Adam Scott will attempt to maintain his 100 per cent record in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy and seal a hat-trick of victories when he defends his title at Doha Golf Club this week.
Scott has won on both of his previous appearances in the event, first claiming the title in 2002 and then returning to lift the trophy last year.
The Australian claimed a stunning victory 12 months ago after a breathtaking final round 61- the equal lowest round of the 2008 season and one which included 11 birdies, the equal most carded in a round last year.
It also shaved two shots off the course record; was the lowest final round by a winner since Jamie Spence shot 60 to win the 1992 European Masters, and, not surprisingly, it was Scott’s lowest ever round. The World Number 14 heads to the Gulf in good form, having finished tied runner up behind Zach Johnson in the Sony Open in Hawaii last week.
He will face strong competition from an impressive field which features 18 players from the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, including The European Tour’s newest Member, American Ryder Cup star Boo Weekley, who makes his first appearance this week since taking up Affiliate Membership.
One of golf’s great characters, the man from south Florida, who regularly cites his true passions in life as “hunting and fishing”, has, in the last two years, taken the golfing world by storm not only for his outstanding performance on the course but for his candid approach to life off the fairways.
A two-time winner on the US PGA Tour and a driving force in Team USA’s dramatic victory in The 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club where he won two and a half out of a possible three points, Weekley is currently 45th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Weekley will come across nine of the 12 Europeans that he so memorably duelled with at Valhalla when arrives at the magnificent Doha Golf Club in Qatar, namely: Paul Casey, winner of last week’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Sergio Garcia, Søren Hansen, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Robert Karlsson, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Oliver Wilson.
The American is sure to enjoy his new adventures on The European Tour as it touches down in another fascinating country in Qatar, while Casey will be hoping to continue his fine form in the gulf after his one shot victory in Abu Dhabi last week.
The 31 year old Englishman survived a late scare to secure the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship by a single shot from defending champion Martin Kaymer and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen to land his first title since winning the same tournament in 2007.
Ernie Els is also among the star attractions in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy. The winner of the tournament back in 2005, Els will return to the 7,388-yard Doha Golf Club to tee it up alongside another former champion, Retief Goosen, who will be buoyed by his win in the Africa Open at the weekend.
Organised by the QGA in association with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Commercialbank, the twelfth Commercialbank Qatar Masters, presented by Dolphin Energy gives Els a chance to get on The European Tour title trail after starting his 2009 campaign on the US PGA Tour with back-to-back events in Hawaii where he finished tied for sixth in the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
“I’ve been a professional golfer for twenty years now and for me the buzz of a new season never wears off,” said Els. “I’m consciously not making too many bold predictions for 2009.
“I’m coming off the back of a season where my golf was a little mixed and where I made quite a few significant changes both on and off the golf course. I feel confident, but at the same time I have the mindset where I simply want to enjoy it all, play a lot of golf, do a lot of practicing and really stay dedicated. That’s the approach.”
