Qatar Masters preview: Steve Palmer's free golf tips & course guide

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Qatar Masters at Education City Golf Club on the European Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 7.30am Thursday

Best bets

Matthias Schwab
2pts each-way 25-1 Sky Bet
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Marcus Kinhult
1.5pts each-way 50-1 Betway, Coral
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Adrien Saddier
1pt each-way 110-1 bet365
Back this tip with bet365Connor Syme
1pt each-way 90-1Coral
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Matthew Jordan
1pt each-way 80-1Betfred, Hills, Sky Bet
Back this tip with bet365Jack Singh Brar
0.5pt each-way 140-1 bet365
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Martin Kaymer headlines a European Tour Middle East gathering for the second week in succession, starting the Qatar Masters as favourite after finishing tenth in the Oman Open on Sunday.

The dual Major champion has opened the new year with form figures of 8-16-13-10 and has been talking positively about the direction in which his game is heading, but the German's short game still leaves plenty of room for improvement.

Thomas Pieters, who missed the cut by a shot in Oman last week, is difficult to trust in the wake of that tetchy failure, while Sami Valimaki, a gutsy winner in Oman, is 80-1 to follow up immediately in Doha.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Matthias Schwab 25-1

Season four on the European Tour for Matthias Schwab has started in steady if unspectacular fashion, but the Austrian has a great opportunity to step his campaign up a gear in the Qatar Masters.

Schwab is one of the tidiest operators on the circuit – he has a tight swing which repeats and rarely suffers serious malfunction – and his long-game solidity makes him a prime candidate for success at a new venue which could prove a difficult challenge.

Schwab twice finished runner-up last year and was regularly threatening a European Tour breakthrough in the closing months of the season, with form figures of 4-2-20 in the Final Series, and the 25-year-old seems ready to lift silverware in a low-grade affair like this one.

There was no disgrace in a share of 42nd place on his Mexico Championship debut last time out at a tricky course at altitude – expect much better this week from a player who has quickly registered 14 top-ten finishes on the European Tour.

Next best bet

Marcus Kinhult 50-1

Another neat and tidy player to follow for a potentially fiddly assignment at a course with heavy bunkering and lots of water is Marcus Kinhult, who became a European Tour champion at the British Masters last year.

Kinhult went on to finish his campaign strongly, with seven top-20s in his final nine events of the 2019 season, including a runner-up effort behind Tommy Fleetwood in the Nedbank Challenge. The Swedish youngster has made a slow start to this year, but he has a good record in the desert, including third place in the 2018 Qatar Masters.

Other selections

Adrien Saddier 110-1

Connor Syme 90-1

Matthew Jordan 80-1

Jack Singh Brar 140-1

Adrien Saddier has won on the Challenge Tour and may be ready for a European Tour breakthrough at the age of 27. The Frenchman finished third in the Oman Open on Sunday, losing by a shot after Brandon Stone and Valimaki both birdied the 18th hole. Saddier closed last season with fourth place in the Portugal Masters and is suited to a stiff tee-to-green test, which Education City Golf Club could turn into if the wind blows as forecast.

Three more outsiders are worthy of each-way support. Scotsman Connor Syme is an accurate player who enjoyed a solid Challenge Tour campaign last season, which included a victory, and he has looked comfortable in the higher grade this term. He improved his score each day for tenth place in Oman last week.

Matthew Jordan also finished strongly in Oman, fighting back from a Thursday 77 to claim a share of 18th place after a final-round 66, and the promising Wirral lad has registered back-to-back top-20s on the European Tour. The Challenge Tour graduate is a solid all-rounder who could flourish amid the breeze of Education City.

And Jack Singh Brar also merits a place in the staking plan. The Hampshire boy is typically accurate and plays well in the desert. He won an Alps Tour event in Egypt in 2018 at a course which bears similarities to Education City and he opened 2020 with top-20s in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Players to note

Joost Luiten
The Dutchman was swinging well and took favouritism into the final round of the Oman Open, but closed with a 75 to finish tenth. He should contend again in Qatar if he can get over that Sunday shocker.

Eddie Pepperell
Education City, a potentially strategic test which may require sound course management, is a layout which could appeal to the eye of Pepperell. The 2018 Qatar champion needs a big week to keep his hopes of playing in the Masters alive.

Robert MacIntyre
The Scot was struggling with a hand injury at the start of the year, which delayed his return to action. If he is back to full throttle, Education City seems an ideal venue for him to threaten a European Tour breakthrough.

Min Woo Lee
The Aussie played the par-fives in six over par in round one of the Oman Open, destroying his tournament by being overly aggressive, but the Vic Open champion will probably get back on track soon enough.

Education City course guide

Course Education City Golf Club, Doha, Qatar
Prize money $1.75m ($291,660 to the winner)
Length 7,307 yards
Par 71
Field 144

When to bet By 3.25am Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 7.30am Thursday

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

Last week - Oman Open 1 S Valimaki (250-1), 2 B Stone (80-1), 3 A Saddier (250-1), T4 G Migliozzi (100-1), M Korhonen (80-1), T6 G Coetzee (50-1), A Canizares (175-1), J Smith (40-1), R Hojgaard (175-1)

Course overview Doha Golf Club has staged this event every year since 1998, but Education City Golf Club, which opened at the start of last year, takes over this time. The immaculately groomed, undulating, desert track has only three par fives – the second, sixth and 13th – and closes with a 513-yard par four. It was designed by Jose Maria Olazabal and there are plenty of water hazards, as well as numerous bunkers, along with troublesome walls and bushes, to keep scoring in check. The greens typically roll fast too so Ollie's creation seems unlikely to be destroyed by the European Tour raiders

Story of last year Justin Harding finished two shots ahead of a remarkable pack of nine players who finished tied for second place at Doha GC

Weather forecast Hot and sunny for all four days, with light to moderate breezes throughout

Type of player suited to the challenge This appears a more strategic test than many of the Middle East venues, with bunkers galore and lots of troublespots to be avoided, so accurate operators who churn out greens in regulation may be favoured

Key attribute Accuracy

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