C SHARVIN (NIR), A HIDALGO (ESP), A WILSON (ENG), M SCHMID (GER), S TARRIO (ESP), A MARJAN (MAR), S AL KURDI (JOR), S SODERBERG (SWE), K SAMOOJA (FIN), 

75 – R SANTOS (POR), D WHITNELL (ENG), R PARATORE (ITA), M MATHIESEN (AM) (DEN), J SMITH (ENG), B STONE (RSA), 

76 – F SALHAB (AM) (KSA), N VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER), J HARDING (RSA), G PORTEOUS (ENG), A CA?IZARES (ESP), J KENNEGARD (SWE), G FORREST (SCO), S BROWN (ENG), J JANEWATTANANOND (THA), 

77 – S HEND (AUS), M ANTCLIFF (AUS), A SULLIVAN (ENG), H PORTEOUS (RSA), H ZHANG (CHN), G GREEN (MAS), E WALKER (SCO), J KIM (KOR), M WARREN (SCO), 

78 – T LEE (KOR), K BROBERG (SWE), D HUIZING (NED), S AL KAABI (AM) (QAT), Z BAI (CHN), F LACROIX (FRA), 

79 – N LEMKE (SWE), 

82 – G FDEZ-CASTA?O (ESP), 

88 – A AL SHAHRANI (AM) (QAT).

The post Larrazabal steams ahead in Doha appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The South African would move into the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking with a victory at Doha Golf Club this week, and with it secure a place in the field at Augusta National for the year’s first Major Championship.

The 32-year-old moved to a career-high 64th in the world following his second place finish at last week’s Steyn City Championship in his homeland, where he finished two shots behind compatriot Shaun Norris. Burmester is now eyeing that next step to make his Masters bow, which he could also achieve with a solo second place finish in Doha.

“I’m glad I made a competition of last week. I was four shots behind going into the final round and I had a two-shot lead for quite a while there. I’m a bit gutted to have thrown it away but anytime someone is leading a tournament, shoots 32 on the back nine, they’re normally going to win the tournament and that’s what he did,” said Burmester.

“I’ve been playing solid. I take a lot of positives out of that. I was tied for the lead with two holes to go, had a chance to win a tournament on Sunday and that’s what we practice for really. I’m here in Qatar trying to do it again.

“The course is in great nick. They’ve re-laid the greens, all the surfaces, the fairways, the rough is up a little bit, it will make for good viewing, that’s for sure.

“It’s something you can’t not think about (playing at the Masters). When you’re on the golf course you just try and stay process-driven; one shot at a time, it’s cliché, everyone says it, but as a little boy that’s the one Major you want to go and play. You see everyone wearing that Green Jacket and you’re standing on the putting green with the lights on at seven-years-old and you’re making a putt to win the Masters and beat Tiger Woods. If it does go my way and I happen to win or whatever it takes, that’ll be great.”

The eight-time Sunshine Tour winner is joined in the Qatari capital by Frenchman Antoine Rozner, who will defend his title at a different course having secured his second DP World Tour title at Education City Golf Club last year by holing a 60-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole. He would join Branden Grace as the only players to successfully defend the title and Major champions Adam Scott and Paul Lawrie as the only multiple winners. 

One man who has already secured his Masters debut is Italy’s Guido Migliozzi and he will be hoping to go one better than his tie for second in Doha last year. Meanwhile Spaniard Jorge Campillo, the 2020 winner, will be looking to add to his excellent record in this event, which includes a tie for second the year before his victory.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime putt to win a tournament. You don’t get a putt to win a tournament every week in our job but to have a 60-foot putt to win is even more special so it was definitely the biggest putt of my career,” said Rozner.

“It was massive for me, it was huge, it got me into the Match Play two weeks later and to get a second win so quickly after my first win in Dubai was just a big achievement for me and I was really proud of myself that week.

“I think the more you play on this Tour, the more you realise how hard it is to win a golf tournament. It’s so competitive nowadays. I’ve only been here two years but hopefully I’ll be here in ten or 15 years and I’ll tell myself what you’ve done is very, very good and winning a tournament is so hard. Every single part of your game has to be perfect to win a golf tournament, I think that’s just what happened those two weeks and to do it that quickly was very big and I think, looking back, very impressive.

