Talk of snow and ice might seem incongruous in the desert but with the Commercialbank Qatar Masters leaderboard topped by the ice cool Retief Goosen ahead of Miguel Angel Jiménez, who talked of his new found love for skiing, and another cool dude in Nick O’Hern, it was as if the ice men cometh to Doha Golf Club.
Goosen, the World Number Eight, produced a stunning seven under par 65 on a challenging afternoon in the desert, to lead Jiménez and O’Hern, who holed a 60 foot eagle putt on the last, by one with India’s Shiv Kapur a further shot adrift.
The double US Open Champion was harbouring dreams of a new BMW, the prize on offer for bettering the course record of 63, when he made his third successive birdie on the 13th to move to six under par for the round.
“I thought there was a pretty good chance of getting myself to ten under here and maybe driving home, but it's a long way to drive.” said Goosen. “But when I missed birdies on the 14th and 15th I was just looking to shoot as low as I could.”
As it was the South African birdied the short par four 16th after hitting the green and then two putting from 25 feet but another opportunity was squandered on the par five last.
Goosen recently teamed up with a coach for the first time in nine years with the aim of climbing back into the top three in the world. A tied fifth finish last week in Abu Dhabi gave a hint that his game is not far away and he has carried that form into Qatar.
“My game is not quite as good as it should be,” he said ominously. “Hopefully this year I can start getting some good tournaments under the belt again and get myself back into that top three or so in the World Rankings.”
Meanwhile, talk of snow and skis dominated proceedings as Jiménez reflected on a great start to the year which began with his second place last week in Abu Dhabi.
Rather than honing his skills on the range in preparation for a new campaign, Jiménez headed for the Sierra Nevada with his family and took to the slopes, although admitted he is still an amateur in skiing terms. “Handicap 36, or maybe 33 now,” he quipped.
However, asked whether he got the greater rush from skiing or golf, the 43 year old was quick to stress that his heart was on the golf course.
“My life is golf and golf gives me everything,” he said. “You cannot compare them. You play well and you win tournaments and that’s what you are looking for. But I like skiing in my free time.”
With regards to his opening round, the highlight was undoubtedly an impressive eagle on the 16th, his seventh, where his drive on the 307 yard hole finished just off the edge of the green and he duly holed out from eight metres. That took him to four under par after earlier birdies on the 12th and 13th holes. Two more birdies coming home set the early pace.
Left-hander O’Hern joined Jiménez on six under par 66 thanks to a storming finish to his round when the Australian followed a birdie on the 16th with his monster putt on the last.
“I had never even gone for the last in two before but after hitting a good drive and being downwind I had 255 metres to the hole, I just couldn’t help myself,” he said. “Let’s have a crack at it and it all worked out in the end. The putt was about 60 feet. It was tricky putting through the shadows and had it not hit the hole it would have gone about ten feet past.”
Kapur, embarking on his first full European Tour season after winning his card as an Affiliate Member last year by finishing 118th on the Order of Merit, lies a shot back on five under par 67 after benefiting from a putting tip from his caddie.
"Last week, I struck the ball solidly but couldn't putt. My caddie Neeraj then gave me some good advice yesterday and said to just putt like when I was ten years old and I said yeah, you're right. He said I was such a good putter when I was a kid. He said I never concentrated on the stroke or line and just stood there and made everything. That seems to have worked today," said Kapur.
The Indian rising star was disappointed with his finish last week where he entered the final round just one off the pace but stumbled with a closing 75. But Kapur believes that he will benefit greatly from the experience and that a maiden European Tour triumph is around the corner.
"If you keep putting yourself in that position and if you keep knocking on the door, you'll learn from it. I took the positives out of it and played three solid rounds. I rather put myself in that position and drop out rather than be in the middle of the pack. If I can keep knocking, I'll keep learning from it and hopefully don't fall off on Sunday," he said.
Defending champion Henrik Stenson overcame a sluggish start, where he bogeyed his two opening holes, to shoot a four under par 68, matched by American Edward Michaels, who is playing in his first tournament in more than a year following a shoulder injury. Australian Richard Green and England’s Nick Dougherty also hit a 68.
