By Nick Totten and Will Pearson,
in Doha
As we continue the build-up to this week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, europeantour.com dusts off the history books to look back at the life and times of the respected tournament.
Just 12 months ago, Spaniard Sergio Garcia produced a stunning late charge at the Qatar Masters for the second year running.
This time, though, his last ditch heroics ultimately led to victory and the stunning Mother of Pearl trophy.
A flawless closing 65 saw The Ryder Cup star set the clubhouse target of 16 under par before Finland’s Mikko Ilonen birdied two of the last three holes to force a sudden-death play-off.
The players returned to the 18th tee and both found the green on the par five in two, Ilonen missing his eagle attempt from 30 feet before Garcia did likewise from half the distance.
A second visit to the 18th again failed to identify a winner, Ilonen missing an eagle attempt from 20 feet after Garcia had got up and down from a greenside bunker.
However, the third extra hole proved decisive as Ilonen found the same bunker and was unable to rescue a birdie, leaving Garcia a tap-in to secure an 11th European Tour title after his long eagle putt had narrowly missed.
That was last year, but let’s now rewind further: 17 years back to be precise.
In a year when France beat Brazil in the World Cup Final, Titanic became the biggest grossing movie of all time, and Colin Montgomerie claimed the sixth European Tour Order of Merit tiles in a row, 1998 also saw Andrew Coltart claim victory at the inaugural event in Qatar.
Not only was it the Scot’s maiden European Tour win, but it also presented a first opportunity for the golfing world to feast their eyes upon the stunning Qatar Masters trophy.
Gleaming gold, the stunning clam shell – mouth wide open – shows off the pearl held within, a treasure reserved for only the best that tournament week, and no doubt harking back to a time when fishing and pearl diving were the sovereign Arab state’s economic foundation.
Coltart was the first to have his name inscribed upon this desert jewel, and the list of those that followed subsequently now reads like a who’s who of world golf over the past 16 years.
Major Champions, Ryder Cup stars, Order of Merit winners, World Number Ones alike have all graced the Peter Harradine-designed Doha Golf Club, with many of them taking top honours to boot, and none more impressively than Coltart’s compatriot Paul Lawrie.
The Aberdonian would claim the second Qatar title 12 months later in 1999, and by a staggering seven shots no less, a confidence boost which surely helped spur the Scot on to his Open Championship victory at Carnoustie some five months later.
Lawrie would taste desert delight a second time in 2012, one of only two men to win the title on multiple occasions, after former World Number One Adam Scott finished top in 2002 and 2008. The second of those victories came in emphatic style, too, with the Australian rallying from three shots back entering the final round to claim the sixth of nine European Tour titles thanks to a superb round of 61.
Players from the southern hemisphere have, in fact, often fared well in the Doha heat over the years, particularly those from the African continent with three South Africans and a Zimbabwean having had their own success.
The latter of which, Tony Johnstone, followed Rolf Muntz in 2001 as the next victor in Qatar, while Darren Fichardt (2003), Ernie Els (2005) and Retief Goosen (2007) have also all been first past the post in the Qatari capital.
Scandinavia has had its successes over the years too, with Joakim Haeggman getting the ball rolling in 2004, before fellow Swede and former European Number One Henrik Stenson followed suit two years later, while Robert Karlsson in 2010 and Thomas Bjorn some 12 months hence helped round out a Nordic quartet in the championship’s 18-year history.
Throw in the two Spaniards – the big hitting Alvaro Quiros (2009), of course, and last year’s champion Garcia – plus 2013 winner, England’s Chris Wood, and you have a roll of honour that is up there with the best.
Two years ago, the joint-tallest man on The European Tour (with the aforementioned Karlsson at 6ft 5 inches) was left looking down on the rest, arms aloft, after a stunning eagle finish at the last sealed a one-shot victory over George Coetzee and Garcia.
Over the years, the Qatar Masters and indeed Doha Golf Club have both matured, much like the sport in the region, and now acts as the second leg in the golfing trilogy known as ‘The Desert Swing’ that attracts the greatest players in the world each and every January.
Low scores are often the order of the day for anyone wanting to hold aloft the iconic trophy in Doha, with an average winning total of 16 under in the last 17 editions.
The record low winning total remains 20 strokes, set first by Lawrie back in 1999 and matched by Scott nine years later.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Muntz remains the only player to have triumphed in Doha at just single digits under par – in this case, eight – as a brutal wind coursed across the country’s capital 14 years ago.
Such gusts are customary in a country whose highest peak is a mere 338 feet above sea level and with a course measuring a challenging 7,400 long, surrounded by vast expanses of flat desert, conditions can vastly affect the scoring opportunities presented each and every day at Doha Golf Club.
Now established as one of The European Tour’s big early season draws, this year will see another top field aiming to take the spoils and, of course, that iconic trophy.
