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Young gun Nicolai Hojgaard stole the limelight from past champions and his identical twin brother Rasmus on the first day of the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters yesterday. And the 18-year-old first-timer in Qatar feels that they are all beatable. “If you play good golf you can beat them,” a confident Hojgaard said. The Danish teenager lit up the back nine. He hit the turn in 35, then birdied seven of the next eight holes followed by a second bogey in an impressive opening round to emerge the leader at seven-under after a 64. “It was a good day. I started out slow, was playing really bad on the first four, five, six holes — I was still two-under at that point but I was just playing it all over the place. My putter was just on fire today, that’s the difference,” he said. “When I came to the back nine I was hitting fairways, hitting it close and rolling the putter. You just hit the button and you keep going. My putter was just the difference today. I was playing okay with the long game but I was just holing everything. The back nine is a bit trickier off the tee so I would say it was more of a three wood on the back nine,” the Dane, runner-up behind Sergio Garcia at the KLM Open last season, said. His brother Rasmus, who is the third youngest winner in European Tour history with a dramatic play-off triumph at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in just his fifth Tour start, will start his second round six shots behind his twin brother. Rasmus closed out a one-under 70 with a disappointing double-bogey at the last hole. Dutchman Joost Luiten, who dropped just one shot at the eighth, is hot on Hojgaard’s heels after signing for a six-under 65. Defending champion Justin Harding and last week’s winner in Oman, Sami Valimaki, are six strokes adrift of Hojgaard. “I am absolutely pleased. Seven birdies and one dropped shot… that dropped shot came out of the middle of the fairway. But on a golf course like this, where it is really tricky on and around the greens, I was out of position, so sometimes you just have to accept the bogey. All in all, I am happy with my game,” Luiten said. Former World No.1 Martin Kaymer, who has gone six years without a major win, finished the day at tied 101. India’s SSP Chawrasia put up a good show finishing tied 9th after the first round. His compatriot, Shubhankar Sharma, who teed off with Nicolai Hojgaard, finished the day with a par round. “The conditions were not that tough today in the morning. It was quite calm compared to what I had felt on the two days of practice and the Pro-Am. It was quite scoring to be honest; a little bit disappointed,” Sharma said. “Nicolai played very well today. We both had a similar starts.... then I dropped a few shots and he kept making birdies. I have to stay in the zone and see what I can do tomorrow.” LEADING ROUND I SCORES 64: N Hojgaard (Den) 65: J Luiten (Ned) 66: J Campillo (Esp), T Pieters (Bel), L Gagli (Ita), A Sullivan (Eng), C Pigem (Esp), J Winther (Den) 67: M Armitage (Eng), S Jamieson (Sco), S Chawrasia (Ind), D Fichardt (RSA), D Drysdale (Sco), B Hebert (Fra), K Moon (Kor) 68: M Siem (Ger), S Heisele (Ger), N Lemke (Swe), M Kinhult (Swe), B Poke (Den), R Macintyre (Sco), G Havret (Fra), Y Touhami (Mar), R Fisher (Eng), W Nienaber (RSA), D Coupland (Eng) 69: R Paratore (Ita), C Paisley (Eng), F Zanotti (Par), O Fisher (Eng), D Horsey (Eng), M Korhonen (Fin), D Burmester (RSA), A Rozner (Fra), J Senior (Eng), A Saddier (Fra), M Kieffer (Ger), R Langasque (Fra), M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), J Smith (Eng)

Shubhankar Sharma has seen highs and lows of golf in a short span of two years. Sharma became the youngest Indian to win on the European Tour — by more than six years — when he claimed the tri-sanctioned Joburg Open title in December 2017 as a 21-year-old. He won his second title — Maybank Championship in Malaysia — in February 2018 to become the Race to Dubai leader. He was ranked 64th in the world, but his form left him in the second half of the 2018, pushing him down to 330th spot. Sharma, currently ranked 279, sounded confident on the eve of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. “I am still working on a few things and I feel it will take some time for everything to settle in. The season has just started. I am very happy to be back here after a year,” Sharma told Gulf Times yesterday. Sharma had five top-10 finishes in 2018 but could not sustain the momentum and managed only four top-20 finishes in the past year. He is trying to learn something each day, he said yesterday. “The (three-year) journey on the European Tour has been nice. It is obviously a journey I love. This is what I always dreamt of doing. It is a kind of game you keep learning something every day.” The 23-year-old, who has spent six years as a pro, sounded determined to improve on the joint 59th that he secured in the 2018 Qatar Masters. “I have played all four events in the region this year. This is the last event in the desert. We all look forward to it. Hopefully I can finish it off on a good note and then move to the next part of the season. “The last year was okay but the year before last was very good. Hopefully I can put up a few good performances and do better this season,” Sharma said. “I did not play here last year, but it is a new course here and I am looking forward to playing the first round,” he added. Comparing the Education City Golf Club, the new venue of the tournament, with the Doha Golf Club, he said, “I played at the Doha Golf Club two years ago. I feel this course is much windier than DGC. I played on this course on the past two days. I am playing Pro-Am today. It is a nice course and the conditions are very nice and I really liked it. “Obviously it is very windy here. Everything will be kind of affected. It is going to be tough test here so everyone will have to play really well here (to survive),” he said. Sharma will play his first two rounds with Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaar and Finland’s Kalle Samooja.

