Former champion Chris Wood is among six of Europe’s victorious EurAsia Cup team confirmed to compete in the US$2.5 million Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which will be held at Doha Golf Club January 27-30.
Wood, 28, and fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, 21, will be joined in Doha by EurAsia Cup teammates Victor Dubuisson of France, Bernd Wiesberger of Austria, Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark and Kristoffer Broberg of Sweden.
Previous winners Henrik Stenson (2006), Sergio Garcia (2014) and Branden Grace (2015), 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen and reigning US Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau have already been announced.
The towering Wood first made global headlines when he finished fifth at the 2008 Open Championship as a 20-year-old amateur before underlining his huge potential by finishing joint third the following year. In January 2013, his victory at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters prompted an emotional reaction as he celebrated his first European Tour title.
After a winless 2014 season that ended prematurely in November due to a wrist injury, Wood bounced back last year. He secured his second title in Austria in June and had seven other top-10 finishes on The European Tour – including four in a row from early October – to finish 17th on The Race to Dubai and secure a place in Darren Clarke’s EurAsia Cup team.
Wood is currently second on the current Race to Dubai following his third-place finish at last month’s Nedbank Golf Challenge and he recently enjoyed a career-high ranking of 41st.
“I’m really happy to return to the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters because I had to miss it last year because of my wrist injury. I’ve been playing well since returning from injury and I was really happy to win in Austria, which showed me that I could win again,” Wood said.
“I’ve played really consistently since then and was proud to earn my place on the EurAsia Cup team. Now I’m looking forward to going back to Doha, as it’s a course I can do well on and I’m playing well enough to have another run at the trophy. Winning there remains one of the highlights of my career.”
Fitzpatrick will also be one to watch after a stunning European Tour rookie campaign that featured a memorable win at October’s British Masters, one runner-up, four thirds and a tie for fourth at November’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Dubuisson, 25, will return to Doha with confidence, having tied for ninth for three straight years, from 2011 to 2013. The French star is the only European player to have played in both EurAsia Cups, while he also played in the victorious 2014 Ryder Cup campaign.
Dubuisson underlined his reputation as one of the continent’s leading lights with his victory at November’s Turkish Airlines Open, which helped him finish 11th on The Race to Dubai and boosted his confidence for the new season.
“I am glad to be returning to the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, as I’ve been very consistent here, although it would be nice to finish above ninth for once! I started to play better at the end of last year, so I want to continue this way in Doha,” Dubuisson said.
Wiesberger, 30, won his third European Tour title at the Alstom Open de France last June, Kjeldsen, 40, captured his fourth last May at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, while Broberg, 29, won his first at November’s BMW Masters in Shanghai, where he beat US Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed in a playoff.
Qatar Golf Association president Hassan al-Nuaimi said: “We are always proud to welcome back former champions to the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and Chris Wood is a particular favourite after winning in such dramatic style three years ago. He also remains the only English winner of the event.
“We are delighted to welcome Chris and five of his EurAsia Cup teammates, especially as many of these players are aiming to qualify for the Ryder Cup later this year, so it’s a chance for our fans to see genuine rising stars at the beginning of an exciting season.”
Stenson, Garcia and Grace are among several big names to have lifted the Mother of Pearl Trophy since Commercial Bank began its title sponsorship in 2006. Other big names include former World No. 1 Adam Scott, two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen, 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie, former European Tour No. 1 Robert Karlsson and Thomas Bjorn, a 15-time European Tour champion.
Chris Wood