“I think the margin of result is just so small. Last week I came 25^th but I was only two shots away from a top ten finish and I feel like I gave up so many shots on the course, silly shots as well. It’s just so, so close to great results and I feel like my game is actually very good, it’s been very solid the last three weeks and I’m really looking forward to this week, bring some good vibes again. It’s very close to being good again.

“I’m going to play nine holes today, I want to get used to the greens as well because I’m sure the grass is going to be very different to what we had in South Africa and Kenya. I’m going to spend some time on the putting green, play the Pro-Am tomorrow, so I’m going to try and use that time as well to get used to the course. I’ve heard good things about the course, so we’ll see. I’m really curious to see what it’s like.”

The post Burmester eyes Augusta via 25th Qatar Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Al Hamra Golf Club’s promotion from a former Challenge Tour site to fully-fledged main circuit venue was confirmed in October with the announcement of the Feb. 3-6 Ras Al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital. 

Then, as late as Jan. 18, the DP World Tour announced another $2 million event, the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, would be played at Al Hamra from Feb. 10-13. It is an 11th hour replacement for the 25th Commercial Bank Qatar Masters which has reportedly been postponed until “later this spring” as a result of “ongoing restrictions associated with the global Covid-19 pandemic.”

Set to follow the week after the 33rd Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the RAK Championship critically goes head-to-head with the now Asian Tour-sanctioned and $5 million Saudi International. While no marquee players had been announced at the time of press, the DP World Tour can’t hope to match Golf Saudi’s star pulling power but the RAK events are nonetheless important as the circuit continually pivots to ensure its membership playing opportunities.

Al Hamra previously hosted the European Challenge Tour over three consecutive years from 2016–2018. It was initially the venue for the RAK Golf Challenge in 2016 and 2017, before hosting the RAK Challenge Tour Grand Final as the final stop on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah in 2018.

The post Seeing Double: The Desert Swing has a new venue. Twice over. appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The 2022 Desert Swing remains a very fluid work in progress – on the eve of the first event in Abu Dhabi.

The DP World Tour announced the postponement of the 25th Commercial Bank Qatar Masters overnight, citing “ongoing restrictions associated with the global Covid-19 pandemic.”

Originally scheduled for February 10-13, the $2 million event at Doha Golf Club will now be played “later this spring”, according to a media statement from the tour.

A second, hastily arranged $2 million tournament in RAK has been announced to fill the gap with the Ras Al Khaimah Classic set to follow the Ras Al Khaimah Championship Presented by Phoenix Capital (February 3-6).

The back-to-back RAK events, both at Al Hamra Golf Club, will follow back-to-back $8 million Rolex Series events to start the calendar year: this week’s Abu Dhabi HBSC Championship (January 20-23) and the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic (January 27-30).

When the DP World Tour originally announced its 2022 schedule, the Desert Swing had a fifth “Middle East” event pencilled in. But these are unprecedented times where the only certainty created by the pandemic is uncertainty.

The post RAK to host back-to-back DP World Tour events as Qatar Masters postponed due to pandemic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Shane Ryan
AUSTIN — The two French players in the field at the WGC-Dell Match Play made eye contact outside the clubhouse at Austin Country Club on Wednesday afternoon. One of them, Antoine Rozner, was fielding questions from the media in the flash area. The other, Victor Perez, walked past as he made the turn in his Day 1 match against Marc Leishman. Perez pumped his fist twice, drawing a small smile from his countryman.

A few hours earlier, Perez was likely one of the few people in the entire Texas state capital who had any idea who Rozner was (on the PGA Tour leaderboard, a silhouette stood in for a picture). But they both knew that was about to change. Rozner, who made the field on the strength of a European Tour victory in Qatar two weeks ago, had just defeated the most notorious American golfer on the PGA Tour, and his profile was about to take a few leaps forward.

There are a few ways to win a match at a tournament like the WGC, and Rozner’s method on Wednesday against Bryson DeChambeau was to establish a big lead and hold on for dear life. The 28-year-old, ranked 64th in the world, was rock-solid over the front nine, burying three 12-foot birdie putt on three different holes to post a 2-up lead at the turn, and he extended it to 3 up with another birdie on the par-5 12th. After that, Rozner admitted nerves set in. He conceded the 13th hole after a poor approach nearly found the water, and hit another disastrous approach on 14 that saw him poised to lose again. Rozner needed a 26-foot par putt just to tie the hole, and if it seemed doubtful that he could deliver, well, take a look at what he did on the 18th hole to win in Qatar:

By comparison, the par putt in Austin was child’s play:

It was the biggest shot of Rozner’s round, preserving the 2-up lead, and proved to be critical after he dropped the 16th hole and had to play 18 to try to win the match. Both players took aggressive lines off the tee on the short par 4, and after a 318-yard drive, Rozner had to play, in his words, a “Phil Mickelson flop” from 54 yards out. Watching from behind the green, a spectator couldn’t see Rozner below the hole, but could see his ball rise over the ledge of the green, land softly, and come to rest seven feet from the pin.