Two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer and defending champion Justin Harding will lead a strong field for the 2020 edition of Commercial Bank Qatar Masters that will tee off today at the Education City Golf Club. The $1.75mn event has moved across the Qatari capital from Doha Golf Club for the first time in its 23-year history to Education City Golf Club — a landmark project for Qatar that offers a revolutionary and holistic approach to growing the game. Designed by two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal, the venue comprises 33 holes split into three courses — 18 holes, nine holes and six holes. The Championship Course, which plays 7,307 yards, is set up to be a terrific test for the players with sizeable bunkers and green-side water hazards on more than half the holes. Kaymer last played the event in 2014 is hoping to turn his recent consistency into a long-awaited win at the new venue of the event where the conditions are expected to be challenging. “I’ve been playing well,” Kaymer said. “I’m working a lot on the short game, trying to get that putter in the right momentum.” The German is a former European No. 1 with 11 European Tour wins, including two Major Championships. But the last of those victories came nearly six years ago at the 2014 US Open. He recently said that he felt he had maybe lacked focus for the last couple of years. However, after changing his trajectory to gain some length off the tee and working hard on his short game, he has started his 2020 campaign with four consecutive top 20s. “I’m very happy with the way I hit fairways, the way I hit greens, I’m playing very consistently and those top-16 finishes, it would be nice to make a couple more putts to actually have a chance to win,” the 35-year-old said. Last year’s winner Harding hopes that memories of his victory in Doha last year can fuel his challenge for more success at the Qatar Masters. The South African lifted his maiden European Tour title in dramatic fashion at last year’s event after some last day heroics saw him hold off a big chasing pack at Doha Golf Club. He fired five birdies on the back nine — including at the 15th, 17th and 18th — to earn a two-shot victory from a group of nine players who tied for second. To defend a title in Doha is a tough task as South African Branden Grace is the only player to win back-to-back (2015, 2016) Qatar Masters titles in its 23-year-old history. And according to Harding, wind will be a big factor again this week. “It’s a good golf course, I’ve played nine holes and I think the wind’s going to blow,” said Harding. “It’s going to make it challenging for scoring.” Harding is also joined in the field by 2018 winner Eddie Pepperell, last week’s Oman Open winner Sami Valimaki and Kaymer’s 2012 Ryder Cup teammate Nicolas Colsaerts. Colsaerts ended his seven-year winless run in the autumn at the Open de France and after a top-20 in Oman last week, he too is feeling confident in the desert. “Everything kind of falls into place. I think I’ve been playing well since my first round of the year. If you look at the results you always want to get a bit more out of your weeks, I probably wasn’t really efficient enough on the greens,” Colsaerts said. “I thought I had a good chance last week, I had a putt on 13 on Sunday that would have got me two shots off the lead and I was feeling pretty good. I went for the win for a long time and thought I had a pretty good sniff so I’m pretty happy about everything.” The 144-player field at the popular European Tour tournament also includes former Open and two-time Qatar champion Paul Lawrie along with other former champions Jeunghun Wang of South Korea, Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, and South Africa’s Darren Fichardt, besides prominent young stars like Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard and Australia’s Min Woo Lee. At 18 years and 271 days old, Hojgaard is the third youngest winner in European Tour history after a dramatic play-off triumph last December at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in just his fifth European Tour start. Lee had a disappointing Oman Open last week – missing the cut with rounds of 77 and 76 – but will be looking to match or improve upon his share-of-20th at this event last year. The 21-year-old will still be high on confidence after his Vic Open title win on February 7 and should be right in the mix if he plays anywhere near his best.

The 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters has an “exciting” field in its 23nd edition, with several past champions and many upcoming stars lining up at the newest golf course on the European Tour, the Education City Golf Club (ECGC). The 144-player field at the popular European Tour tournament is headed by two-time major winner Martin Kaymer, former Open champion and two-time champion in Doha Paul Lawrie, defending champion Justin Harding from South Africa along with former champions Jeunghun Wang from South Korea, Spain’s Alvaro Quiros and South Korean Darren Fichardt. “It’s a very exciting field this week. It’s a strong field having a lot of past winners with upcoming stars,” European Tour tournament director Mikael Ericsson said at a pre-event press conference yesterday. The $1.75mn event is being held from March 5-8 for the famous Mother of Pearl Trophy at the new venue where the conditions will be challenging. |“It’s a great course, but it will be a tough task for the players this week as it will be pretty windy on the first day and we will make it more challenging with tough pin placements and firmer, faster greens,” Ericsson said. The event has moved across the Qatari capital from Doha Golf Club for the first time in its 23-year history to Education City Golf Club — a landmark project for Qatar — which offers a revolutionary and holistic approach to growing the game. Designed by two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal, the venue at Education City comprises of 33 holes split into three courses; 18 holes, nine holes and six holes. The exciting new venue expects to not only challenge the European Tour stars but to entertain local and international spectators with its unique views of the Doha skyline and the 2022 Education City World Cup Stadium. The highly-anticipated event is organised by Qatar Golf Association (QGA), the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), Education City Golf Club and long-term title sponsor, Commercial Bank. Commercial Bank’s EGM, Chief Marketing Officer, Hussein al-Abdulla said they have been supporting the tournament keeping Qatar National Vision 2030 in mind. “We have been reaching out to school students through our campaign. We have been supporting Qatar National Vision 2030, which basically aims to spread sport and education. We have done a lot of education awareness among the schools, malls, social media,” said al-Abdulla. “Every year, Commercial Bank tirelessly works to deliver the best golf experience for participants and players, as well as spectators and enthusiasts, which is why we have organised and scheduled in cooperation with the Education City Golf Club visits to various schools and universities in Doha to raise awareness on this sport amongst students.  “The main goal of this campaign was to raise awareness about this fascinating game and to educate the public in Qatar, in particular community members aged between three and 25, in order to make them more familiar with the game, its techniques and values. We are pleased to announce that we have succeeded in educating around 9,000 students from several schools and universities in the country,” he said. “This year marks the forty-fifth anniversary of the Commercial Bank, in addition to being the fifteenth year of the bank organising the Qatar Masters tournament. The bank’s organisation of this tournament as the title sponsor is a solid indication of the success of this event over the years, and it is something we are proud of,” said al-Abdulla. Speaking on the occasion, Qatar Golf Association president Hassan Nasser al-Naimi said it is a proud moment for Qatar that the event is being held at a new venue. “Qatar Golf Association and Doha Golf Club are proud to host the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Education City Golf Course. I would like to thank out title sponsors Commercial Bank for their continued sponsorship. Hope we will continue it here for the coming few years,” he said.  Two of Qatar’s most promising players – Saleh al-Kaabi and Ali al-Shehrani – will also rub shoulders with the elite of the European Tour during the event.

Sofia Kenin has sauntered into the limelight after becoming the youngest Australian Open champion since Maria Sharapova in 2008 and faces heightened expectations in her career. She is the new American No 1 – eclipsing Serena Williams – and the World No 7. She moves comfortably in the space occupied by next-gen players like Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty, Bianca Andreescu and, in fact, has become a threat to all of them and there’s no doubt that the 21-year-old’s life has changed forever. She has to deal with attention from multiple angles and the past has shown that it is not easy to deal with, with many players admitting to difficulty in coping up with such expectations. The Moscow-born American, however, is relishing her new-found fame in a positive way. “I obviously want to keep it going. I like all the attention and everything, but, I try to at least focus on the match. That’s what I got to figure out, how to manage the expectations and people talking from the outside,” Kenin said ahead of the start of her singles campaign at Qatar Total Open today. Being thrust into the spotlight after winning a Grand Slam is one thing, but being looked up to by millions around the world as a by-product is quite another and Kenin, who defeated Serena Williams in the third round of the 2019 French Open and has twice reached round two at Wimbledon, has kept her feet firmly on the ground. Asked how things have changed for her since Melbourne, she said: “Yeah, I just feel like a lot of people are watching and like obviously talking from the outside. I mean, obviously the racket doesn’t feel that heavy, it’s still the same, but, I feel like I really want to start off well and keep my momentum going forward. So hopefully I can do that this week and more weeks to come,” Kenin, who is seeded sixth at the Qatar Total Open and has a first-round bye, said. After winning her maiden major title, the American headed straight to Everett to represent the United States at Fed Cup, where she went 1-1 in singles. In Dubai last week, she lost to eventual runners-up Kazakhistan’s Elena Rybakina. Kenin wants to keep her momentum going in the first Premier 5 event of the season in Doha. “Before Australia and everything there was different kind of pressure, but I did have like expectations, I was hard on myself. I want to do well in every tournament, so it’s not a surprise. And nothing’s changed from my side the way I am, because I hate losing.” Sofia had some success in doubles too and she plans to play doubles in some events. “For sure I will play doubles in some tournaments, but I’m a singles player, so obviously some tournaments I’m not going to play doubles. But of course all the Premier 5s, all the Grand Slams, it’s definitely an option to play doubles there.” She is playing doubles with Swiss Star Belinda Bencic in Doha. Kenin also has an Olympic dream in her sights. “That was the goal at the start of the year. Yes, Olympics were among my goals for the year,” she said. Kenin has a unique ball toss while serving but feels it’s natural. “Yes it’s natural, it’s just happened like that when I was little. And we tried to change it, it didn’t work. I have done it like that, I won a Grand Slam, so I think I can live with that and do the same thing.”

