Damian Kayat previews the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters taking place at Education City Golf Club, Doha
Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
2021 European Tour
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Education City Golf Club, Doha
11th-14th March
The European Tour returns this week after a five-week hiatus, heading for the 4th event on the Arabian Peninsula this year. Clearly, the entire golfing world will be zeroed in on Sawgrass this week, making this somewhat of a tier 3 event in comparison. Few golfers inside the world’s top 75 will be teeing up this week. As per last year’s Qatar Masters, we will not be playing at the Harradine-designed Doha Golf Club. Doha Golf Club had played host to every renewal of this event since 1998. But Education City Golf Club took over the reins last year. Situated around 15 kilometres from the Arabian Sea, Education City Golf Club was designed by two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal.
This course is not fundamentally too different from Doha Golf Club. It is an exposed, desert layout that’s just a shade over 7,300 yards. One chief difference between Doha Golf Club is the lack of a links feel. This is certainly more parkland in design. It’s quite a beautiful creation, with Olazabal retaining features such as an ancient wadi well and water well. Paspalum grass is used throughout Education City. This gives it some corollaries to the Mauritius Open, Saudi International and Oman Open. One thing to keep in mind will be the wind. Gusts up to 30mph will be expected to whip around Education City this week. This may bring the score down somewhat from last year’s fairly tough -13.
Thomas Pieters really looks like a decent 18/1 this week. The Belgian seems to have regained some consistency over the past year. The likes of Thomas Detry and Rasmus Hojgaard haven’t really delivered on their massive potential. This event could be an opportunity for them to dominate without some of the tour’s premier names in contention. Amazing putter George Coetzee came strong towards the end of 2020. He just needs to find a reasonable number of greens in order to be competitive. Looking further down the betting markets, my eye is immediately drawn towards Aaron Rai and Kalle Samooja. Both players looks great value at big prices in this market.
Past Winners
2020: Jorge Campillo (-13) *playoff
2019: Justin Harding (-13)
2018: Eddie Pepperell (-18)
2017: Wang Jeung-hun (-16) *playoff
2016: Branden Grace (-14)
Outright Betting (To Win)
Thomas Pieters (18/1)
Antoine Rozner (20/1)
George Coetzee (22/1)
Thomas Detry (22/1)
Rasmus Hojgaard (25/1)
Value Bets
Chris Paisley- To Win (70/1), To Place (15/1)
Paisley finished 7th here last year, gaining a massive nine shots on the field on these Paspalum greens. Much like Coetzee, Paisley is one of the best putters on the entire tour. This year’s conditions seem to suggest that he will have even more crucial par saves to make. While his game centres around short-game heroics, there were some encouraging signs for his long-game recently. He ranked 12th for GIR on his way to a 7th place finish at the recent Rolex Series event in Abu Dhabi. In terms of Middle East form, he has recorded top 5 finishes in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. While Paisley has missed 8 of 15 cuts since lockdown, there have been three top 7 finishes.
The Man to Beat
The Man to Beat- Antoine Rozner- To Win (20/1), To Place (44/10)
Rozner is one of the few players in the field who enjoyed a decent Middle East Swing earlier this season. A brace of top 20’s showcased his Middle East credentials. Let’s not forget, Rozner claimed his maiden title in Dubai last year. His accuracy from tee to green makes him an ideal candidate in a week that could punish wayward tee shots. Rozner is a talented player with a multi-faceted game.
