Some of the former champions, alongside a lineup of promising talents, will be showcased as the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters 2025 is set to be held at the Doha Golf Club (DGC) from Thursday. The 28th edition of the event, which has been a mainstay on the schedule since its inaugural staging in 1998, features a prize fund of $2.5mn, with 3,500 Race to Dubai points and 1,000 Ryder Cup points available.
Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino will not be defending his title in Doha, but eight past holders of the Mother of Pearl Trophy make up the roster this year. Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson is the most recent title holder of the event on show, having claimed his maiden DP World Tour title here in 2022.
Antoine Rozner and Jorge Campillo were victors at the former host venue, Education City Golf Club, in 2021 and 2020, respectively. France’s Rozner is making his return to DP World Tour action after competing at the start of this year on the PGA Tour.
Justin Harding is another returning champion, along with Eddie Pepperell, who is without full status and making his first start since challenging for victory at the Mauritius Open in December. Chris Wood, Alvaro Quiros, and Darren Fichardt round out the rest.
The Qatar Masters field also features six of a possible eight winners from the 2025 Race to Dubai so far, with Dubai Desert Classic winner Tyrrell Hatton and Alfred Dunhill Championship winner Shaun Norris not teeing it up.
After winning his second DP World Tour title in Bahrain last week, Laurie Canter leads the International Swing Rankings, having climbed above countryman Hatton. He is the overwhelming favorite this week. The Englishman said he is focused on continuing his fine form and is eager to take his game to new heights, with a berth at the Masters Tournament firmly in his sights.
“I’m really motivated to climb up the world rankings. I’d love to play at Augusta, The Players Championship, and some of the other Majors, all with the goal of trying to secure my PGA Tour card for next year,” Canter said.
“That’s such a nice goal to have. I’ve made big strides with third in Dubai and the win last week, but there’s a lot of work to do to secure one of those spots and hopefully get myself into the Masters in April,” he added
Weeks after making history as the first Arab golfer to make the cut at a Rolex Series event, Moroccan amateur Adam Bresnu tees it up again on the DP World Tour.
The 20-year-old is one of several players to receive an invite, including Dubai-based Joshua Grenville-Wood and 21-year-old English-born Shergo al-Kurdi, who now represents Saudi Arabia and made his DP World Tour debut at this event in 2018. Another Englishman, Calum Fitzgerald, will make his first start on the DP World Tour after winning the Qatar Open Amateur Golf Championship at DGC last year.
Saleh al-Kaabi and Daniil Sokolov will represent the hosts, with 18-year-old Scottish golfer Dominic McGlinchey, who grew up playing in Qatar, also set to compete. Since last year’s edition, several changes have been made to the course at DGC. Fairway lines and contours have been reshaped on every hole, and green surrounds have been extended on several holes on the front nine to allow for runoff areas.