German golfer Marcel Siem, who lost eligibility to play on the European Tour last season, made a fine start at the Qatar Open Amateur Championship yesterday. At the Doha Golf Club, the 39-year-old played well to hit the top of the Pro leaderboard with an 8-under par 64, comprising nine birdies and a bogey on the first day of the championship. England’s Brandon Robinson Thompson was two strokes behind him with six-under. American Kevin Esteve is third at four-under and another German, Max Schmitt, is fourth at three-under. South African Bryce Easton and Swedish golfer Niklas Lemke are tied for fifth at two-under with four others at the end of the first round. “It was little windy in the afternoon, but it was calmer in the morning. Overall the conditions were very nice here today,” Siem told Gulf Times.  Siem last playd in Qatar Masters in 2018 and finished  joint 28th. “Usually greens are little firmer during the Qatar Masters, but here they were a bit softer. Roughs are also not as high as usual… it played little easier today. So overall it was bit easier.” Siem disqualified himself from the French Open last October after he assumed that ‘preferred lies rule’ was in place for the opening round. The German lifted, cleaned and placed his ball five times on the front nine at Le Golf National, incurring a two-shot penalty for each infraction and can not retain his Tour card. Prior to the penalty strokes, he had shot one-over 37 across the opening nine holes. “I am happy with my score. But I don’t know what’s coming. I had a good finish at last few holes. I am happy with the score. But as we all know, this course is always difficult to play and still we have two days to go, so we have to be little careful,” said the four-time European Tour winner Siem, who is aiming to earn back his card. Siem’s biggest victory came in China at the 2014 BMW Masters, which propelled him to a career-high seventh place finish in the Race to Dubai. He also has a World Cup win on his CV after partnering fellow German Bernhard Langer to glory in Barbados in 2006. Talking about his disqualification and his fight to be back on the tour, he said: “It was a costly mistake. It was hard unfortunately. That was a little too much for me as I disqualified myself.” This year his best finish in three events on the European Tour has been a tied 49th at the South African Open. “I am feeling felling more confident with couple of good starts this year. Playing challenge after 18 years is not nice. It’s like when you miss one class in school, you have to go back. I have to go through the season with playing 10-12 challengers or invitation events on the tour. I have to fight through this year and I hope 2021 will be good again,” he said. France’s Tom Santa, who carded two-under and is joint fifth on the overall leaderboard, is leading the amateur section of the championship.  Qatar’s Ali al-Shahrani carded two-over to finish the day at joint 5th spot, while 2017 runner-up Saleh al-Kaabi was four-over in joint 10th.

Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez insisted his side have “extra motivation” for the Qatar Cup final against arch-rivals Al Duhail. Xavi’s boys perhaps played their best match of the season to defeat Al Rayyan 4-1 in the semi-final and are now aiming to clinch their second title of the season at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. “This is the final and we as a team are eyeing our second title of the season,” said Xavi, whose team won the Sheikh Jassim Cup with a win over the same opponents. The season-opening trophy victory was also Xavi’s maiden title as coach. In the ongoing season of the QNB Stars League, Duhail are the table toppers with 30 points, while Al Sadd are third with 21 points and one match in hand. The Wolves lost 1-4 to Al Duhail when the teams last met in the QNB Stars League in November, and it is payback time for them. “Yes… we lost 1-4 to Duhail and that is an extra motivation for us,” said Xavi. “But this is the final. This time we will be playing for the title and that’s what makes it different. It will be a tough match but we are ready. It will be an exciting match, we will put in our 100 per cent and will fight to win the title,” said Xavi. Barcelona legend also praised “friend” Rui Faria and his side Al Duhail. “Duhail is one of the best Asian teams. They have won several domestic titles. We have to play at our best to beat them and I am confident of doing that, but we need our fans’ support as well. “Faria is a great coach technically and I respect him a lot. He is doing a great job, he has a lot of experience having worked with Jose Mourinho. My relationship with him is good and we are friends,” said Xavi. Al Sadd captain and striker Hassan al-Haydos also echoed his coach’s views. “The match will be difficult because we will face one of the best teams in Asia. It is certain that reaching a high level is difficult, but it is tougher to maintain that. We hope we maintain the level that we showed in our last two games and our target is to put in all our efforts to win the title to make our fans happy,” Al-Haydos said. The Red Knights, who defeated Al Sailiya 2-0 in the first semi-final, are also confident of a win. “It is a final. As everyone knows, it is one game that gives you the opportunity to win the title. We know that small details will be of importance, we have to be at the highest level of readiness technically and collectively, and also focused,” Faria said. Under Faria, who joined Duhail last January after assisting Jose Mourinho for 17 years at some of the world’s biggest clubs, Duhail have performed quite well to remain unbeaten in the league. The Red Knights had an eight-match winning run which ended in a goalless draw with Qatar SC at the start of the month. “We have prepared well and we know that we are facing a strong team, so our target is collective display, which should help us win. We have full confidence in our ability.” Talking about new faces in his team, the Portuguese said: “The new players have played and we hope they will soon settle into their stride, but certainly, when you bring new players, they need time to gel well because the players get to know each other after many games. That will, in turn, help the coach implement his ideas fully, so we need more time to get to that stage.” Duhail’s Karim Boudiaf felt they have to be well organised against Al Sadd. “It is not the first time that we face Al Sadd in the final. I agree with the coach that small details will be important, but if we avoid mistakes, we will be close to winning. Generally, the team that controls the midfield wins. I know Al Sadd players as I have played with them in national team and know that this team prefers to take possession of the ball. My advice to my teammates is to be well organised and also to play with our distinctive style,” the 29-year-old midfielder said. Commenting on Mario Mandzukic inclusion, he said: “Mario is wonderful. He has rich experience, but it is difficult for a player to get adapted quickly when he joins a new team. We expect him to give us an additional value in the coming games.”

