This week is the 26th hosting of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters being played in the capital of Doha.
The event was added to the DP World Tour schedule in 1998 and to be held on the only green golf course in the Qatar capital, located as it was at the time, on the outskirts of the city and prone the Shamals – the northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states often strong during the day, but decreasing at night.
Scotland’s Andrew Coltart was among those teeing-up in the first Qatar Masters and enjoying the very unique good fortune of having learned just hours before Sunday’s last round that he had earned enough prize-money to be crowned the 1997/98 Australsian Tour No. 1.
Coltart’s decision not to travel ‘down under’ was also doubly rewarded ahead of that closing Doha round as finishing No. 1 earned him a place in the 1998 Open Championship.
The Scot then made it a triple winning treat earning the honour of becoming the first winner of the Qatar Masters.
The stunning ‘Mother of Pearl’ Qatar Masters winner’s trophy
We then saw at the prize-giving one of the greatest-looking rewards in golf, the stunning-looking ‘Mother of Pearl’ trophy. The Mother of Pearl trophy is considered a symbol of the rich Qatari heritage, as pearl diving and trading were the mainstay and backbone of the Qatari culture and identity for a long time, evoking a historical significance and strong emotional bonds amongst Qataris.
Like its name the Mother of Pearl trophy is unique, strong, resilient and is a source of pride to those it has been handed the trophy each year since Coltart became the first winner of the Qatar Masters.
Since Coltart won in 1998 we have applauded golfers from Holland, Zimbabwe, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, South Korea and France in being handed the magnificent trophy.
Sadly, there has not been Irish-born golfer winning in Qatar though it’s not been for lack of trying with the following Irish finishing among the top-10.
1998 – Darren Clarke (T9th)
2000 – Paul McGinley (T7th)
2001 – David Higgins (T8th)
2003 – Paul McGinley (3rd)
2007 – Graeme McDowell (T4th)
2009 – Damien McGrane (4th)
2010 – Peter Lawrie (T9th)
Then there was the best of the Irish:
1999 – Paul McGinley (T16th), Padraig Harrington (T24th)
2002 – Darren Clarke (T24th)
2004 – Peter Lawrie (T36th)
2005 – Paul McGinley (T71st)
2006 – Peter Lawrie & Damien McGrane (T18th)
2008 – Graeme McDowell (T20th)
2011 – Darren Clarke (T12th)
2012 – Michael Hoey (T12th)
2013 – Damien McGrane (T22nd)
2014 – Simon Thornton (T43rd)
2015 – Peter Lawrie (T46th)
2016 – Paul McGinley & Michael Hoey (Missed cut)
More-recently the best finishes among the Irish have not been what you would wish to write home about.
2017 – Paul Dunne (T21st)
2018 – Gavid Moynihan (Missed cut)
2019 – Gavin Moynihan (Missed cut)
2020 – Cormac Sharvin (T66th)
2021 – Cormac Sharvin (T64th)
2022 – Johnnie Caldwell (T46th)
Of course, there’s many tournaments where players from certain countries do not win, and in this regard you only have to go the majors.
However, it’s those ‘regular’ tournaments where the rank-and-file players and those not competing at the highest level that I was looking at in writing this piece.
Of note, is the fact that Rory McIlroy, and despite a double Dubai Desert Classic winner in nearby Dubai, as well as long-time supporter of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and where he’s been runner-up on four occasions between the years 2011 to 2015, not once has he travelled to the Qatar Masters.
One wonders how McIlroy would perform on the Peter Harradine Doha Golf Club course. For starters, Harradine desinged the Majlis course in Dubai where McIlroy won twice.
The same can somewhat be said for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai where McIlroy’s been a winner twice in 2012 and 2015.
So, he’s got a record of winning in the desert.
So too has Shane Lowry, and while Lowry contested the Qatar event on three occasions in 2010 (T24th), 2012 (missed cut) and 2014 (missed cut) he’s been a winner in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Looking back to the inaugural Qatar Masters in 1998 there was five Irish in the field while there is only two teeing-up this week and they are Tom McKibbin and John Murphy.
For each, it’s their maiden Qatar Masters.
Let’s see if either McKibbin or Murphy can break this victory drought in Doha.
