European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb

[RussP]

All discussion, in play comments & selections in here:ok

[Crouch Potato]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Alvaro Quiros @ 21 Betfair Kaymer burnt me last week with the course form but not going to shy away yet. 2/2/1 the last 3 years, has a great record in the Middle East and they lengthened the course, so plays into the hands of the bombers, of which Quiros is the king. Robert Karlsson @ 26 Betfair 6th and 1st last 2 years here. Previous 5th and 2nd finish to boot. He has putted very impressively lately but has been wayward from tee to green. I think he will make an adjustment or two and hit a few more fairways than he did on the weekend. Is also very long off the tee and benefits from course being lengthened.

[Aidymac]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb *Stephen Gallacher - 2 Points e/w @ 125/1 Hills - 1/4 odds, 5 places* I am going to side with the Scotsman to have a good round of golf this weekend. I think he is due a big performance after some consistent efforts in the Top 35's the last couple of tournaments. He had a very good 2011 without winning and more times than not you can rely on him to make the cut, when your backing golfer's at such big odds, you want to make the cut to give yourself a chance of a place on Sunday. Last year in this tournament he played exceptionally well, and finished 12th, picking up €27,000 but the week before that he finished a brilliant 4th in the Volvo Golf Champions tournament and picked up €85,000. After the Qatar Masters of 2011, the following week he finished 10th in the Omega Dubai Classic picking up over €31,000, so he tends to play well in January/February in general and did not play all that bad last week finishing 35th. Last year he also finished 3rd in the Irish Open landing €94,000 in prize-money, 6th in the Johnnie Walker Championship (€52,000) and 12th in the Andalucia Masters (€48,600) so he had quite a successful year last year, he has won a European Tour event before and he is improving every year, so is worth an e/w bet in my eyes at big odds. *Keith Horne - 2 Points e/w @ 250/1 Betfred - 1/4 odds, 5 places* Cant believe this price, i think it is ludicrous. He played exceptionally well last weekend when finishing 8th in a high profile Abu Dhabi Championship picking up €45,000 and on the back of that performance i was expecting him to be around the 100/1 mark at most. That was easily his beat performance since his very good displays in 2010 where he was 2nd in the Joburg Open (€120,000) and 8th in the Singapore Open (€102,000) and he looks full of confidence at the moment, there is no way he should be 250/1, so i feel there is massive value with this guy.

[Striker]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Good Luck Boys Lorenzo Gagli @ 125-1 [skybet] Each Way Got a feeling these generous odds will drop on this young italian who in my opinion will win this season. Shot 67 in round 3 last week on first start of year,a sign of things to come

[Dougal]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Interesting comments from Robert Karlsson on twitter today, he said the rough is much shorter than last year and if the wind doesn't blow then scores will be low. It is actually forecast to be pretty windy on Thurs/Fri (20mph+) before calming down on the weekend. Paul Lawrie – outright 1pt e/w @ 60/1 Bet365 (now best priced 50/1 general) Surprised to see this price on Paul Lawrie, was even more surprised when he was 66/1 on Skybet but I was too slow off the mark to get that. T8 in Abu Dhabi continued a fine run of form for Lawrie who finished 2nd at the Dubai World Championships at the end of last year and then started this season with T10 at Fancourt. Lawrie has been transformed from a grumpy old man to a player with a new lease of life after his win at the Open de Andalucia last year, he followedthat up with 2 top five finishes which made for his best year since his Open win. He T19th in Doha last year and the forecast of strong winds can only be to Lawrie’s benefit, playing in Aberdeen it’s second nature to him. Lorenzo Gagli - outright 1pt e/w @ 110/1 Bet365 Like Striker, I’m a big fan of this guy and think he’s on of the brightest young talents to emerge on the tour. 2011 was a breakthrough year for Gagli after graduating from the Challenge Tour, 6 top ten finishes last year suggest a guy on an upward curve and the verge of his first win. 35th place in Abu Dhabi was a solid start to his year and he can build on that in his first start in Qatar. He is a very accurate driver (top 10 in driving accuracy) andwhile he isn’t the longest he’s not short off the tee either, 1st in GIR on tour in 2011 he needs a sometimes troublesome putter to fire to get himself in contention. It’s often windy in Doha so the ability to play in testing conditions is important, Gagli had decent finishes in Scotland, Ireland and the Open de France which all have testing weather and that suggests he’s up to the challenge. Mark Foster – outright 1pt e/w @ 110/1 Bet365 Although Foster hasn’t won on tour since 2003 he has probably played the best golf of his life in the last couple of years. After opening with a 75 in Abu Dhabi he played well in the remaining rounds to finish 17th,at one stage on Sunday he got to within 3 or 4 shots of the lead before leaking a few shots when pushing for birdies. T12th in Doha last year was the sign of a player coming to terms with the course after a couple of missed cuts in previous years, it was the start of a good year for Foster who went on to record 4 top five finishes and represent GB & Ireland in the Seve Trophy. As I said, I think he’s pretty near the peak of his game and he may well be inspired by Robert Rock’s win last week

[Crouch Potato]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb GL All. One final one for me: Richard Finch @ 180 Betfair Finch has a solid record in this event with 2 past Top 10 finishes and has threatened to win the last couple of weeks. He was well in contention in the first tournament of the year, before ultimately allowing Grace to triumph. He was also just one back of the lead after 18 holes last week and was still in contention heading into Saturday. A favourite bet of mine due to his ability to hit a lot of greens and generally just being an action golfer.