Al Duhail are confident going into the first semi-final of 2020 Qatar Cup against Al Sailiya at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium today, and coach Rui Faria feels his side is ready for the opponents, who are very much capable of staging an upset. “We’re facing a team that we know well. They have stability at the technical level as their coach has been with them for long. We know the philosophy with which they will be playing and we will be ready for them,” Faria said on the eve of the match.  Al Duhail, who qualified for the sixth edition of the tournament by virtue of finishing second in the 2018-19 QNB Stars League, start favourites due to their unbeaten run in the QNB Qatar Stars League and the arrival of Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic. However, they were held by Qatar SC to a goalless draw in Mandzukic’s opening match. “We know the value of our new recruit (Mario) Mandzukic, but we focus on the team as a whole. In the last game, we had an organised opponent who worked seriously to get that point, but we depend on the team as a whole and not on one player. “Our new North Korean player Han Kwang-Song is training with the team, which is an additional option for us,” said Faria. Faria joined Duhail last January after assisting Jose Mourinho for 17 years at some of the world’s biggest clubs. “When I came here, I knew the history of our club and its ambitions. When the administration has provided us with all the facilities, our target is to compete for all titles. After all, this is football and I always focus on the next match,” the 44-year-old Portuguese coach said. Al Duhail striker Ismail Mohamed promised his teammates will give their best in the match. “Our preparations went off well. We know that the cup games are different from league games. It requires high concentration and we must bring out our best and we will do it in order to qualify for the final. There is no easy match. We as a team is always are a tough opponent,” Mohamed said. Talking about his fitness, the 29-year-old forward said, “I always try to implement the coach’s instructions. After my return from injury, I have been working intensely to get back to my actual level.” On the other hand, Sailiya would be hoping that they come back strongly from their 1-2 defeat to Al Khor in the league last week. “We are focusing completely on the Qatar Cup now, especially the semifinal against Al Duhail,” said coach Sami Trabelsi. “This is a tournament where we are honoured to compete in. They are looking to reach the final, they have a team full of stars, with great experience in European and Arab leagues. “There is always great seriousness when we face Al Duhail. They have outstanding players, especially in attack. Ours is a more collective effort. In the last game, we were closer to winning had it not been for our mistakes. We hope not to repeat them and target victory and reaching the final,” the 51-year-old said. Talking about his side’s performance, which finished third in the league last season, he said: “For me in terms of players’ quality, we are much better than last season. Our results may have been better last season. This time, we could not start the season in a good way because there are players who joined us late. That has affected our results, we hope to be in a better position in the second leg.” “We know that there are many obligations for the Qatar national team. From my point of view, this date is a result of calendar pressure. All matches we currently play are part of our preparations for the AFC Champions League. We will focus on getting a positive result,” the Tunisian, who has been with the club since 2013, said. Sailiya’s Moroccan midfielder Mubarak Boussoufa also feels it will be a good game and was confident of his team’s show. “We have to be at the top of our readiness. We will play against Al Duhail, who are considered as the best side in the league this season, and we will be ready to offer our best level,” Boussoufa said. “We have a strong motivation especially since we are playing a very special team. In such cases, we always want to spring a surprise. In the league, you have opportunities to compensate because it is a long tournament. But in Cup, you should be at your best in order every time to achieve victory,” the 35-year-old player said. Al Sailiya made it to the elite tournament by finishing a creditable third in the league, behind reigning champions Al Sadd and Al Duhail. In the ongoing season of the QNB Stars League, Duhail are the table toppers with 30 points, while Al Sailiya is in sixth with 17 points. The other unbeaten team in the league, Al Rayyan, will take on Al Sadd in the second semi-final tomorrow.

Qatar ended their ANOC World Beach Games campaign with a valiant silver medal in 4x4 volleyball Wednesday. At the Katara Cultural Village, the hosts went down fighting to the United States 2-0 (18-21, 24-26). It was a golden double for the USA as their women also won gold defeating Brazil 2-0 (21-16, 21-9). Once again it was Cherif Younousse who excelled for the hosts, but this time his side just fell short. With his superb performance in front of the cheering home crowd he scored 23 points, including 18 off the attack. Saif Elmajid scored 10 points and Ziad Benlouaer had two of the seven blocks that Qatar had in the match. The first set was tight, but two huge blocks in a row pushed the Americans firmly in front, and they won 21-18. US men's and women's teams celebrate after winning doubles in volleyball After losing the first set, a sensational double recovery gave Qatar the chance to go 15-14 up in the second and they took it to make it 21-all. Later, the hosts saved four match points in a row, but small errors undid them. “It was a great final. We played superbly but our best was not enough. Though we had beaten the Americans in the pool play, they have changed their tactics and roster. Now they were more balanced than before. If we had taken the second set, anything could have happened,” Qatar coach Mariano Baracetti said. “We tried our best within our limited resources. I feel the silver medal is still a creditable finish for us. We’ll try to build more strongly on this. Also I hope the FIVB would try to develop this format further in future as this has a good potential to grow,” he said. The Qatar team had only three weeks of preparation before the event, and Younousse’s regular partner on the World beach tour, Ahmed Tijan, also had to sit out the competition as he was recovering from a knee injury. “We felt the loss of Tijan throughout the tournament, but it was hurting in the final. We did not have matching bench strength as the Americans had. Still we played a superb game and tried to stretch them as much as we could,” Qatar’s defender Denis Messelmani said. “We’re the number one team in the world right now, so we’re accepting challenges, all around the world,” USA’s Casey Patterson said. “Each of us found our role. Tonight we decided to just ride out that line-up until we needed to switch. Nothing ever happened, everyone was in the zone, so as a veteran I knew that that was more important than playing time. So we tried to keep that flow going, keep the guys comfortable and getting better and better.” The men’s bronze was claimed by Indonesia, who secured a hard-earned 2-1 (21-13, 19-21, 15-11) win over Poland. “This is Indonesia’s first medal of the Games. We only have three teams here and volleyball is the junior team. Our target was top four, so to win the bronze medal was beyond our expectation. This team consists of some very young talent and for everyone this is their very first time in an international event. So after this we will make sure we train harder, we will be more motivated,” said Indonesia’s star player Rendy Licardo. Earlier in the day, the women’s bronze-medal was clinched by Canada, who secured a 17-21, 21-15, 16-14 win over Australia.

