What once served as the final regular season event of the DP World Tour season, the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters moved to its new February time slot a season ago.
Now, for the second consecutive season, the event will be played during the DP World Tour’s “International Swing” in the early part of the season.
This is also the final week in the Middle-East for the DP World Tour before a week off and the continuation of the International Swing in Kenya.
This event has been a part of the schedule since 1998.
It will once again be played at the Doha Golf Club. It was held for a brief two year stint at Education City between 2020 and 2021. It has been held at Doha Golf Club for every other installment.
The Field
The last few remaining LIV Tour golfers have left and this week, we’ll get our first true full field DP World Tour event.
Last week’s Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship winner Laurie Canter will tee it up this week in an attempt to make it back-to-back victories on the DP World Tour as the odds on favorite.
Other 2025 tournament winners Elvis Smylie, Ryggs Johnston, Johannes Veerman, John Parry and Alejandro Del Rey will also be playing this week, seeking their second victories of the season.
Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino edged out France’s Ugo Coussaud by a stroke a season ago to claim victory. The victory etched Hoshino’s name along the likes of Adam Scott, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia who had previously won this event.
Other previous winners of this event teeing it up this week include Ewen Ferguson (2022,) Antoine Rozner (2021,) Jorge Campillo (2020,) Justin Harding (2019,) Eddie Pepperell (2018,) Chris Wood (2013) and Alvaro Quiros (2009.)
The Course
Doha Golf Club in Doha, Qatar is this week’s host and plays as a Par 72 at 7,466 yards.
It was designed by Peter Harradine, the man also responsible for the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
This course underwent some significant changes between the 2019 and 2022 editions as the course was revamped.
The greens of the par five ninth and 18th holes were combined to form one big green. Additionally, all of the greens were changed from Bermuda to a strain of paspalum called Dynasty Grass.
Additionally, the majority of the greens were expanded back to their original sizes and reverted back to their original slopes and elevations.
The intention of these revamped greens were for them to run at around 11.5 on the Stimpmeter, which is slightly faster than the previous installments.
The fairways this week run average in terms of width and the rough is essentially non-penal.
There is water in play on six holes (three, eight, nine, 13, 15 and 18.) Both the front and back nine end on a par five as well.
The four par fives featured this week must be attacked as they annually average below par. The driveable par four 16th plays as the easiest hole on the course as well.
Doha Golf Club is a very exposed course that is more susceptible to high winds that will play its part in the outcome this week.
Such happenings took place in 2022 with weekend weather conditions being far from ideal as Ferguson shot a final round of 70 to secure a one-stroke victory.
The Weather
As of the time of writing this, there of course is a zero-percent chance of precipitation across all four days this week. Temperatures will begin at 74-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 77-degrees on Friday and falling to 70-degrees for both days across the weekend. Winds are set at 15 miles-per-hour for both Thursday and Friday. Winds will then peak at 17 miles-per-hour on Saturday and settle to 12 miles-per-hour come Sunday. In all, exactly what we’d expect out of desert golf in February.
Key Stats
Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)
Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)
Average Driving Distance
Scrambling
Birdie or Better Percentage
Bogey Avoidance
Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)
Par Five Average Scoring
Betting Card
Haotong Li (+3500)
Li comes into this week on the back of back-to-back top 25 finishes in his last two events in the Middle-East. He placed 22nd at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and 24th at last week's Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. He also played this event a season ago where he finished T16. Li is currently second on Tour in SG: APP, fifth in par five average scoring, seventh in both birdie or better percentage and GIR%, 31st in average driving distance, 60th in bogey avoidance, 73rd in SG: ATG, 120th in SG: PUTT and 127th in scrambling. The putting figure is a bit worrisome but he did gain 0.61 strokes-per-round putting a week ago in Bahrain. He also scrambled to a 63.16-percent rate last week as well. Both stats were a drastic improvement from his showing at the Ras Al Khaimah which sunk his season-long numbers.
Scott Jamieson (+6500)
I have been on Jamieson a lot to start the season and that’s for good reason. He’s played each of the last five events. He placed 18th at last week’s Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, eighth at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, ninth at the AfrAsia Mauritius Open and 42nd at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. He did miss the cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Jamieson is currently seventh on Tour in SG: APP, 12th in GIR%, 14th in par five average scoring, 15th in bogey avoidance, 16th in birdie or better percentage, 29th in SG: PUTT, 72nd in average driving distance and 87th in SG: ATG. Jamieson also loves this golf course and event. He placed third here a season ago and T3rd in 2023.
Ivan Cantero (+7500)
Cantero is one of the hottest golfers in all of the DP World Tour to start the season. Through six events to start the season, his worst finish was 42nd at the AfrAsia Mauritius Open. He placed fourth last week at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and fifth a week prior at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship. He did miss the cut here a season ago but he is twice the golfer now than he was a season ago. Cantero is currently sixth on Tour in GIR%, seventh in average driving distance, ninth in SG: ATG, 17th in birdie or better percentage, 24th in bogey avoidance, 28th in par five average scoring, 43rd in scrambling, 61st in SG: PUTT and 102nd in SG: APP. Cantero has lost strokes on approach each of the last two weeks (although not by much.) That suggests that once he gets his irons rolling, he’ll be hard to beat. He has back-to-back top five finishes while losing strokes on approach. The irons will come around.
Hamish Brown (+8000)
The young Dane is quickly becoming one of the favorites on the DP World Tour. He is currently second on Tour in birdie or better percentage, tenth in SG: ATG, 14th in par five average scoring, 23rd in average driving distance, 33rd in SG: PUTT, 36th in bogey avoidance, 45th in SG: APP, 48th in GIR% and 59th in scrambling. In other words, he’s above average in each of the nine statistical categories I took into consideration this week. He did miss the cut at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship last week but prior to that placed eighth at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, 16th at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and 28th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. He will be making his debut here at this event this week.
Corey Shaun (+30000)
A big number for a guy with some quality finishes to start the season. Shaun placed 38th last week at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. He also placed ninth at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and 43rd at the BMW Australian PGA Championship. He is currently fifth on Tour in both SG: PUTT and GIR%, 17th in bogey avoidance, 25th in scrambling, 28th in SG: APP, 41st in birdie or better percentage, 52nd in par five average scoring, 97th in SG: ATG and 104th in average driving distance. He too will be making his debut at this event this week.
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