Qatar Masters 23rd-26th Jan

[RussP]

Don't forget that they tee off in Doha on Wednesday this week :ok

[RussP]

Re: Qatar Masters 23rd-26th Jan Off to Qatar for the 2nd leg of the Desert Swing, an event won last year by Paul Lawrie in a 54 hole event. Normally this event is affected by strong winds so it could pay to look at somebody comfortable when it's blowing; however, the forecast is for much calmer weather this week. What I would say though is that the first morning is forecast to be calmer than the afternoon and all 3 selections have early tee times in the hope we get off to a flying start. I'm opposing the 3 market leaders; I really don't fancy Oosthuizen to win back to back whilst Rose's inability to finish off last week makes single figure odds too short. It's already been said that these greens don't suit Kaymer and his biggest chance of a win on the Desert Swing came last week. Statistically, it's a course that favours the same players year on year so a good finish in the last few years is quite a strong trends, whilst hitting the greens here is absolutely key. That, for me, is the key trend with distance and putting average the other 2 attributes you'd like to have on your side. One last thing is that there's yet to be an English winner in over 10 years of this event! I really struggled to find outsiders with solid chances so 2 of my 3 this week are very well fancied with 1 slightly more speculative selection. Stan James are paying 6 places so I've backed with him even at the risk of slightly worse odds. P.Hanson to win Qatar Masters, 3pts EW @ 14/1 Stan James (1/4 odds 1-6) Peter Hanson is now turning into a real class act. 2 wins and 3 further top 10's in his last 10 events underline that point, the 2 wins coming in the KLM Open and the BMW Masters. Has started the season pretty well, finishing midfield at the Volvo Champions but followed up with a top 10 last week. That looks even better after his opening 36 of +1. Rounds of 66 and 69 to finish off show him at the top of his game. Has not particularly had a love affair with Doha until last year when he finished tied 2nd, behind Paul Lawrie. He will take loads of confidence from that too. Statistically, his game is perfectly suited to this course; he's pretty long and normally very good with his irons but his strength now is his putting. One of the very best out there, he looks to have a top chance this week. So much so that I'd have him favourite for this. S.Garcia to win Qatar Masters, 3pts EW @ 12/1 Stan James (1/4 odds 1-6) Sergio's season debut, which is the only concern, in an otherwise perfect profile for this week's event. 4 top 10's in his last 5 visits here make him the real Doha form horse although he's yet to enter the winners enclosure there. However, his game really has hit top form again and he's learnt how to win, backed by 2 in his last 7 at the Wyndham and Johor. His putting has improved lots in the last 12 months whilst his driving continues to be one his strong points. With question marks over many of the other market leaders and his terrific course form, I think Sergio will be there or thereabouts come Saturday. R.Cabrera-Bello to win Qatar Masters, 1.5pts EW @ 45/1 Stan James (1/4 odds 1-6) The longshot of my trio, Rafa is my 2nd Spaniard this week. Is one of the very best with his irons and that's a massive plus where I actually think the performance on the tough Par 3's could prove decisive. His putting is the one area that will make or break his week; has struggled for consistency on the short stuff but that's not to say he can't hole them when in contention. He can. Was 2nd 2 years ago here after hitting a 5 over 77 in the first round. A reproduction of the final 3 rounds there will almost certainly see him in the winners enclosure here. Did win in the desert 12 months ago, albeit at the Dubai Desert Classic, so he'll be hopeful he can add to that tally. 9th and 23rd in his 2 starts this year prove he's striking the ball well so I'm happy at the price to get involved on Cabrera-Bello.