Ras Al Khaimah will host the DP World Tour for the third consecutive year, with Al Hamra Golf Club once again welcoming some of the world’s best golfers to the Emirate from January 25-28, 2024.

The event will be the third stop on the DP World Tour’s International Swing, following the inaugural Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Resort and the 35^th edition of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Last year, Gavins won his second DP World Tour title in the most dramatic of circumstances as he claimed victory by just one stroke after a double bogey on the 72^nd and final hole.

Daniel Gavins

The Englishman had a three-stroke lead on the 18^th tee but found the water twice on the daunting closing hole, however he held his nerve on the green as he made a 25-foot putt to take the title.

“It was fantastic to win my second DP World Tour title in Ras Al Khaimah, but I would have liked for it to have been less stressful,” said Gavins.

“I’m really pleased with how I kept my composure and made that putt on the last, it’s a moment I’ll always remember and it’s something I’m very proud of.”

Four-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus Højgaard will be looking to follow in his twin brother Nicolai’s footsteps when he tees it up in Ras Al Khaimah, after Nicolai won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2021.

“You want to win every time you play a tournament, and my brother and I are very competitive, so it would be special to see both of our names on the same trophy,” he said.

“I really feel as though I had an opportunity to win last year, so I’m hoping to make amends when I return to Al Hamra.”

Rasmus Højgaard – Getty Images

Larrazábal, who is seeking a tenth DP World Tour title, has claimed four wins on three continents since March 2022, with two wins in Europe, and one each in Africa and Asia.

The Spaniard is no stranger to winning in the United Arab Emirates, having claimed the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in 2014, beating Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson to the title by one stroke. He also finished in a share of third at the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Classic.

“It will have been ten years since my victory in Abu Dhabi and it would be great to win again in the United Arab Emirates,” said Larrazábal. “I have really enjoyed my experiences in Ras Al Khaimah, and I’m sure we’ll get a warm welcome when we return in 2024.”

Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen will be teeing up in search of an eighth DP World Tour win and will arrive at Al Hamra buoyed by his tied fourth finish in the event earlier this year. The Dane has had consecutive winning years on the DP World Tour and he ended the season ninth on last year’s Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, his second-highest career finish.

“I always enjoy starting my season in the UAE, so I’m excited to return to Ras Al Khaimah in January,” said Olesen.

“Al Hamra is a great venue and it’s a course I felt very comfortable on earlier this year. I’m looking forward to going back.”

Main Image: Supplied

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It comes as no surprise to anyone when a viral video on social media is taken out of context. That’s what the internet is for and boy, business is a boomin’.

The BMW PGA Championship had quite a few compelling storylines this week, from Ryan Fox’s ascent to the Ryder Cup practice sessions, but a seemingly innocuous putt from T-45 finisher Robin Sciot-Siegrist has been making waves on Twitter/X/whatever you call it now.

NUCLRGOLF, which has more than 67k followers, blasted out this footage of Pablo Larrazábal walking in front of Sciot-Siegrist’s putting line, and now almost 4M people have watched the clip. “Is this acceptable?” the post reads.

Is this acceptable?

pic.twitter.com/nmLzyHSq5s

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 16, 2023

Social media, always the arbiter of right and wrong, had a take or two. Most notably from six-time PGA Tour winner Hunter Mahan.

No. That would require a conversation.

— Hunter Mahan (@HunterMahan) September 16, 2023

“No,” Mahan responded. “That would require a conversation.” Many others followed his lead and shared their disgust with Larrazábal’s green etiquette.

Larrazábal must have seen the angry mob forming online as he crafted a quick and perfect tweet to quiet the crowd and give a bit more information about what actually happened.

That’s me, we were on the clock and hole and a half behind… play quick, play better…

— Pablo Larrazabal (@plarrazabal) September 16, 2023

“That’s me,” Larrazábal said. “We were on the clock and hole and a half behind… play quick, play better…”

With the added context, social media walked back its anger and quickly put the pitchforks down. When the idea of being “on the clock” pops up, everyone changes their tune. Pablo Larrazábal shot a 12-over in his final round to finish the tournament at five-over, so maybe this etiquette hoopla isn’t the worst thing he’ll remember from the weekend.

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There has always been something about the KLM Open and the Spaniards on the DP World Tour. The first of Seve Ballesteros’ record 50 victories on what was then the European Tour came in the 1976 version of what was then the Dutch Open. The last of Sergio Garcia’s 19 wins on the circuit came along 43 years later. And now Pablo Larrazabal has nine victories on his home tour, four in the last 14 months. With a closing 69 over the Bernardus Golf Course 50 miles outside Amsterdam, the 40-year-old from Barcelona reached 13-under par for the week, good enough to record a two-shot victory over yet another Spaniard, Adrian Otaegui.

