Ewen Ferguson is going to again draw strongly on his Scottish golf up-bringing if he’s to capture the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in windswept Doha.
Ferguson produced a timely 16th hole birdie in a round of 73 to drop to five-under-par, but trails just three shots off the lead on the exposed Doha Golf Club course.
England’s Matthew Jordan birdied three of closing four holes in a score of 70 to be tied at the top on eight-under par with Poland’s Adrien Meronk, who birdied the last for a third day running his score of 72.
Ewen Ferguson looking for that maiden DP World Tour win. (Photo – PlanetGolf)
Ferguson shares seventh place and with 18 players within four shots of the lead but with the winds playing havoc with the Qatar field.
The winds were around 15 mph but also gusting, at times, to 30 mph and with conditions to be same over the final day of the 25th hosting of the Qatar event.
Ferguson’s, of course, is no stranger to the wind but it presents a big test of any golfer’s patience and particularly in a rookie Tour season, and the 25-year-old Glaswegian having gone close to a maiden win a month ago in Kenya.
He said: “Today was just so windy, and it was very much about holing the five-footers for par. It was also just hard to gauge the wind, and it just made it hard for driving, chipping and putting.
“All you do was hang on and keep grinding away, and try to commit to every shot the best way you could.
“Looking at the board, I’m just three back and I’m happy just knowing my game is going in the right direction.
“Hopefully, I can get off to a good start and just try my best and see what happens”.
If successful, Ferguson will join fellow Scots Andy Coltart and Paul Lawrie in being handed the stunning ‘Mother of Pearl’ trophy.
Peebles Craig Howie, and with a round of 70, is next best of the Scots sharing 32nd place at two-under.
- Thanks for Yasmain’s great help out in Doha with this story