[bigson22]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Just one for me this week, something that sticks out a mile : - Jason Day @ 35-1 Sportingbet This is a crazy price for a Top 10 in the World player and a reflection of how slowly he has started this year with a missed cut last week. However on a course, as Crouch Potato says, that suits the big hitters like Quiros and although Day isn't as big, he can hit a ball and it should suit his game. His record last year speaks for itself particularly in the Majors and to have people like Bjorn, Mahan or Coetzee ahead of him in the odds I can't believe that and got to jump all over this 35-1!

[jackierubberleg]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Qatar Masters. Top Ten Finish. Bradley Dredge 12/1 b 365 In Contention to win this tournament two years ago, Dredge had a poor Sunday, eventualy finishing tied 5th. Last year his challange only got going on the last day, when he finished a respectable 12th, just a shot of a top ten. Last week looked like a rust buster for dredge, making the cut without the fireworks. This course clearly suits the Welshman and with a week in country to sharpen up, hopefully he can go well. GL

[Dougal]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Scott Jamieson top 10 finish, 2pts @ 32 Betfair Got tempted by one more bet when I saw the price. Jamieson had a great rookie year on tour in 2011, he came close to winning a number of times and totalled 5 top ten finishes. In addition he also had an 11th, 12th and 13th place, quite some first year for the Scot. After securing his card he went off the boil a bit but started this year with an encouraging T24 in the Joburg Open. He missed the cut last week in Abu Dhabi but he'd only just returned from honeymoon and presumably hadn't been doing any practice. Hopefully he should be back up to speed this week and if he can rediscover his form of last year he can go well.

[RussP]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Great to see so many getting involved in the new look golf forum:clap 3 for me in this. A.Hansen to win Qatar Masters, 2pts EW @ 40/1 Bet365 (1/4 odds 1-5) I like the big Dane here. I'm a fan of Anders Hansen and feel he's a very underrated individual. Anders isn't the longest off the tee but, for me, it's all about placement and he can certainly hit it hard when needs must. The key to his game though, which I feel is the most important element here, is the strength of your iron player. Anders is one of the best. With some tough par 3's as well as greens that are tough to it on a longish course, those that hit a great long-medium iron shot should come to the fore. Had a good start to the year last week in Abu Dhabi, finishing top 15, and will be looking to build on last year where he failed to win but did have 5 top 3's from just 22 starts, including 1 in the desert. Has never shown his absolute best here but, in his 11 starts here, has managed 5 top 20 finishes. However, his game looks in much better nick now and if he hits those irons well and sinks some putts, I feel he could take some stopping. 40's for a player ranked inside the top 40 is way too big. J.Edfors to win Qatar Masters, 1pt EW @ 100/1 SportingBet (1/4 odds 1-5) J.Edfors, 1st round leader, 1pt EW @ 80/1 Ladbrokes (1/4 odds 1-5) Backed this guy last week for 1st round leader and taking him again here. Last term he hit 8 rounds off 66 or less, 5 of which were in the opening round, making him a consistently solid pick for 1st round leader. Has played here 6 times, making the cut 5 of those with a single top 10 in there. But there are plenty of reasons that make me want to side with the Swede here. I agree with everyone else that a bomber is needed and Johan Edfors fits that bill, being one of the longer guys off the tee. However, the other stat which I feel is probably even more crucial is the ability to hit these tough greens and he's consistently ranked in the top 20 on the tour for GIR. Driving accuracy ain't an issue with the rough being pretty short and I think this course will suit his set up perfectly. A solid player, I'm backing Edfors to go well this week. R.Green to win Qatar Masters, 1pt EW @ 100/1 Ladbrokes (1/4 odds 1-6) R.Green, 1st round leader, 1pt EW @ 80/1 Ladbrokes (1/4 odds 1-5) R.Green, top RoW player, 1.5pts EW @ 22/1 Bet365 (1/4 odds 1-4) I think the Aussie has a great chance here. It's normal for the Aussie players to be used to strong winds in warm conditions and that's exactly what we'll get here. The ability to perform well at this track, combined with someone who can cope with the wind is key and Richard Green fits that criteria perfectly. Looks to me to be a big price for a player sat just outside the World's top 100, and is a pretty dangerous player. Finished 2nd last year at the Irish Open and was 1st and 2nd in Portugal a year previous, indicating to me his suitability to the expected conditions. 10 starts at this event too, making the cut 7 times, finishing top 10 on 3 occasions including a 3rd & 4th place finish. In 5 of his 12 cuts made last year, he hit his lowest score in round 1 too and that, combined with his early tee time, make him a big price to be leading after the first 18.

