Golf: European Tour – Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Venue: Doha Golf Club, Qatar.
Dates: Thursday 5th March – Sunday 8th March 2020
Tournament Preview
The next leg of the European Tour’s Gulf swing continues as plenty of big names converge on Doha for the Qatar Masters. The event was one of the original tournaments in the Gulf and has been a staple on the calendar since 1998. The prestige of the event is clear when looking at the alumni of winners at the Qatar Masters: Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Adam Scott have all enjoyed success at this event, and it promises to be another hotly contested weekend of golf in 2020. As one of six early-season events to be played on the Arabian Peninsula, there is a healthy prize pot of nearly $2 million with almost $300,000 distributed to the winner.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
There are plenty of big names descending on Doha this week in what promises to be a fascinating four days of golf:
With 5 top 20 finishes from his last 5 starts, German Martin Kaymer looks to be returning to form on the European Tour. He finished in the top 10 last time out in Oman and his game looks to be clicking at the right time with the Ryder Cup looming.
Belgian Thomas Pieters endured a tough week in Oman last weekend, missing the cut but his 3rd place finish at the Saudi Invitational earlier last month was in a quality field and he’ll be hoping to replicate that form here.
Young Austrian Matthias Schwab has suffered a difficult start to 2020 but he was the in-form man on the European Tour at the end of 2019 and he will be hoping to come back into form here on a course well suited to his game.
Malaysian Gavin Green impressed again last week at the Oman Open to back up his superb performance at the Saudi Invitational – finishing 3rd. He has had no missed cuts since October, and he is demonstrating real consistency on the European Tour.
Two-time runner-up at this event George Coetzee will be desperate to get over the line in 2020. He finished 6th at the Oman Open last time out and with confidence flowing, he could be overpriced in Qatar this week.
1st Round Leader
Producing the goods over 72 holes is often the most difficult thing for any golfer to do therefore here are our first round leader picks:-
Englishman Jordan Smith was one of the most consistent performers on the European Tour in 2019 and he will be looking to build on his 6th place finish in Oman last week.
2019 runner up Michael Lorenzo Vera finished in the top 10 at the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year and he will be keen to get off to a flying start in favourable conditions.
Young South African Zander Lombard enjoyed a real rollercoaster week at the Oman Open last time out, but his scoring power is always strong and this course should suit him here in Doha.
Top Ten Finish
With so many quality players assembled here in Doha, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 10 come Sunday:
Emerging Scot Robert Macintyre has had a quiet start to 2020 but he will relish these faster conditions in Doha, and he shouldn’t be too far away come Sunday.
Ross Fisher has finished inside the top 10 in his last 2 European Tour events and he looks to be in excellent form. He is 15th on the money list and another good week here could see him climb into automatic Ryder Cup contention.
Englishman Sam Horsfield was a fair distance from his best in Oman last time out, but he will be keen to get back into contention and his game looks well suited to conditions here in Doha.
BetXChange Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Martin Kaymer – 14.00
