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Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
The Qatar Masters makes its return to Doha Golf Club after a two-year run at Education City Golf Club. The event had been held at Doha every year since its inception in 1998. The course has hosted a number of major championship winners over the years, including Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen and Henrik Stenson.
Profiling the Winner
Due to the relatively narrow fairways and strategic bunkering, players of all lengths can enjoy success at Doha Golf Club. The course in a desert oasis that features both wide stretching sandy areas and large water hazards. With an average winning score of nearly 16-under-par over the years, players can typically take advantage of a track that features four par-5s and a couple short par-4s.
However, this week's forecast calls for high winds over the weekend, which will make things much more challenging on a course that is extremely exposed to the elements. This will be a big week for players who strike the ball solidly, as that will help keep shots more on line. Due to the nature of the conditions, the field will likely reach the green in regulation less frequently than usual, which in turn should work in favor of players who excel around the greens.
Category Picks
Premium Picks
Players included: Dean Burmester, George Coetzee, Jordan Smith, Adri Arnaus
Guru Verdict: Burmester is coming off a second-place finish at the Steyn City Championship, which marked his second runner-up finish in his last four starts. The South African has been striking it well this season, ranking top-30 on the DP World Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Tee-to-Green. Coetzee isn't playing quite as well as the other players in this group but does own a pair of runner-up finishes at Doha Golf Club.
Front-Runners
Players included: Joohyung Kim, Pablo Larrazabal, Adrian Meronk, Romain Langasque, Matthieu Pavon
Guru Verdict: Langasque is coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes, and he is the best ball striker in this group at the moment. He ranks top-20 in greens in regulation and is gaining nearly a full shot per round from tee to green on the DP World Tour. Larrazabal is also not a bad play, with a trio of top-6 results prior to his missed cut last week.
South Africans
Players included: Brandon Stone, Wilco Nienaber, Hennie Du Plessis, Oliver Bekker, Thriston Lawrence, Justin Harding
Guru Verdict: This is a tough category to call, as South Africans appear to be a good fit for Doha Golf Club. Five of them have won there over the years, with Harding being the most recent in 2019. Bekker's recent form is just too appealing to look past. He recorded six top-11 finishes in his last seven starts, including a T3 at last week's Steyn City Championship. Du Plessis ranks the highest among this group in terms of SG: Tee-to-Green this season, though.
English Lads
Players included: Marcus Armitage, Laurie Canter, Callum Shinkwin, David Horsey, Ross Fisher, Daniel Gavins
Guru Verdict: Many of these English golfers are really strong ball strikers, which makes picking the best among between them pretty tricky. I'm leaning towards Gavins, who ranks top-40 on the DP World Tour in SG: Approach, Around-the-Green, Tee-to-Green and greens in regulation percentage. Horsey is the best putter/short game player in this group if you want to lean in a different direction.
Challengers
Players included: Shubhankar Sharma, Adrian Otaegui, Calum Hill, John Catlin, Julien Brun, Ashun Wu
Guru Verdict: Wu is the player who stands out most in this category. He ranks 15th in SG: Approach, 28th in GIR percentage, 35th in driving accuracy and 17th in scrambling on the DP World Tour. Wu finished top-30 in six of his last eight starts, including his win at the Magical Kenya Open.
Contenders
Players included: Jazz Janewattananond, Masahiro Kawamura, Marcus Kinhult, Hurly Long, Jorge Campillo, Mikko Korhonen
Guru Verdict: Long has had a really good season, ranking top-6 on Tour in both scoring average and birdie average. Long notched top-25s in four of his last five starts, including a pair of top-3 results. He has a very strong combination of power and putting prowess that should lead him to success this week.
Clutch Putters
Players included: Julien Guerrier, Jacques Kruyswijk, Grant Forrest, Sami Valimaki, Sihwan Kim, Chris Wood
Guru Verdict: Kim is the most interesting player in this group. He has played primarily on the Asian Tour of late and scored four top-4 finishes in his last seven starts. That includes a win at the International Series Thailand last time he played. Guerrier's ball-striking numbers are rather ugly, but he has been a magician on and around the greens.
Big Hitters
Players included: Louis de Jager, Antoine Rozner, Matthew Jordan, Thorbjorn Olesen, Matti Schmid, Tapio Pulkkanen
Guru Verdict: We are still early in the season, but de Jager does lead the DP World Tour in both SG: Tee-to-Green and SG: Approach. That has to count for something on a course that requires good ball striking to contend. Pulkkanen probably has the best recent form of the group, going T7-T20-MC-T5 over his last four starts.
The Selections
Premium Picks: Dean Burmester
Front-Runners: Romain Langasque
South Africans: Oliver Bekker
English Lads: Daniel Gavins
Challengers: Ashun Wu
Contenders: Hurly Long
Clutch Putters: Sihwan Kim
Big Hitters: Louis de Jager