Police, who have lost only three games this season, faces yet another big test in the Qatar Volleyball Cup final when they take on defending champions Al Rayyan at the Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA) Indoor Hall today. The newly-crowned Qatar Volleyball League champions are high on confidence despite second-placed Rayyan being bolstered by two top-class professional players — Marko Vukosinovic and Kamil Rychlicki — for the match, a repeat of the last year’s final.  “We have played superb volleyball throughout the year and we as a team are a confident lot going into the final,” Police coach Damian Arrendondo told Gulf Times on the eve of the final. This is the fifth clash of the season between the two teams, with Al Rayyan and Police clinching two wins apiece. Police have suffered only three losses this season and two of them have been against Rayyan. First, they lost the Super Cup to Rayyan, before yet another loss in the Arab Club Championships in Tunis. Al Wakrah handed Police their third loss in the second match of the best-of-three semi-finals in the ongoing competition. “Yes, they are an experienced club and have a much stronger side now with the inclusion of two professionals, but we have ammunition to overcome them,” Arrendondo said. Police have defeated Rayyan in their both the league encounters. On the other hand, two-time champions Rayyan are aiming for their second domestic title of the season having won the season-opening Super Cup. Under their Brazilian coach Carlos Schwanke, who guided them to unprecedented six titles last year, Rayyan have a good chance to retain the Cup. Rayyan first won the Cup in 2016 defeating El Jaish but failed to retain after losing to Al Arabi the next year. “Yes, they have the feeling of being there and done that, but after winning the league, my boys are also upbeat and raring to go,” Police coach said. John Chigbo will lead the Police team, which has the firepower of Mikko Oivanen and Willner Riva. Both the finalists held off their respective rivals, winning the third of the best-of-three semi-finals on Tuesday. Police overpowered a gritty Al Wakrah Club 27-29, 25-18, 41-39, 25-19 in two hours and two minutes, while Rayyan defeated three-time champions Al Arabi 25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 in 110 minutes. Rayyan will be without their regular captain Mubarak Dahi Waleed. “We will be playing without Waleed as he is injured, but we have a very good chance of retaining the Cup,” Schwanke said. QVA board member Mohamed Salem al-Kuwari has announced the winners will get QR300,000 in prize-money, while runners-up will pocket QR200,000.

It took nine years and 54 starts for Justin Harding to taste victory on the European Tour. But he “didn’t enjoy” the “nerve-wracking” 45-minute anxious wait on the final day of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters after he carded a final round 66 at the Doha Golf Club yesterday. Harding was one of 15 golfers who started the day three strokes behind 54-hole leader Oliver Wilson, but he made three early birdies to claim a share of the lead, but dropped down the field after two bogeys.  Meanwhile, South Korea’s Jinho Choi notched a 64 to claim the clubhouse lead at 11-under-par. However, Harding rallied to snatch the clubhouse lead with a overall score of 13-under, but was nervous, waiting for the chasing pack to finish, with nine players tied for second at one point. “It feels good. Especially coming off, it’s a situation I haven’t really been in. I didn’t enjoy it but it’s good fun, I’m glad it happened and now we move on,” Harding, who was playing without full playing privileges after finishing third on last season’s Asian Tour, said after his round. Harding was playing on a reduced schedule this year as a category 18 player, with category 17 and lower players having full status. Victory earns him a full card. With the victory he is within sight of securing a Masters debut as he is also projected to move just outside the world’s top 50 when the rankings are updated today. The top 50 on April 1 receive an invite to the year’s first major at Augusta National. The South African, who is one of the most consistent players on the tour who failed to emerge as champions, gave credit to his strong mindset for the win on Qatar Masters debut.  “Yes, quite a bit… seriously quite a bit credit goes to my strong mindset,” the 32-year-old said. “It’s fantastic. It’s still sinking in. I didn’t quite think it was enough, I thought there might be a play-off but I’m happy to get over the line eventually. I’ve been knocking on the door a little recently. It’s rewarding seeing the hard graft and change in mindset – seeing what’s involved and what’s going on. I’m really happy.” Talking about his final round the Harding said: “I had to stay patient. I got off to a good start, made a couple of birdies and lost my head around the turn. My caddie Alan said we’re still in it and to make a couple on the back. I managed to keep myself in it and made a couple. I birdied 17 and 18, which was huge. I didn’t think 13 was clear, I thought there would be a play-off with how scores were looking on the back nine, but I’m happy to get over the line.” The victory which earned him $291,660, his fifth winner’s cheque in nine months from four different countries, having  claimed back-to-back Sunshine Tour wins in May and repeating the feat on the Asian Tour in July. He becomes the fifth South African winner of this event after Darren Fichardt, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Branden Grace - who successfully defended the Mother of Pearl trophy in 2016. South Africans Christiaan Bezuidenhout, George Coetzee and Erik van Rooyen, Spaniards Jorge Campillo and Nacho Elvira, Swede Anton Karlsson, Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera, England’s Wilson and Choi were locked in a European Tour record nine-way tie for second. Overnight leader Wilson, who was also looking for a full European Tour status, had only one bogey over the first three rounds but was undone by three in the final. A birdie on the par-5 18th gave him a one-under 71 and a share of second. Wilson, who played in the 2008 Ryder Cup, picked up a cheque for $77,265. He began the tournament 45th on the money list, and needs to finish inside the top 110 at the end of the season to earn a card for next year’s European Tour. Leading final round scores 275 — Justin Harding (RSA) 68-68-73-66  277 — Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA) 68-68-71-70, Anton Karlsson (SWE) 72-66-70-69, Oliver Wilson (ENG) 69-68-69-71, Jorge Campillo (ESP) 72-69-68-68, George Coetzee (RSA) 68-68-73-68, Jin-ho Choi (KOR) 72-69-72-64, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA) 72-71-66-68, Erik Van Rooyen (RSA) 69-68-70-70, Nacho Elvira (ESP) 71-67-69-70  278 — Andy Sullivan (ENG) 70-71-69-68, Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 72-68-70-68, Thomas Detry (BEL) 70-68-70-70  279 — Adri Arnaus (ESP) 67-70-72-70, Maximilian Kieffer (GER) 69-71-72-67, Jeff Winther (DEN) 70-70-72-67, Nick Cullen (AUS) 69-70-68-72