[kevshat]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb My golf season betting doesn't begin for another 3 weeks so call this a pre-season bet if you will but I'll take one this weekend. Good luck all :hope. 1pt ew G.McDowell to win Qatar Masters 16/1 Skybet (1/4 1-5) I'm a little bit biased because Gmac is my favourite golfer but because I follow him as religiously as any golfer I can often grab an idea of when he's coming into a bit of a good patch and I think we are there at the minute. He played some really good golf in Abu Dhabi last week and eventually finished 3rd and if he can keep on using the sponsor boards as a second spin option then he's going to take some beating soon :lol. Seriously though he's striking the ball well and I fancy him to go well this week. It's a big year for Gmac because he wants the Ryder Cup spot which could be why he's taking in a longer stint on the European Tour at the minute. The wind is expected to blow in Doha and blow quite heavily by all accounts and when the wind blows Gmac is at home. There's few better players in the wind in the field this week and that's a big boost to McDowell's chances. Only a runaway Robert Rock and Rory McIlroy were too good for him from a stellar field in Abu Dhabi this week but with some of the big names in the likes of Donald, McIlroy, Woods and last week's winner Rock all absent this week it could well be the time for Gmac to find his way to the winners enclosure once again.

[RussP]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Jeez, windy as fcuk today and looks like more of the same. Quite a tightly knit field and still plenty in with chances from selections in this thread. Good luck guys, let's hope for another great day's golf.

[Crouch Potato]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb I seem to recall a very windy day in the Nordea Masters last year where Finch beat the field by like 5 shots and was the only one under par. Weaker field I know but at 65s in tempted to double dip.

[Crouch Potato]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Play called off today and the tournament reduced to 54 holes. The goal will be to finish all 2nd rounds tomorrow in conditions where:

"The winds will be down a notch tomorrow and decreasing during the day, while the forecast for Sunday is for much calmer conditions." Not quite sure what everyone else makes of that, but for me that favours those who teed off yesterday morning. Those players will tee off later tomorrow in the calmer conditions. Basically I would think it's more likely that with calm conditions on Sunday you are looking from someone from yesterday morning's groups who is close enough now and can shoot a low score. Colsaerts and Lawrie both immediately spring to mind upon looking at the leaderboard, though if I'm being honest I don't really quite know enough about the field to get too fancy. Still, in terms of the situation here, I can't help but feel there's some shrewd punting to be had... Any thoughts boys?

[Aidymac]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb I think John Daly @ 33/1 with Coral is cracking value, considering there are only two more rounds to play. Should be calmer tomorrow and if he shoots -3 or -4 tomorrow he should have a very clear advantage going into the final round... Might be worth a couple of schillings, but i don't ever bet again usually once my bets are down. I am convinced Colsaerts is going to have a good year this year, and if anyone can catch him at a price it is Colsaerts

[RussP]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Still think it's anyone's event and I wouldn't want to be picking anyone out at present, paying 1/4 odds 4 places. I'm a little disappointed Anders Hansen was out early as he's dropped a couple of early shots. Should be a good couple of days to finish this shortened event.

[Crouch Potato]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb

Paul Lawrie – outright 1pt e/w @ 60/1 Bet365 (now best priced 50/1 general) Surprised to see this price on Paul Lawrie, was even more surprised when he was 66/1 on Skybet but I was too slow off the mark to get that. T8 in Abu Dhabi continued a fine run of form for Lawrie who finished 2nd at the Dubai World Championships at the end of last year and then started this season with T10 at Fancourt. Lawrie has been transformed from a grumpy old man to a player with a new lease of life after his win at the Open de Andalucia last year, he followedthat up with 2 top five finishes which made for his best year since his Open win. He T19th in Doha last year and the forecast of strong winds can only be to Lawrie’s benefit, playing in Aberdeen it’s second nature to him.

Excellent shout mate :clap

[PerryPFC]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb

Excellent shout mate :clap

I'll second that. Top, top pick Dougal!

[Aidymac]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb

Paul Lawrie – outright 1pt e/w @ 60/1 Bet365 (now best priced 50/1 general) Surprised to see this price on Paul Lawrie, was even more surprised when he was 66/1 on Skybet but I was too slow off the mark to get that. T8 in Abu Dhabi continued a fine run of form for Lawrie who finished 2nd at the Dubai World Championships at the end of last year and then started this season with T10 at Fancourt. Lawrie has been transformed from a grumpy old man to a player with a new lease of life after his win at the Open de Andalucia last year, he followedthat up with 2 top five finishes which made for his best year since his Open win. He T19th in Doha last year and the forecast of strong winds can only be to Lawrie’s benefit, playing in Aberdeen it’s second nature to him.

Cracking shout Dougal, well done mate :clap Keith Horne finished 12th , the bad luck continues. :sad

[Dougal]

Re: European Tour: Qatar Masters 2nd-5th Feb Cheers guys! Was a bit worried when Day and Garcia were on the charge but Lawrie was maginificent today, never knew he could hit it that well. Scott Jamieson almost put the icing on the cake by getting into the top ten, finished one shot shy and T12, gave me a good run though.