After a slow start to his day on the Kyle Phillips design, Larrazabal overcame two visits to hazards on the par-4 second and the resulting double-bogey six to play the next 16 holes in five-under. The last hour was the key though. Midway through the back nine the eventual champion was one of five men tied for the lead on 10-under, with two others only a shot back. But only Larrazabal, who made three birdies in the last four holes, finished fast.

What a birdie ?@plarrazabal shoots into 1-shot lead. ??#KLMOpen pic.twitter.com/P5TPVbXZQJ

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 28, 2023

Of those challengers, only Otaegui will be even remotely happy with his play down the stretch. Poland’s Adrian Meronk, already holder of the Irish, Australian and Italian Open titles, could only make pars on the back nine and subsided to a T-5 finish. Likewise, South Africa’s Deon Germishuys, winner of the recent US Open Final Qualifying event at Walton Heath, parred in from the turn and had to be content with a tie for third alongside the promising Dane Rasmus Hojgaard.

“What a day,” said Larrazabal in the immediate aftermath of a victory that will likely lift him to just outside the world’s top 50, to eighth spot on the Race to Dubai and to ninth on the European Ryder Cup points list (three places below Otaegui). “It was a battle for me. I didn’t play well, starting with that double on the second hole. But I managed myself well and holed a few vital putts on the front nine. I did myself to keep myself in position. Then three birdies in the last four. To win golf tournaments you have to do that at the end. It doesn’t matter how fast you run at the beginning, you have to run fast at the end to win the race. Which is what I did.”

Indeed, Larrazabal, one of the best shot-makers on tour, distinguished himself with a brilliantly controlled, low-running, right-to-left approach to the 472-yard par-4 15th that led to a birdie and broke the deadlock atop the leaderboard.

Then he surpassed even that effort with his tee shot at the 183-yard par-3 17th. With water lurking left and sand right, the man who flirted with LIV Golf, playing in the first ever-event on the tour before deciding to return to the DP World Tour, hit his ball to within a yard of the cup. All of which made his final birdie on the par-5 18th — courtesy of a 20-foot putt — all but irrelevant as far as the final destination of the trophy was concerned. Still the celebration was captivating.

Just look at what it means for @plarrazabal ?#KLMOpen pic.twitter.com/CjOpgJYfu6

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 28, 2023

“I was just trying to make two putts there,” admitted Larrazabal, before conjuring up yet another Spanish connection, the time with the señor who won this title in 1994. “But suddenly I made it. I’m so proud of myself. I struggled big-time through Covid but here we are with four wins in the last 15 months. It means so much to me. Hopefully, I can do 20 per cent of what Miguel (Angel Jimenez) did in his 40s.”

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The Dubai-based Spaniard rallied on the back-nine, with his birdie blitz leaving the rest trailing as he marched to the top of the leaderboard.

A tight battle unfolded at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea on Sunday afternoon, with Larrazábal finding himself in a five-way share of the lead on nine-under when he reached the turn following two front-nine birdies.

The Spaniard slipped from the summit after dropping his first shot of the round at the 10th but roared back, making four birdies in the next five holes to open up a three-shot lead.

He then safely parred his way home to complete a closing 67, finish the tournament on 12-under and claim an eighth DP World Tour title just a couple of weeks before his 40th birthday.

He said: “It’s amazing. In two weeks I’m turning 40. I’m not a long-hitter. To play against all these 20-year-old guys now that hit the ball 40 yards over me, and to beat them is unbelievable.

“To do it here in Korea, where we have not come for 10 years and where I love to play. Now it’s one of my favourite places in the world.

“I will be back to Korea to defend this title and hopefully many more times.

“My older brother is getting married on Saturday. I don’t know if I’ll bring the trophy to the wedding but I’m sure we’ll celebrate 95 per cent his wedding, and a couple – not too many – of drinks celebrating my title.”

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The 27-year-old was among the front-runners from the morning tee offs at Stadium Course, PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness in Girona.

A roller-coaster round of 68, including three bogeys, five birdies and a solitary eagle was good enough for Arnaus to take a share of fifth spot on four-under par, just behind the co-leaders Sebastian Heisele of Germany, England’s James Morrison, Chinese hope Haotong Li and South African Oliver Bekker.

Arnaus was in the clubhouse alongside France’s Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, another South African Hennie du Plessis and Scotland’s David Drysdale, and looking in good shape for a push at the title as he seeks his first DP World Tour crown.

