Former champion Eddie Pepperell and defending champion Ewen Ferguson are looking forward to returning to the Doha Golf Club (DGC) today, where they savoured their maiden success. Englishmen Pepperell earned his first European Tour victory at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in 2018, when he scored two-under 70 to hold off countryman Oliver Fisher by a stroke, winning with an 18-under 280 total.
“I’m looking forward to playing at the Doha Golf Club. It’s nice to come back to a course you’ve had success at,” Pepperell said on Wednesday, on the eve of the start of the 26th edition of the tournament.
“I like the course, I’ve played well here not just in 2018. I did quite well here in an earlier year as well. It suits my game when I’m playing well, which helps, but equally you need to play well – I’m not sure that I will; I may or may not.”
Pepperell has also registered a top-five finish in 2015 in the tournament. The 2018 was a breakthrough year for Pepperell as he claimed another title at the British Masters and with that he climbed to the cusp of a place in the top 30 on the world ranking. Form has been tough to come by this year, but the Englishman does come into the final counting event of the regular season after securing his full playing privileges for another year.
Pepperell, who is paired with compatriot Marcus Armitage and Jayden Schaper of South Africa for the first two rounds, looks to climb inside the top 60 in the Race to Dubai Rankings to play the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November. “I don’t think I’m far away, but equally I’ve had periods in rounds over the last few weeks where I’ve been poor,” he said.
The 27-year-old Ferguson, the first Scot to win the Qatar Masters title in its two-decade long history, also returns to Doha in search of a third DP World Tour title in 19 months and is considering himself as a transformed player since his triumph here last year. “I just feel like I belong out here,” said the defending champion.
Ferguson produced an amazing finish to clinch his first Tour title, ending a run of nine straight pars with a chip-in eagle from over the back of the 16th green, which was enough to propel him into a share of the lead.
Ferguson is bidding to become the first player since Branden Grace to defend his title at the Doha Golf Club. The Scot backed up his breakthrough professional win with a wire-to-wire success a few months later in Northern Ireland as he made a seamless transition from the European Challenge Tour.
His upward trajectory has continued in 2023, registering six top ten finishes so far – including two in his last four starts – along with making his Major debut at The Open Championship in July.
“That win here was just a surprise. I didn’t think I was ready that early and then it all just happened quite quickly for me and now I feel really ready to be here and win,” said Ferguson, who became the third Scottish winner in Qatar after Andrew Coltart and two-time champion Lawrie, is drawn alongside Pablo Larrazabal and Yannik Paul for the first two rounds. Other notable names on the entry list include World No 67 and 2020 Scottish Open winner Aaron Rai and Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup rookie Robert MacIntyre.
Rai is also hoping for a good week as he returns from the ZORO Championship on the PGA Tour and finds himself ranked 65th in the Race to Dubai Rankings with only the top 60 qualifying for a chance to win the tour’s biggest prize come November 16.
Rio Hisatsune (12th), Thorbjorn Olesen (14th), Marcel Siem (16th), Matthieu Pavon (18th), and Rasmus Hojgaard (20th) are among the highest-ranked players in the Dubai rankings also taking the field with Alex Fitzpatrick, Pablo Larrazabel, Nicolas Colsaerts, Edoardo Molinari. Five-time DP World Tour winner Alexander Levy, who returned to Tour action in January following a near year-long injury enforced absence, is fighting to save his Tour card at 125th.