Racing Post's Qatar Masters predictions, best bets and free golf tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Qatar Masters at Doha GC on the DP World Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf, 9am Thursday

Best bets

Adri Arnaus
2pts each-way 20-1 Hills
Pablo Larrazabal
1.5pts each-way 35-1 Coral
Oliver Bekker
1pt each-way 33-1general
Sihwan Kim
1pt each-way 66-1 Hills

After three weeks in Africa, the DP World Tour heads back to the Middle East for the Qatar Masters, whose field has been hit hard by the clash with the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play.

South African Dean Burmester is the highest-ranked player and would have made the Austin field had he attained 64th spot before this week.

He will be confident after finishing second at the Steyn City Championship last week but this looks like being a competitive field as the tournament returns to Doha GC after a two-year stay along the road at Education City.

Ian Wilkerson's top tip

Adri Arnaus 20-1

The modest nature of this field suggests that Adri Arnaus has a fine chance to claim his first title at this level and the Spaniard is in the kind of form to make his presence felt.

Arnaus finished 14th the last time the tournament was played at this venue and he was second in his last outing at the MyGolfLife Open, despite starting the second round eight shots off the pace.

Arnaus also has a decent desert pedigree, having won the Challenge Tour Grand Final at Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE in 2018. More recently, he was third in the star-studded Saudi International, where a closing 71 saw him slip out of contention.

He has finished second in five DP World Tour events and was third at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2020, when he was two shots in arrears.

Arnaus missed the cut there this year but he has finished in the top ten in six of his last eight outings, so all the ingredients are there for another strong challenge.

Next best bet

Pablo Larrazabal 35-1

Another Spaniard, Pablo Larrazabal, missed the cut at last week's Steyn City Championship after a second-round 73 but he was in good nick before that, winning the MyGolfLife to claim his sixth triumph at this level.

It is eight years since he won the Abu Dhabi Championship, one of the most prominent DP World Tour events, and he was fourth when the Qatar Masters was played at this week's venue in 2018.

However, it is his more recent form that provides even great encouragement to his backers. Larrazabal was sixth in Saudi Arabia, third at the Ras Al Khaimah, and started with a fine 67 before fading in Dubai, so his game is plainly in a good place and he is worth chancing.

Other selections

Oliver Bekker 33-1

Sihwan Kim 66-1

South African Oliver Bekker has made an excellent start to life on the DP World Tour and it was perhaps not a surprise that the three-time Sunshine Tour winner played well in three recent tournaments on his home continent.

However, with regard to this tournament, it was his consecutive top-ten finishes at Ras Al Khaimah which caught the eye and his third place at Steyn City last week included a second-round 63.

He has moved up 42 places in the world rankings since the turn of the year, to 117th, and is capable of making further progress.

Meanwhile, American Sihwan Kim has been tearing it up on the Asian Tour. His win at the International Series Thailand two weeks ago was his first success on that circuit and it came after a second-placed finish in the Royals Cup and fourth at the Singapore Open, the standard of which was not much lower than this week's tournament.

He was 59th at the Saudi International but he could make an impression in this sort of field.

Players to note

George Coetzee
Five top-ten finishes at this venue would put the South African into the mix but he was unable to build on an opening 65 at Steyn City last week.

Justin Harding
Harding, who won this tournament the last time it was played at Doha GC three years ago, will fancy his chances after top-ten finishes in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.

Hurly Long
After four top-25s in five finishes since graduating from the Challenge Tour, including third in the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, the German could have a role to play.

Doha GC course guide

Course Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
Prize money $2m ($333,400 to winner)
Length 7,401 yards
Par 72
Field 144
Course records- 72 holes 268 Paul Lawrie (1999), Adam Scott (2008) 18 holes 61 Adam Scott (2008)

Course winners taking part Darren Fichardt, Chris Wood, Eddie Pepperell, Justin Harding

When to bet By 3.30am Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf, 9am Thursday

Time difference Qatar is three hours ahead of the UK & Ireland

Last week - Steyn City Championship 1 S Norris 66-1, 2 D Burmester 16-1, T3 O Bekker 30-1, M Schmid 80-1, T5 JH Du Preez 1,250-1, JB Hansen 60-1, T Pulkkanen 90-1.

Course overview Doha GC returns to host this event after the last two were played at Education City GC. Before that sabbatical, it has staged the tournament each year since 1998.

Big hitters have flourished on occasions with Adam Scott (twice), Ernie Els, Alvaro Quiros, Robert Karlsson, Sergio Garcia and Branden Grace all taming the track with aggressive driving, but the winds can pick up, meaning accuracy comes to the fore.

Those unable to hit the ball 300 yards off the tee have also managed to come out on top in a tournament that now suffers in terms of quality due to its clash with the WGC Match Play.

Three of the par-fives are lengthy (the 591-yard first, the 639-yard ninth and the 589-yard 18th) and the greenkeepers typically try to get the putting surfaces firm.

Story of last year Frenchman Antoine Rozner fired a closing 67 to see off Gaganjeet Bhullar, Darren Fichardt and Guido Migliozzi by a one-shot margin at Education City.

Weather forecast The first two days should be sunny and clear, but winds will be stronger over the weekend when more cloud cover is predicted. Temperatures are set to range between 26C and 29C.

Type of player suited to the challenge Some power can help players establish an early advantage but good play in the wind will also be a big asset. Control off the tee rather than length could prove beneficial.

Key attribute Accuracy

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