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But with a welcome respite of a few weeks away from the grind, it was local boy Pablo Larrazabal who prospered by claiming the inaugural ISPS Handa title just outside Tarragona.

There was a home-away-from-home comfort for Dubai’s Adrian Otaegui as he secured second spot behind his compatriot at the end of a torrid four days that were thrown into mayhem by the weather.

Larrazabal claimed his seventh DP World Tour title, and confirmed his return to form with a second win of the season in just four appearances this season. The Spaniard signed off in style as he birdied the final hole for a scorching 62 and a first win on home soil.

The 38-year-old, who won the MyGolfLife Open last month in South Africa, began the final round three strokes back at Infinitum — just outside Tarragona and one hour down the road from his home in Barcelona — and he catapulted himself into the mix courtesy of five successive birdies from the ninth.

Fellow Spaniard Otaegui and his two playing partners in the final group, Aaron Cockerill of Canada and South Africa’s Hennie Du Plessis, all remained in contention coming down the stretch having shared a three-way tie for the lead heading into the final round.

But Larrazabal’s 15-under total, after an eight-under final round, was enough to clinch a seventh Tour title – moving him alongside Jon Rahm, Alvaro Quiros and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano on the list of Spaniards with most wins, and making him the second multiple winner of the 2022 season after World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

Dubai man Otaegui had an opportunity to force a play-off with an eagle chance at the last, but a birdie was only enough to finish one stroke back in second spot, with Cockerill and Du Plessis finishing a shot further back in a share of third on 13-under.

“What a day,” said Larrazabal. “But I knew that my golf was there. I couldn’t make any putts the first three days but I told my girlfriend last night that she had to choose my clothing for the (winning) pictures.

“I knew that I had a low one in my bag and that’s what I did. Today I holed putts and that was key. I mean, to shoot 62 in windy conditions with the flags out there, it was good.

“This weekend my physical trainer was here. My girlfriend and my brother are here, my friends from home are here. So it’s been quite emotional but I kept the nerves down and kept concentrated and I managed to finish the job, so I’m very happy.

“Today I found something on the putting green going in (ahead of the fourth round) and I knew that I had a low one. And I had to have a low one. I don’t play golf for positions, I play golf for trophies and I knew that 15-under was the number to catch.

“I’m glad I got the seventh title here at home. I live one hour and 15 minutes up the road and it’s very special to win in Spain, in front of a few friends of mine, and obviously in front of my girlfriend and my brother.

“So it’s not going to be the most emotional win in my career but it’s one of them.

“It’s been tough, the last three years, the last maybe five, six years.

“When your golf is not there and then injuries, and then these 20-year-old kids are coming in and they’re flying the ball 50, 60 yards over yours and you’re not putting well, you’re not chipping well. There are a lot of things coming into my mind.

“I thought a lot about not playing any more. And sometimes if you believe and you keep working hard, life gives you back and it’s been a long road. For the trust and for the work I did, and for the patience, I think I really deserve it.”

Otaegui was gracious in defeat and knows his time will come sooner rather than later.

“It’s been a great day, no bogeys, holed a few par putts, played really well, lots of shots to the pin,” he said. “I think I did a great job and congratulations to Pablo — that has been an amazing round. It was windy out there.

“I am really happy. Of course, over 72 holes there has been good, and not that good, shots but I think I did the right thing.

“I need to have some rest now and get ready for next week. I came in playing very well and this week I just played well, so I’m enjoying myself a lot at the moment.”

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The Spaniard burst on to the scene in 2008, bouncing around the fairways with a grin on his face and claiming the Open de France in his maiden season on the European Tour and winning Rookie of the Year. He has been a mainstay ever since, turning heads once again right here in the UAE when he claimed the 2014 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, holding off the might of Phil Mickelson and Rory McIroy to triumph.

He may be older and wiser now at 38, but that grin is still there as he looks to add the ISPS Handa Championship to his haul of titles this week in his home country of Spain.

The Spaniard has been in excellent form this year, winning his sixth DP World Tour title at the MyGolfLife Open in South Africa in March and followed that up with a T-5 at the Qatar Masters before a well-deserved three-week break.

Fully refreshed, Larrazabal is now ready to pick up where he left off during a four-week stretch in Europe, beginning with back-to-back events in Spain.

“I am ready to go,” he said ahead of the ISPS Handa’s debut on the DP World Tour. “I have been playing great, been practising great at home. There is nothing wrong with three weeks at home. To keep the momentum, you have to keep working and keep the routines going. That is all about preparation.”