DeChambeau played it out and wouldn’t concede the seven-foot two-putt after missing his birdie attempt. Still, the script was written, and Rozner finished in style by holing his birdie for a 2-up win.

So what do we know about Monsieur Rozner? He lives in Paris, supports the Paris-St. Germain soccer club, counts Tiger Woods, Thomas Levet and Victor Dubuisson as his golf role models, played college golf in the U.S. at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, would choose Chiefs season ticket over the Royals, and only really chatted with DeChambeau to ask where he lived. As for match play, he’s won the French Amateur twice, and went 4-0 for Europe in the Palmer Cup in college. He’s hoping for an exemption next week into the Valero Texas Open, and when he returns to Paris, he’ll have to quarantine for seven days.

That’s all we could get in the short post-match interview, but considering how he played against DeChambeau, and how Qatar marked his second career European Tour title, the first won last December in Dubai, more information will be coming soon. At the very least, it’s clear that he’s not intimidated by much, including the massive drives DeChambeau unleashed throughout the day. Tomorrow, he’ll take on European Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood, and if he wins that match, he’s got a terrific chance to make Saturday’s knockout round. We knew nothing about Rozner yesterday, we know a little bit today, and you get the feeling that as the days pass, we’re bound to know a lot more.

The post France’s Antoine Rozner introduces himself to America with upset win over Bryson DeChambeau appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Antoine Rozner has gone from a promising Challenge Tour graduate, to a rookie season winner, to a two-time European Tour champion in a mere flash. If you’re still a little unsure of the Frenchman’s credentials, don’t worry, Rozner has a cunning plan for that too, a sure fire way to convince you he is more than a journeyman in the midst of a purple patch.

The 28-year-old Parisian unveiled his Ryder Cup dreams after binning a Ryder Cup worthy 60-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole at Education City Golf Club to capture the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters on Sunday.

Rozner won by a stroke from Guido Migliozzi, overnight leader Darren Fichardt and Gaganjeet Bhullar for his second win in six starts, just three months after his European Tour breakthrough at the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in December.

What’s next? By Rozner’s own admission, a place in Padraig Harrington’s team for the rescheduled Ryder Cup matches at Whistling Straits in September is still a distant dream but that doesn’t stop it being a dream all the same.

“The Ryder Cup in Paris… I was there every day. That’s a dream for me, to compete in one,” said Rozner who climbed 27th places in the European Ryder Cup rankings courtesy of his €190,836 payday that is set to see him climb inside the world’s top 70.

“If I can get it done this year – there is still a long, long road to go. It should be a goal. It will be, for the rest of the season, a goal for me. There is still a long road to go.”

Talking of a long way to go, how about Rozner’s putt on the last to seal a closing 68. Check it out:

What a putt @AntoineRozner!

The Frenchman wins the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in style.#QatarMasters pic.twitter.com/Hs0VIzG103

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 14, 2021

“I was just trying to hit a good putt,” said Rozner who graduated from the 2019 Challenge Tour with two wins on the secondary tour.

“I knew two putts would be very important, I tried to get a good speed first. I thought I had a good read on it, then 15 feet short I was like ‘oh, this is going to have a chance’. I kept looking at it and it went straight in the hole – the best putt of my career. Amazing feeling.

“Winning a golf tournament is the best feeling in the world so getting it done this way, with such a big putt on the last, I don’t know what to say but in my biggest dreams I wouldn’t have thought of anything like this. Crazy run today.

“Winning a golf tournament is so rare – to win twice in just a few months is unreal. I’m just very happy with the way I got it done today in such a dramatic fashion, it’s amazing. I’m very happy.”

.@AntoineRozner’s last six starts ?

?
T26
T9
T16
T36
?#QatarMasters pic.twitter.com/H6rVsSJQOl

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 14, 2021

The final results ?#QatarMasters

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 14, 2021

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