Commercialbank Bank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy
• Thomas Björn will try and create history by becoming the first player to hold onto the Mother of Pearl Trophy. This was the first of three titles won by the Dane in 2011. Along with Luke Donald, they were the only players to win three times last season.
• Should the 2011 champion win again, he would be the second oldest player to successfully defend a European Tour title, at aged 40 years and 352 days. Jean-Francois Remesy holds the distinction of being the oldest at 41 years and 21 days, when he won back-to-back French Open titles in 2004-05.
• Alvaro Quiros, the 2009 champion, is bidding to win his fourth European Tour title in the Desert. Aside from this event, he claimed the 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and 2011 Dubai World Championship presented by DP World. Should he win his second Qatar title, he would join Ernie Els and become only the second player to claim four victories in the Middle East.
• Quiros has a wonderful recent record in Doha. The last three events he was first in 2009 and second in both 2010 and 2011. He is 41 under par for his last 12 rounds in the event, with 11 being under par and eight of them in the 60s.
• The strength of this year’s tournament is highlighted by the fact there are seven of the top 20 in the World Rankings, ten Major Champions playing and no fewer than 91 European Tour winners competing.
• The 2012 field contains no fewer than 16 different players who have won European Tour events in the Desert.
• The Commericalbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy holds the European Tour record for the fewest number of shots between the halfway leaders and the cut mark – just five in 2004. The 36 leaders were on 138 (-6), whilst the cut fell at 143 (-1).
