It was an unusually calm day at the Doha Golf Club yesterday. The trademark gusty winds, which have almost become synonymous with the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, stayed away.
These were conditions in which Bradley Dredge excels, and the Welshman shot a superb 64 to sit atop the leaderboard, one shot ahead of Finland’s Mikko Korhonen, after the first round of the landmark 20th Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The 43-year-old Dredge, who finished in a tie for fourth at the CBQM last year, picked up birdies on the first, fifth and eighth on the front nine but scorched the back nine with birdies on the 10th, 11th, 13th, 15th and 16th for his eight-under total.
“I’m obviously delighted with the score. I’m a bit surprised as I thought I was going to hit the ball a bit better off the tee. I putted really well and I think 64 is a good number out there,” said Dredge, who is playing the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters for the 16th time, having played in the first edition in 1998.
“I’ve played the course enough over the years and I felt as though I really got my eye in, apart from my last two putts. Apart from that, I putted really well. Without the wind, it was the opportunity to go at more flags and get the ball a bit closer to the pin. It makes it a lot easier to get the score going and get the putts in,” the Welshman, who won European Tour titles in 2003 and 2006 besides 13 runner-up finishes, added.
Two strokes behind the leader were the trio of Graeme McDowell, Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat and England’s Nathan Kimsey. Starting from the 10th tee, Northern Ireland’s McDowell shared the clubhouse lead for much of the day after scorching the front nine with three straight birdies on the 10th, 11th and 12th, and further gains on the 14th, 16th and 18th for a seven-under total after just 11 holes. He started his back nine with his seventh gain on the second before a lone bogey on the par-four sixth ruined his near-flawless round as he finished with a 66 to lie tied for third with Aphibarnrat and Kimsey.
“I’m very happy with that. Incredibly benign conditions for Doha… Even when it doesn’t blow here, it typically blows 15 and it was perfect conditions this morning,” said McDowell, who won the most recent of his 10 European Tour titles in 2014.
“It was great to get off to a fast start right out of the gates, birdieing the first three holes, and that kind of set the tone for the day. I really felt like I gave myself a lot of chances, even on the tougher front nine, my second nine. I felt like I left a couple out there and it’s always nice to shoot six-under par and feel like you left a few out there. Just the start I was looking for,” added the four-time Ryder Cup star, who last played the CBQM in 2012.
World No. 10 Alex Noren, four-time major winner Ernie Els, 2018 Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn and 2016 Ryder Cup rookie Andy Sullivan each shot 68 to lie in a share of the 14th. Chris Wood, the 2013 champion, carded 69, a shot ahead of two-time major winner Martin Kaymer, Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger.
Second-placed Korhonen was happy with his round of 67. “It feels good. I thought I would probably have a chance because it’s definitely the most calm day I’ve ever seen here. I hit it solid, made a couple of long putts and made all the short ones, so basically no mistakes, no bogeys. That was good,” said the 36-year-old Finnish golfer, competing in Doha for a third straight year and looking for his first European Tour win. Thailand’s Aphibarnrat birdied his last two holes on the eighth and ninth to join McDowell on six-under. “My confidence is high after last week. I just need to keep doing well and keep things positive and just believe. I’m hitting the ball well. Solid golf. I just missed one green and it was a good way to finish, with two birdies,” said the three-time European Tour winner, who finished tied-fourth in Abu Dhabi last week. Today’s second-round action starts at 6.30am, with the last groups teeing off at 12.20pm.

Leading scores
64 - Bradley Dredge (Britain)
65 - Mikko Korhonen (Finland)
66 - Nathan Kimsey (Britain), Graeme McDowell (Britain), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand)
67 - Alexander Knappe (Germany), Simon Dyson (Britain),  Jaco Van Zyl (South Africa),  Joakim Lagergren (Sweden),  Thomas Detry (Belgium),  Raphael Jacquelin (France), Ignacio Elvira (Spain),  Paul Dunne (Ireland)
68 - Sam Walker (Britain), Thomas Aiken (South Africa), Callum Shinkwin (Britain),  Gregory Bourdy (France), Chris Hanson (Britain), Alexander Noren (Sweden), Ernie Els (South Africa), Andy Sullivan (Britain), Daniel Im (US), Anton Karlsson (Sweden), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Richie Ramsay (Britain), Graeme Storm (Britain), Daniel Brooks (Britain), Anthony Wall (Britain)