South African George Coetzee is blooming again at Doha Golf Club as he fired his second straight four-under round of 68 at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters yesterday. Coetzee rode his momentum into a relatively calmer day two, firing three birdies on the front nine, and another one on the par five 10th, before keeping the slate clean on the rest of the holes. “I’m happy to be playing some better golf, making some putts and hitting some good shots,” said Coetzee, who has scored four top-ten finishes in the Qatar Masters. The South African was making his seventh consecutive appearance at the event having finished second in 2013. The 32-year-old golfer has missed his last two cuts on the European Tour.  “I’m in a better place mentally. I played well in parts in the WGC-Mexico Championship and hit some good shots in Oman last week – mixed in with a couple of blunders – but I feel like things are falling into place this week.” All four of Coetzee’s European Tour wins so far have come in Africa but he has found himself a happy hunting ground in the Middle East as he looks for win number five. Coetzee reached a career-high 41st in the world after finishing second in Qatar in 2013, but started this week ranked 243rd after just one top-20 finish in his last 25 events. “I feel like everything is slowly getting into place. I don’t know when it’s going to be there for four rounds but hopefully I’ll be awake and ready to reap the rewards,” he said. South Africa has been the most successful nation in the history of this event, claiming five wins out of 21 stagings and Justin Harding was alongside countryman Coetzee and France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera at eight-under after round two.  The 33-year-old Harding sound satisfied with his performance. “I’m very happy,” said Harding. “It was a tough day starting out but the wind settled down a bit later on. I hit some good shots and could have holed a couple more putts but I’m happy to put myself in this position after two days and we’ll see what happens.” Earlier, Lorenzo-Vera took advantage of moderate morning conditions to set the clubhouse target with a second successive 68, mixing five birdies with a sole blemish. “Today, I had a lack of energy in the middle of the round. I had a three-putt from eight metres for an eagle on the 18th, and then made a bogey on the first after a poor tee shot and an even worse lay-up,” said Lorenzo-Vera, who is looking for his first European Tour win following some near-misses in recent years. He suffered a mid-round stutter before bouncing back with birdies on both the par-3s on the front nine but handled it well to make a comeback. “I’m happy with how I handled it and played my way back into the round.” “It was nice at the beginning. We were downwind on the 10th, so had a short second shot into the green which were really good – very grainy, but still very fair. It was just a bit harder in the middle of the round. It was a really early wake-up call and I lost a bit of focus, but that was the only difference compared to yesterday,” the Frenchman said. Another South African, 2003 champion Darren Fichardt, also had his share of limelight yesterday as he carded an impressive eight-under, the lowest score of the day. England’s Oliver Wilson, who has lost his European Tour card twice before, was hoping to take full advantage of his opportunity with a 68 yesterday following a 69 on Thursday to sit alongside three other players on 7-under-par. “I’m very pleased and to be bogey-free for two days is something I’m delighted with,” said Wilson, who won twice on the Challenge Tour last year. “I have experience around this course, which helps, and I’ve been playing solid, hitting a lot of fairways and finding the middle of the greens. “Last week, I got one step closer to getting into the field for the Qatar Masters each day. I’d already booked my flights to Doha so I was prepared and to get the nod after my final round was great. It’s hard not to put pressure on yourself. It’s a different position when you can plan a schedule and you know you have 25 or 30 events, you can be a bit more patient – but I don’t have that, I don’t know how many events I’m going to get in. “I’m just trying to improve. I’m really pleased with what I’ve done in the last year, I’m moving in the right direction and getting more confidence in my game. There’s still a long way to go but, hopefully, the results will come and at the end of the year I can look back, be pleased, and have a schedule for next year.” Wilson is joined by South Africa’s Erik Van Rooyen, Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura and Spaniard Adri Arnaus one stroke adrift the leaders while a group of eight players are on 6-under-par including Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Australia’s Deyen Lawson, who made his second hole-in-one of the season at the 17th. The first one came at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December. LEADING SECOND ROUND SCORES 136: George Coetzee (South Africa) 68-68, Justin Harding (South Africa) 68-68, Mike Lorenzo-Vera (France) 68-68 137: Adri Arnaus (Spain) 67-70, Masahiro Kawamura (Japan) 69-68, Erik Van Rooyen (South Africa) 69-68, Oliver Wilson (England) 69-68 138: Kristoffer Broberg (Sweden) 71-67, Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 68-70, Thomas Detry (Belgium) 70-68, Nacho Elvira (Spain) 71-67, Anton Karlsson (Sweden) 72-66, Jacques Kruyswijk (South Africa) 71-67, Deyen Lawson (Australia) 70-68, Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 68-70 139: Alejandro Canizares (Spain) 71-68, Nick Cullen (Australia) 69-70, Bradley Dredge (Wales) 68-71, Kurt Kitayama (USA) 69-70, Jordan Smith (England) 71-68, Paul Waring (England) 69-70 140: Thomas Aiken (South Africa) 71-69, Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) 69-71, Ashley Chesters (England) 70-70, Jens Dantorp (Sweden) 72-68, Darren Fichardt (South Africa) 76-64, Oliver Fisher (England) 73-67, Gavin Green (Malaysia) 71-69, Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) 69-71, Hugo Leon (Chile) 68-72, Yusaku Miyazato (Japan) 69-71, Sebastian Soderberg (Sweden) 72-68, Justin Walters (South Africa) 67-73, Jeff Winther (Denmark) 70-70, Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 72-68

Former champion from South Africa Darren Fichardt had his share of limelight yesterday as he shot a superb eight-under par, the lowest score of the day, in the second round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. The 44-year-old, who had only four top-ten finishes last year and finished tied 40th in last week’s Oman Open, produced eight spectacular birdies in the morning session at the Doha Golf Club to finish the day tied 22nd at four-under. “Today I found something on the greens before I teed off and I managed to make a nice putt for birdie on the first hole and the third hole, and just carried on and it all started getting bigger and bigger,” said Fichardt, who had back-to-back birdies twice — on fifth-sixth and 13th-14th holes. Talking about his poor first round on Thursday where he carded a four-over with five bogeys, the five-time winner on the European Tour said, “Yesterday, I hit the ball really well. But I putted horrendously. I was very disappointed on the greens. “I wasn’t releasing. I was trying to hit out on it to start the ball rolling sooner, but I was hitting it down into the grain and it was jumping all over the place.” Remembering his 2003 victory here at the Doha Golf Club, he said: “The guys here have been giving me a lot of uphill this week, saying how much hair I had. I can’t believe it’s been 16 years since I last lifted the trophy here. Time has certainly flown.” India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, who is also in the Fichardt bunch, was a bit disappointed with his one-under second round. Bhullar made a fine start in difficult conditions with a three-under 69 after the first round. “I hit the ball really well today… I think I hit better then yesterday. But I missed a lot of putts today. Though I managed to finish the day with a birdie and hope to keep the momentum till Sunday,” the 30-year-old, who won his maiden European Tour title in Fiji last August, said. However, the only other Indian in the fray, four-time European Tour winner SSP Chowrasia’s wretched run continued as he failed to make the cut.

Gaganjeet Bhullar was within striking distance for his second European Tour title, carding a three-under in the opening round for the $1.75mn Commercial Bank Qatar Masters yesterday. The 30-year-old held his own and shot a 69 in difficult conditions to stay tied 10th with 18 others after a windswept first round. Starting on back nine yesterday, Bhullar looked like he was going to emulate his opening day 67 from his 2014 Qatar debut, when he went five-under after the first 10 holes. However, a double bogey on the 11th set him back. Five years ago, Bhullar was unable to reproduce the same form, battling his way to aggregate a nine-under for tied 22nd place, while Spanish star Sergio Garcia claimed the title with 16-under. “It was a good opening day. I started off well from the 10th and I was minus five in the first 10 holes. Then I was a bit unlucky and had a double bogey, losing an odd ball. That was the only blemish I had today and off the remaining holes I parred to finish with three-under,” Bhullar told Gulf Times. Bhullar is the most successful Indian golfer on the Asian Tour after winning the co-sanctioned Fiji International last year. The 30-year-old broke the tie with Jyoti Randhawa, Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal, who have eight titles on the continental circuit. Talking about his first round scores, he said: “It is a decent score, I would say. I feel it is a good start to the tournament. The course played in good shape – fairways, greens and bunkers. The greens are firm but a little bit dry and you have to hit the ball a little high to stop it,” he said. “The conditions were tough. Right from the morning, it was windy. It wasn’t calm. We guys teed off at 7:45 and the wind picked up and turned into gusts around 8:30 or 9. It is supposed to be like this for the rest of the day.” The other Indian in the fray, SSP Chowrasia, finished the round tied 82nd with one-over.

