The Commercialbank Qatar Masters has come a long way. The field has become much stronger and so have the challenges for the golfers. N.D. Prashant of Gulf Times caught up with several top golfers to know what they feel about this year’s course and how they are geared for it.
Lee Westwood became the World Number One last year after a consistent season which included his first victory on the US PGA Tour since 1998 and two runner-up finishes in Major Championships. He overtook Tiger Woods as World Number One at the start of November last year and solidified his ranking with a string of stellar performances to end the year in style.
"It’s an event I’ve been looking forward to and I’ve played well here last year. Probably out of the four Desert Swing tournaments, it’s the toughest golf course. It seems to get a little bit more windy than any of the four and scoring always seems to be a bit tougher. The rough is up, and the greens certainly are very firm this year. So, I think they have set it up well and looks like a tough test ahead. I have to contend with a few different things. I think it’s a demanding course off the tee. The pressures are there to hit the fairways and I like it that the wind picks up. You have to control your ball flight a lot around here. I just think it’s a good balance of a golf course.”
Robert Karlsson won his tenth European Tour title here at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters last year after a superb final round seven under par 65.
"It’s great to comeback to Qatar. The golf course is always in fantastic condition and this year is the same. I do see greens here as good as it has always been. I have lot of good memories around here and I’m very much looking forward to the tournament. The greens are not going to be quick here because it’s going to be windy. The rough is very thick this year so you got to hit good tee shots. I will try my best to retain the title. The golf course is set up in such a way that you have to play your best. I will take one round at a time and I don’t put any goals. Let’s see how it goes. I’m very much looking forward to this week.”
Retief Goosen the 2001 & 2004 US Open champion has won the Commercialbank Qatar Masters in 2007. He holds membership on three PGA Tours - the US PGA Tour, the European Tour and the Southern African Tour and has won in every corner of the world.
"The course is very good. The greens are slower than last year but I’m expecting wind. But it will be tough. I’m shaping up well but it is still early stages. I played well two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi so hopefully, I can keep it up this week. There are some holes here that have got longer and I have got older as well. In the end, you need to get it straight and get the putts so it doesn’t matter how far you hit you have to control it. I’m still fit and strong but yes I’m not able to hit it as far as I use to. I will still get it out there certainly.”
Louis Oosthuizen was the sixth South African to win a Major, following Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Bobby Locke and Gary Player after he was triumphant at The Open Championship at St. Andrews. The victory was Oosthuizen’s second of the season after he won his maiden European Tour title at the Open de Andalucia de Golf in March with a three-stroke victory over England’s Richard Finch.
"The course is good; the greens are running nice. There are roughs but you can play good golf. I came close to winning here. I have not come into this tournament doing that great but hopefully, I can get some form in the next days. I’m looking forward to it.
The memories of missing out in 2009 do comeback, but I don’t think it affects you that much. If you finish so high up in the tournament then you want to win it as well. It is a big week again and a strong field. It will be nice getting the victory under your belt. My main goal this season is to get into the top 10 in the world and for that, I will have to play well and have a good solid season.”
Steve Stricker had a superb season on the US PGA Tour last year with two victories and a second consecutive appearance in the Ryder Cup for the USA. Stricker began his season in fine style with victory at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club in February and later successfully defended his title at the John Deere Classic in July.
"What lured me to come over here is the strength of the field. You have Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, and Paul Casey winning last week, moving into I think fifth or sixth position. So you’ve got a strong field here, along with other players, Robert Karlsson, winner from last year. Obviously, the top players are over here and part of the reason why I came here to try to play well in this event.”
Sergio Garcia makes his fourth consecutive appearance at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters after top 10 finishes in 2008 and 2009 and a share of 24th place last year. In 2010, Garcia posted two top-ten finishes on The European Tour – he was fourth at the WGC-Accenture March Play Championship in February and later in the year finished 10th at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters.
"The course is playing good, the rough is very thick and the greens are firmly trimmed. It is supposed to be very windy, so it will be extremely challenging this year. I have definitely not reached my best level but I’m working on it.
I will keep working hard and try to get better by the day. I have not really set any personal goals for the season. I need to improve in every department.
Golf is a very complete game and there is always room for improvement; areas you can improve. I want to be more consistent in every part of the game.”