After a disappointing 2021 campaign dropped him way down the OWGR standings, Larrazabal has certainly recaptured that form that made him the darling of the crowds over the past decade, climbing back up to No. 109 in the world (he was once as high as 53) and that familiar bounce has returned.

“As a professional golfer you have to realise that you are an entertainer,” he told DP World Tour. “You are a sportsman but mostly we are entertainers. The first year to 16 months of golf during the Covid-19 pandemic were tough. As I said to you, I am an entertainer of people, and we were not doing that. We played 16 months with no crowds and that didn’t help my golf, my attitude at all. To play for money is not the way I play golf nowadays.”

The Tour is back ?

It's #ISPSHandaChampionship week.

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 20, 2022

Now, despite growing up in nearby Barcelona, the 38-year-old is set for his first competitive round at Infinitum’s Lakes Course — venue of this week’s event.

“Today is my first nine holes out here,” he said after a debut practice on the course. “I came here four years ago to see a couple of friends on the last day of the Final Stage at Qualifying School. Those are my only two days at this course. But after nine holes you realise how good this golf course is and the conditions are brilliant. Hopefully the rain stays away from here so that we can see how good the work is of the groundsmen.”

Water is an undeniable feature of this week’s course in Tarragona, but that is not something that is set to faze Larrazabal.

“There are a lot of lakes, but you guys know me,” he said, that trademark grin creeping into view once again. “I have been on tour for 15 years; I didn’t come here for holidays and to make business you have to make birdies. Birdies are going to bring you trophies. That is why we came and that is how I play golf.”

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By Matt Smith
The DP World Tour gets rolling again with a double-header in Spain, beginning on Thursday with the ISPS Handa Championship in Tarragona. While East Asia has continued to suffer a lack of golf events due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, Spain — in this case — is definitely the beneficiary.

The latest addition to the calendar will be held at Infinitum Golf and was created to plug the gap created by the pandemic-enforced postponement of the tournament with the same name in Japan. It precedes the Catalunya Championship in Girona, which is another one-off event replacing the Volvo China Open.

So after a few weeks off and a jaunt to the Masters at Augusta National for the top players on the DP World Tour, it is a timely return to Spain to mark the 50th anniversary of the tour back where it all began.

The European Tour, as it was then known, started with the 1972 Spanish Open at Club Golf de Pals in Girona, where home stars Antonio Garrido and a certain Seve Ballesteros began the revolution of European golf.

Just like that first Spanish Open, the 2022 Catalunya Championship will also be held in Girona at the PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness and help uphold a tradition that has seen Spain become a mainstay on the tour and a production line for some of the world’s best golfers.

But first up is the ISPS Handa Championship in Tarragona, where a whole host of stars will be chasing the $2 million purse and looking to be the first to get their name engraved on the inaugural trophy.

With no defending champion, it will be tough to select the favourites, but the likes of high-flying Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen will be leading a pack of homegrown talents in the shape of Dubai-based pair Adrian Otaegui and Adri Arnaus, Pablo Larrazabal — who already has a win on tour this season in South Africa — Jorge Campillo, Nacho Elvira and Alejandro Canizares.

Bernd Wiesberger

A host of champions on tour heading to Spain be familiar to Middle East golf fans. Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, who claimed his maiden professional title at the recent Qatar Masters, will join Ras Al Khaimah’s two champions on the UAE Swing, Ryan Fox and Nicolai Hojgaard.

The Dane will liven up the party alongside twin brother Rasmus, and leading DP World Tour players also in the line-up include the likes of Alexander Bjork, Jamie Donaldson, Laurie Canter, James Morrison, Andy Sullivan, Matthew Jordan, Joost Luiten, Chris Paisley, Ross Fisher and Soren Kjeldsen.

Larrazabal, who won his sixth DP World Tour title at the MyGolfLife Open in March, will certainly be one to watch, while Ferguson will fancy his chances now he has a taste for victory after some near-misses.

The Infinitum Resort in Tarragona has been home to the final stage of DP World Tour Q School in recent years and that could help Canizares, who has a first and third over the Lakes Course in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

From the big guns, former Ryder Cup player and world No. 78 Wiesberger will be keen to get his season on track after no top-10 finishes from his five starts this season.

The Hojgaard twins can be unpredictable, but both have DP World Tour titles in the bag and will certainly produce fireworks. You can expect to see at least one of their names on the leaderboard at some point.

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The post DP World Tour heads back to where it all began in Spain for 50th Anniversary celebrations 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).

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