India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar will be eyeing his second European Tour title in Doha when he tees off at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters today at the Doha Golf Club. Bhullar has been one of India’s top golfers for over a decade but he won his maiden European Tour title by a single stroke over a charging Anthony Quayle of Australia at the Fiji International in August 2018 to join Arjun Atwal, Jeev Milkha Singh, SSP Chawrasia and Anirban Lahiri as the only Indians to win on the European Tour. The victory was also his ninth on Asian Tour and 10th overall, becoming the most successful Indian player on Asian Tour and the first Indian to win on Australasia Tour. The 30-year-old golfer, who is playing for the third time in Doha, feels the important thing this week is going to be coping up with conditions. “Well… like any other week, I will try to play well and try to win,” Bhullar said. “I think this week the most important thing to cope up with would be the weather because mainly it gets very windy and once it gets really windy you know you’ve got to keep the ball and play the ball low,” he said. Bhullar is coming from last week’s storm-hit Oman Open where he slipped after spending some time in the top three, a disastrous start in the final round leading to a tied-27th finish. After handling difficult conditions, he was hit by a bogey-bogey start followed by a double on fourth. From four-under after 54 holes, he fell to even par in a matter of four holes. Bhullar went on to finish the day at six-over 78 as he birdied the 12th, but again double-bogeyed 15th and bogeyed the 16th. Bhullar first played in the Qatar Masters in 2014 and he was a member of the silver medallist Indian team in 2006 Asian Games. He is paired with England’s Gregory Scott and Korea’s Park Hyowon for the first two rounds. “Greens are quite treacherous this year, I mean looking at the weather they had in the last few months, few dry patches on the green but other than that greens are good.” Talking about the current golf scene in India, he feels it’s getting better. “It’s definitely getting better. More and more players are stepping on the Asian Tour and then slowly graduating but we are still lacking in terms of infrastructure. Back in India we don’t have too many world-class golf courses where we could actually produce the next generation stars but the government is definitely doing their hundred percent,” he said. “You know golf is a very elite game and you need at least 200 acres of land to lay the golf course, so it’s not an easy job for any private player and for the government. But having said that I think golfers are doing pretty good,” the Arjuna awardee said. Bhullar will head to Kenya after the Qatar Masters, and has plans to play in the Malaysian Open and the Indian Open. Bhullar’s compatriot SSP Chawrasia, who missed the cut in Oman, is also in the fray.

The kid who used to play at the Doha Golf Club will return next month to take on the world’s best in Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. Danish boy Mikkel Mathiesen, who has been a junior member at Doha Golf Club (DGC) for the last ten years, clinched a European Tour event berth by winning Qatar Open Amateur Golf Championship yesterday. The 18-year-old played remarkably well over the last three days and his final round 70 with a birdie and a bogey earned him a seven-shot victory. He aggregated one-under 215, with the next closest player, England’s William Shucksmith, at six-over. “It’s great. It is a big win for me. To win in Doha in front of my people is indeed a big win,” Mikkel told Gulf Times. Talking about his last round performance, the rising star said, “I had a two-shot lead to start the day and I did not really give that up. I am happy to win today. The field was very strong this year as 22 professionals were also participating. “I know so many of these guys; they all are good golfers and to beat them and to come out as winner gives me a lot of confidence before the Qatar Masters,” the Doha College student said. Mathiesen’s victory means a lot for DGC, where he nurtured his golf skills. “It is a very big win for our club. Mikkel is our boy… he is one of us. He has won many tournaments at our club. We all are very proud of him,” DGC general manager Gary McGlinchey said. Mathiesen has recently secured a golf scholarship in the US; he will start at Wright State University in Ohio in September 2019. In the professional category, it was Poland’s Adrian Meronk who triumphed with a 72 in the final round, taking his aggregate to an eight-under 208. “I played really well from the beginning and today was the toughest day for sure and I tried to stay focused and be patient,” Meronk said. “I am very excited to play in Qatar Masters. The set up will be different and it will be tougher. It is a big challenge and I think I am ready for it.” He made his professional debut in 2016 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and finished runner-up in the Pro-Am competition. He and his partner shot an impressive -37 at St. Andrews which left them only one behind the eventual winners. The 24-year-old Meronk earned QR7,000 and will also get to play the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters as a reward for his efforts. Sweden’s Nicklas Johansson and the Netherlands’ Mike Toorop came second and third to book their Qatar Masters spots. As expected Saleh Ali al-Kaabi and Jaham Jassim al-Kuwari were the best among the Qataris in contention and will get to play in the Masters. Al-Kaabi, who finished second in the 2017, carded 73 his best of the tournament, for a seven-over 223 to finish joint 15th overall, while al-Kuwari was a joint 22nd after a third-round 77 to aggregate 11-over 227. The third wild card for Qatar Master was been given to Ali al-Shahrani, who missed the tournament as he was under the weather. The prizes were given by Qatar Golf Association general secretary Fahad al-Naimi and board member Mohamed Faisal al-Naimi.

Qatar will host the 2019-20 edition of the men’s world championships as the prestigious tournament returns to the country for the fifth time, Professional Squash Association (PSA) announced yesterday. The 40th edition of the iconic championships, the most prestigious and lucrative tournament of the PSA Tour Calendar, will take place from October 31-November 8, 2019, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. In all, 64 players including 56 highest ranked players and eight wild card entrants will compete for a share of the $325,000 total cash prize at the tournament. Qatar had previously hosted the sport’s pinnacle tournament in 1998, 2004, 2012 and 2014, with the 2014 final between Egyptian duo Ramy Ashour and Mohamed ElShorbagy going down in history as one of the sport’s greatest ever matches. Ashour won the final in five tense sets (13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 14-12) in 90 minutes of edge-of-the-seat action. “We are delighted to announce that the 2019-20 PSA Men’s World Championships will take place in Qatar next season and are looking forward to seeing the world’s greatest players return to the country for what promises to be an exciting week of action,” PSA chief executive Alex Gough told Gulf Times. “Qatar is a major destination on the international squash scene and has hosted some incredible tournaments and matches down the years. There is also a promising crop of young Qatari players starting to make their mark on the PSA Tour, including Abdulla al-Tamimi, who is on the verge of making the world’s top 20.” “The Qatar Squash Federation (QSF) has taken the tournament to another level in terms of the presentation and production values of the event in recent years and we are looking forward to working with them over the coming months,” he said. Talking about expectation from the championships, Gough said: “In 2014, we saw one of the greatest finals between Mohamed ElShorbagy and Ramy Ashour. If anything like that is repeated we will be very proud. Here in Qatar, players are so well looked after as QSF’s hospitality is second to none.  “Everything from venue to physio facilities and press is so fantastic. Qatar has always produced best quality tournaments. I am sure (tournament director) Tariq (Zainal) and his team will make it an exciting world championships. We are looking forward to an exciting event.” Tournament Director Tariq Zainal said: “Hosting the PSA Men’s World Championships for the fifth time is another proof of Qatar’s commitment to the development of our sport. Over the years, Qatar has grown to be a global destination for top sporting events of which squash occupies a major place in the top hierarchy. We are happy and prepared to host once again a memorable event that promises to be the best ever. “I’m sure all the players and participants are looking forward to the wonderful hospitality and superb organisation. We believe the championships will be another opportunity for squash fans, especially in the region, to enjoy watching their beloved players compete at the topmost level of the game. It will also provide an opportunity for upcoming stars to gain valuable experience which a tournament of such nature provides. We are delighted to host this tournament and we look forward to welcoming the world in 2019,” Zainal added. World No 1 ElShorbagy thanked Qatar for supporting squash by organising big events.  “I just heard that we will play the World Championships here next year, and I want to thank the Qatari federation for the hard work they are doing to get us here every year, and for supporting squash for so long.” India squash star Sourav Ghosal is also excited with the development. “It’s great news. Qatar Classic is a classic example for other hosts as to how PSA World Tour Platinum events should be held. I have played here (Qatar) in a World Championships in the past and have enjoyed the hospitality and the organisation has been of the top order. Qatar has done a fantastic job in the past and I think they have the capacity to organise big events like world championships and I am sure they will deliver a perfect championships next year.” The 2019-20 PSA Men’s World Championships will replace the Qatar Classic, PSA World Tour Platinum event on the PSA Tour calendar next season. The Qatar Classic will return to the calendar for the 2020-21 season.

