Doha GC will once again play host to the great and good of the European Tour for the 17th staging of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters on Wednesday, where Chris Wood will get his title defence under way at 0735 from the tenth tee alongside Miguel Angel Jiménez and Darren Clarke, who plays his 500th event this week.
Just ten minutes after that esteemed trio is 2013 Race to Dubai Number One and third ranked player in the world, Henrik Stenson, who will have seven time Tour winner Luke Donald and US PGA Champion Jason Dufner for company.
Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley will look to continue his fine form of last week in Abu Dhabi, also from the tenth, at 0715. He has been paired with Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who likes it in the desert having won in Dubai in 2011 and finished in a tie for fourth last week, as well as next week’s defending champion, Stephen Gallacher.
After the excitement of the first half of the draw, there will also be plenty to entertain the galleries come the second, as the divine ponytail – no, the other one – Marcel Siem takes to the first tee alongside last season’s Rookie of the Year Peter Uihlein, and one of the runners-up of 12 months ago in Doha, George Coetzee at 1115.
Next up is another man from across the pond, two time Major Champion John Daly, who will play with 2003 Qatar master Darren Fichardt and Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen over the opening two rounds.
Paul Lawrie won this title in 1999 and 2011, making him one of only a couple of men to win this title on two separate occasions, the other being Australia’s Adam Scott. He will tee it up at 1135 alongside Branden Grace and Robert Karlsson on Wednesday morning.
Then, to round out a run of exemplary three balls, is four time desert winner Ernie Els, who has won on three occasions in Dubai as well as in Doha in 2005. He will play with Sweden’s Peter Hanson, who will look to add to the four victories his nation has amounted in this tournament’s 16 year history, while Martin Kaymer will want to add Qatari success to the three desert titles he has won in Abu Dhabi.
Click here to see the full draw for the first two rounds.
