Alvaro Quiros wins Qatar Masters
Alvaro Quiros of Spain has won the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy by three shots from Henrik Stenson and Louis Ooisthuizen.
Alvaro Quiros has won the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy by three shots from Henrik Stenson and Louis Ooisthuizen.
The Spaniard began the last round with a one-stroke lead over the field but three bogeys in the first eight holes opened the door for his nearest rivals. Quiros then put his foot on the accelerator and birdied four of the next five to take control. But, when his second shot found the water on the 15th, it looked as though he might crumble. The 26-year-old kept his composure, however, and got up and down to salvage a miraculous bogey five.
Birdies at the 16th and 17th put the title beyond his playing partner Oosthuizen and that left only Stenson in the hunt. The Swede gave it everything down the stretch making an eagle at the 10th then an excellent birdie at the 15th. But, he failed to birdie the short par 4 16th and then three-putted the final green for a bogey six.
That meant Quiros had a three shot lead to play with down the 72nd hole and he made absolutely certain of claiming his third European Tour title, with a regulation par 5.
“At the beginning of the year I was trying to get into the top 50 in the world." Said Quiros who moves into the top 30 with this win. "After Abu Dhabi, my game was good, but now I'm very close to the Majors. The most important thing is I'm qualified for the Match Play and it's the first World Golf Championships I will play and it's very important for me."
Oosthuizen, who also finished second last week in Abu Dhabi, struggled to get anything going through the final round. He missed a number of greens early in the round and couldn’t find top form with his putter. But, a crucial birdie at the closing hole lifted him into a tie for second place with Stenson.
Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy Doha GC, Doha, Qatar Jan 22-25, purse €1,925,000, par 72
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1 Alvaro Quiros (Esp) 69 67 64 69 269 €314,000 T2 Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 67 65 69 71 272 €163,844 T2 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 66 72 66 68 272 €163,844 4 Damien McGrane (Ire) 69 69 70 67 275 €94,321 T5 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Esp) 66 71 70 69 276 €73,005 T5 Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 68 70 66 72 276 €73,005 T7 Andrew Coltart (Sco) 66 69 70 72 277 €43,689 T7 Simon Dyson (Eng) 72 70 69 66 277 €43,689 T7 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Esp) 69 72 67 69 277 €43,689 T7 Sergio Garcia (Esp) 70 70 67 70 277 €43,689 T7 Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 69 69 69 70 277 €43,689
Note: Players in bold signifies Titleist ball usage only
Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.
He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.
Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?
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