The European Tour completes its second swing through the Middle East when the field tees it up at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters this week. We will have a new champion as last year’s winner Eddie Pepperell will not defend his title. And with a watered-down field similar to what we saw in Oman, the race for the infamous Mother of Pearl Trophy will be heated. Minus some of the more well-known names on Tour, we should still see some fantastic golf. Kurt Kitayama stormed back at Oman to claim the top prize and will peg it up at Doha Golf Club. Thomas Pieters, who finished two shots back last week, opened as the betting favorite at +905. Matchup odds for the Qatar Masters are listed below.
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Scott Hend -110 vs. Mikko Korhonen -120
Marcus Kinhult +152 vs. Andrea Pavan -193
Victor Dubuisson -179 vs. Chris Paisley +142
Andy Sullivan +117 vs. George Coetzee -147
Pablo Larrazabal -134 vs. Kurt Kitayama +104
Thomas Aiken +124 vs. Dean Burmester -156
Victor Perez -108 vs. Minwoo Lee -122
Gaganjeet Bhullar -111 vs. Erik Van Rooyen -119
Sean Crocker -170 vs. Zander Lombard +135
Nicolas Colsaerts -123 vs. Scott Jamieson -107
Alexander Bjork -115 vs. Fabrizio Zanotti -115
Aaron Rai +123 vs. Thomas Detry -154
Adrian Otaegui -130 vs. Clement Sordet +100
Fabrizio Zanotti -116 vs. Ross Fisher -114
JB Hansen -115 vs. Lucas Herbert -115
Chris Wood -125 vs. Romain Langasque -105
David Lipsky -129 vs. Justin Harding -101
Thomas Pieters -172 vs. Tom Lewis +137
Maximilian Kieffer -120 vs. Bradley Dredge -110
Matthias Schwab -140 vs. Soren Kjeldsen +110
Victor Dubuisson -133 vs. Jorge Campillo +103
Thomas Pieters -157 vs. Jordan Smith +125
Jorge Campillo -153 vs. Chris Paisley +122
Jordan Smith -127 vs. Tom Lewis -103
Alexander Bjork -116 vs. Ross Fisher -114
Need To Know
Doha measures right around 7,400 yards and is a typical links-style course with a flat, exposed layout. Designer Peter Harradine also drew up plans for the Abu Dhabi Course where several players in the field participated in January. Three golfers – Soren Kjeldsen, Pablo Larrazabal and Tom Lewis – placed among the top-10 at that event. Not sure if that’s relevant, but it is something to consider when placing your matchup wagers. Another thing to consider is the wind, and players who perform well in those conditions. Kitayama handled the elements in Oman last week while his closest contenders did not. The hard fairways will give players distance on the roll, negating any advantage the heavy hitters would have on this track. The wind will be a factor otherwise sunny conditions are in the forecast.
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Matchup Picks
Jordan Smith -127 vs. Tom Lewis
I’m looking at Smith’s MC in Qatar last year as on outlier on what has otherwise been a strong run of recent form. A second round 76 last week cost him better than the T12 finish, and he’s been strong in the desert with a T11 at Abu Dhabi and a T12 at the DP World Championship last November. He has experienced some success at Doha with a T6 in his debut back in 2017. Lewis has cooled off recently and his record in Qatar hasn’t been the best. He returns for the first time since 2015 looking to improve on his best finish of T37.
Kurt Kitayama +104 vs. Pablo Larrazabal
With a wide open field last week, Kitayama overcame the elements and caught a break when his nearest competitors stumbled down the stretch. Still, he overcame a second round 74, carded a 2-under 70 on Sunday and cleared the field by a stroke for his second Euro Tour win in 11 starts. I know it’s hard to go back-to-back and that’s probably why his odds are high, but he proved he can play the wind and he’s in a field that resembles last week’s, so why not go for it. Larrazabel has stumbled lately trending backward in his last three starts, capped by a MC last week. It may take some time for him to figure out his game.
Clement Sordet +100 vs. Adrian Otaegui
Sordet three-putted himself into second place on the 72nd hole last week, ruining an otherwise solid performance. His recent form has been impressive, however, with a T8 at the Vic Open and T17 at the World Super 6 Perth ahead of his runner-up in Oman. He’s been strong hitting greens in regulation and with a few less putts he should not only contend for the title but win this matchup with Otaegui, who despite a T10 last year at Doha, has struggled to find consistency.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters is scheduled for March 7-10 and can be seen on Golf Channel.
