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:
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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.

Relax this summer as we catch up with Max Homa, keep fit In the gym away from the heat, learn all you need to know about maintaining a certain golf course ahead of the Open Championship, talk team golf with Olivia Cowan and reflect on LIV Golf history at Centurion.

There is a summer of plenty as July offers a whole host of golfing treats, including the Irish Open and Scottish Open for the men ahead of the big one. The 150^th Open Championship sees the game return to the ‘Home of Golf’ at St Andrews in Scotland, with a stacked field ready to do battle on the famous Old Course. There are two LIV Golf events in the States as well as the ladies’ Amundi Evian Championship and the ever-popular Women’s Scottish Open attracting the cream of the LPGA and Ladies European Tour.

All this and much more in the July 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get the July 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Reigning European Tour Rookie-of-the-Year Sami Välimäki won’t get the chance to defend the title that propelled him to Sir Henry Cotton Trophy glory last season, not in the foreseeable future anyway.

The Oman Open in Muscat remains indefinitely postponed due to a directive from Oman’s Supreme Committee in late January that saw all gatherings, international functions and sporting events in the Sultanate stopped with immediate effect due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The March 4-7 event at Al Mouj Golf, the first tournament of 2021 to be stalled by COVID-19, was to be the fourth of five early-season events in the Middle East. The $1.5 million Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, to be staged at Education City Golf Club in Doha for the second time from March 11-14, remains on the European Tour schedule.

The 18th at Greg Norman’s Muscat gem, Al Mouj Golf.

At the time of the Oman Open postponement, the European Tour released a statement saying attempts to reschedule the event were ongoing.

“All parties are looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the year, but there are no definitive plans at this stage.”

Tom Phillips, the European Tour’s Head of Middle East, confirmed COVID-19 meant ever-moving goalposts in the region.

“While challenges undoubtedly remain due to the ongoing global situation, as shown by the recent postponement of the Oman Open, we are looking forward to returning to the Middle East next month for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and then playing a full schedule before our season finale, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, in November,” he said.

Välimäki beat Brandon Stone in a playoff to claim his maiden European Tour title at Al Mouj Golf last year, a week before Spaniard Jorge Campillo captured the Qatar Masters. Immediately afterwards, the European Tour called a halt on its 2020 season as world sport ground to a halt courtesy of the pandemic.

The post Oman Open remains indefinitely postponed as COVID claims first European Tour event of 2021 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Jorge Campillo and David Drysdale each had time to clear their minds during the playoff at the European Tour’s Commerical bank Qatar Masters, a sudden-death affair that went a not-so-sudden five extra holes.

Campillo, a 33-year-old from Spain, was trying to forget his frustrating finish at Education City Golf Club, in which he went bogey/double bogey/par over the final three holes to lose a two-stroke lead and close with a one-over 72.

Drysdale, a 44-year-old from Scotland, was trying to block out the fact that, in making his 498th start on tour, he was on the precipice of his first win, with his wife, Vicky, walking with him as his caddie.

In spite of the pressure both golfers were feeling, each turned in stellar play in their extra trips down the par-4 18th hole, making birdies the first two times and pars the next two (impressive considering only six birdies were made on the hole the entire final round).

On the fifth, and likely last go around on 18 before darkness would force a Monday finish, Campillo rolled in a 25-footer for birdie only to see Drysdale fail to match it, the Scotsman pushing his birdie effort left of the hole.

“You’ve got to be patient … you’ve got to try hard,” Campillo said. “It’s a tough win, but I’m glad I pulled it off.”

Campillo could empathize with Drysdale regarding waiting a long time to try to get your first win. The former first-team All-American at Indiana had gone 229 starts on the European Tour before winning the Trophée Hassan II last April.

The 54-hole leader in Qatar, Campillo looked like he had found his stride mid-round, making birdies on the 10th and 13th holes to get to 16 under par and push his lead to two strokes over Denmark’s Jeff Whither and three over Drysdale. When a bad drive right led to bogey on the par-4 16th, it seemed alright since Whither made bogey as well. An even worse drive right on the par-4 17th, however, forced Campillo to punch back to the fairway from the desert. His third shot missed the green, and when he failed to get up and down to save bogey, the double dropped him back to a tie t 13 under with Drysdale, who was finishing up an even-par 71. (Whither made bogey on 17 to fall to 12 under.)

Warren Little/Getty Images
Drysdale, with his wife Vicky on his bag, was searching for his first European Tour win in his 498th start.

Campillo had a chance to close it out in regulation on the 18th, a 25-foot birdie putt finishing one revolution shot of the hole. “I know I still was in the game and had to play it out,” he said.

The stellar back and forth in the playoff was impressive. Drysdale knocked it close for birdie putts inside 10 feet on the first two extra holes. Campillo, meanwhile, made putts from outside 20 feet both times to keep himself in the game.

“I’m just so proud right now of the way I played in the playoff,” he said. “I hardly missed a shot and I was able to make some putts.”

As for Drysdale, he hugged Vicky as he walked off a runner-up on the European Tour for a fourth time in his career. Yes, he wouldn’t have been in the playoff if not for Campillo’s mistakes down the stretch. But he had to be wondering how many more times he will get such a realistic chance to fulfill his life’s dream.

However, it would have to wait.

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By Kent Gray
After an unbroken 22 year stretch at Doha Golf Club, the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters has a new home.

Education City Golf Club, only opened on January 1 last year, will hold a belated first birthday celebration when it hosts the $1.75 million European Tour event from March 5-8.

The 7,300-yard, José María Olazábal-designed layout, with a 2022 FIFA World Cup stadium as futuristic backdrop, is set to present a fresh desert challenge when South African Justin Harding returns to Doha to defend the Mother of Pearl trophy.

“The new course at Education City is certainly different to the other desert swing courses,” says general manager Michael Braidwood​.

“It’s a desert course with a lot of shrubbery and strong bunkering. The course is not overly long by modern standards and the greens are generous in size but are undulating and can offer some tough pin positions.”

The tournament’s guaranteed global television exposure is a priceless opportunity to unveil one of the Middle East’s newest courses to a wider domestic and regional audience. Braidwood expects the Education City football stadium to be an interesting diversion between the on-course action for the European Tour commentary team as well.

“The approach shots to the 1st and 17th greens have the Education City stadium as a backdrop. It is a beautiful stadium and gives an amazing backdrop. Having it so close, its only 150 meters from the 18th tee, is great,” Braidwood said of the stadium which saw its maiden match when Champions League winners Liverpool lined-up for their FIFA Club World Cup semifinal on December 18.

Hole 4: Olazábal relies heavily on bunkering as a key defence

“We’ve already had a lot of publicity with celebrity footballers playing footgolf in our club gardens with the stadium as a backdrop. The next thing is to get them golfing! It’s an exciting time for sport here in Qatar.”

Education City G.C.’s clubhouse opened in April. Her Highness Shaikha Moza will host the club’s 1st anniversary celebrations from there during Qatar Masters week, making it a doubly important occasion for the European Tour’s newest venue.

“It’s a great vehicle to promote the club internationally and locally. The various sponsors invite a lot of guests during the week who may not have any golf experience. It is our intention to make the spectator experience engaging, educational and interactive so they can leave with a greater knowledge of the sport as well as possibility having tried it whilst visiting the Qatar Masters.”

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