Five years on the European Tour. 128 tournaments. 22 top ten finishes. And after all that grind, when you win your first title, the first thing, Eddie Pepperell says, you feel is “relief”. Second, you perhaps feel rich. Richer by USD291,000 to be exact. Pepperell celebrated his first European Tour victory at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters yesterday. The 27-year-old Pepperell carded a final round of 70 and held his nerve over the closing stages to fend off compatriot Oliver Fisher by a single stroke for the win at the Doha Gulf Club. “Relief, I guess is the number one emotion, as is always the case with a win – although I haven’t had many,” Pepperell said. The victory saw him rocket from 188th to 13th in the season-long rankings. Pepperell and Fisher were tied for the lead going into the final round, with the former making a steady start and going one-under at the turn. Fisher could only card a three-over on the front nine, following a hat-trick of bogies, which left him four shots adrift halfway through the round. But Fisher bounced back with five birdies on the back nine and, when he stood on the final tee, was only a stroke behind his compatriot. At the closing 589-yard, par-five 18th, both reached the green in three shots, with Pepperell 25 feet from the pin, while Fisher was just over three yards away. After Pepperell had left his opening putt 18 inches to the right of the hole, Fisher’s birdie attempt agonisingly slipped wide and with that his chance to force a play-off. This left Pepperell to confidently tap in for par and collect his maiden Tour success at the 129th attempt. His previous best finish had been a tied-second in Ireland in May 2015. “What a day?! Oli made it really tough and I made it tough for myself at the end with the second shot on the 18th,” the Oxfordshire player said. “But I felt good all day, I was in a great place mentally and kept telling myself I’m going to win this and Oli certainly made life more interesting.” The victory was a reward for Pepperell’s mental fortitude and hard work that saw him fight back from losing his Tour card and returning to Q-School in 2016. “This will give me confidence,” he said.  Swede Marcus Kinhult finished at 16-under for the tournament after a 68. Spanish duo Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Pablo Larrazabal, Frenchman Gregory Havret and Italian Renato Paratore were tied fourth at 15-under. Englishman Josh White of the MENA Golf Tour, who qualified through winning the Professional Division of the Qatar Open, shot a final round 75 for a four-round score of four-under par to finish in tied 61st position alongside two-time Commercial Bank Qatar Masters champion Paul Lawrie, former Ryder Cup player David Howell and six others. For Fisher, it was his first top-three since the 2014 Africa Open but he will have to wait a little longer to add to his 2011 Czech Open title despite finishing his round with 32 blows on the back nine after a forgettable front nine of 39. “It went all the way to the last hole which, after my front nine, was what I was hoping for,” he said.  “I hit a lot of good shots coming down the back nine and gave myself a lot of good chances, but there were just too many bogeys today – four in total – so you’re never going to win a tournament making that many mistakes on a Sunday. But at least I pressed him all the way,” the 29-year-old Londoner said. Pepperell won the Allianz Open Cotes d’Armor Bretagne en route to graduating from the Challenge Tour in 2012 and then enjoyed three consistent seasons before losing his card. His bounce-back season was a triumph, securing four top-fives and three top-tens in his last ten events in 2017 before a slow start to the current season saw him miss cuts in his first two outings before signs of improvement at last week’s NBO Oman Open. “The last nine months have been great. The start of the season has been a little bit sloppy, haven’t really had my game in a good spot. I worked with somebody slightly different this week and it made a nice difference. I found it a little easier out there today to go and trust the feeling that I had,” Pepperell said. “When you win, you know you can win. I’ve always felt and believed I will win out here but it hadn’t happened before today. You’ve always got to take that step and that’s uneasy but at some point in everyone’s career they’ve got to do something for the first time. Hopefully this is not my last.” LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES 270 — E Pepperell (ENG) 65-69-66-70 271 — O Fisher (ENG) 66-69-65-71 272 — M Kinhult (SWE) 68-69-67-68 273 — G Havret (Fra) 65-69-70-69, G Fernandez - Castano (ESP) 68 68 69 68, R Paratore (ITA) 71-66-70-66, P Larrazabal (ESP) 68-67-70-68 274 — G Coetzee (RSA) 69-66-71-68, S Heisele (GER) 67-68-71-68 275 — M Baldwin (ENG) 68-70-68-69, M Lorenzo-Vera (FRA) 68-68-69-70, A Otaegui (ESP) 67-66-73-69 276 — M Foster (ENG) 71-68-68-69, C Wood (ENG) 68-69-68-71, S Han (USA) 69-71-69-67, D Horsey (ENG) 71-68-65-72, M Nixon (ENG) 69-68-69-70, A Pavan (ITA) 68-69-67-72 277 — A Bjork (SWE) 70-69-69-69, J Scrivener (AUS) 70-70-67-70, A Quiros (ESP) 66-70-70-71, R Wattel (FRA) 71-69-71-66, C Shinkwin (ENG) 68-69-70-70, A Rai (ENG) 65-73-69-70, P Waring (ENG) 68-70-70-69, M Wallace (ENG) 69-71-67-70, S Fernandez (ESP) 69-70-71-67 278 — W Ashun (CHN) 69-70-70-69, C Bezuidenhout (RSA) 68-72-71-67, M Siem (GER) 73-66-68-71, S Crocker (USA) 67-68-67-76, H Tanihara (JPN) 70-69-66-73, M Pavon (FRA) 68-69-71-70 279 — R Cho (KOR) 69-70-67-73, N Geyger (CHI) 71-69-69-70, L Gagli (ITA) 67-70-67-75, N Colsaerts (BEL) 71-69-69-70, A Sullivan (ENG) 69-70-73-67