Preview - 2007 Commercialbank Qatar Masters

January 25th - January 28th 
Doha Golf Club, West Bay, Doha, Qatar 
COURSE ARCHITECT: Peter Harradine (1996)
 
PAR: 72 
YARDAGE: 7,374 
Hole-by-Hole
 1 - Par 5 591 Yds 
 2 - Par 4 433 Yds 
 3 - Par 3 235 Yds 
 4 - Par 4 379 Yds 
 5 - Par 4 452 Yds 
 6 - Par 4 486 Yds 
 7 - Par 4 391 Yds 
 8 - Par 3 195 Yds 
 9 - Par 5 639 Yds 
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      36 3,801 Yds 
 10 - Par 5 548 Yds 
 11 - Par 4 482 Yds 
 12 - Par 4 412 Yds 
 13 - Par 3 202 Yds 
 14 - Par 4 410 Yds 
 15 - Par 4 470 Yds 
 16 - Par 4 307 Yds 
 17 - Par 3 155 Yds 
 18 - Par 5 587 Yds 
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       36 3,573 Yds

Annual: 10th

Defending Champion: Henrik Stenson
Runner-Up: Paul Broadhurst
Tournament Record: 268 (Paul Lawrie, 1999)
54-Hole Record: 200 (Paul Lawrie, 1999)
36-Hole Record: 133 (Andrew Sherborne, 1998;
Paul Lawrie, 1999; Robert Karlsson, 2001; Adam Scott, 2002)
Course Record: 63 (Mark Pilkington, Robert Karlsson, 2001)
Total Purse: $2,000,000
Payouts: 1st Place - $332,770; 2nd Place - $221,857;
3rd Place - $124,995

2006 Finish
Player Score Player Score
Henrik Stenson 273 Niclas Fasth 279
Paul Broadhurst 276 Richard Finch 279
Darren Fichardt 277 Graeme Storm 280
Nick Dougherty 279 Four players at 282
Ricardo Gonzalez 279

Past Commercialbank Qatar Masters Winners
Year Winner (Score) -- Runners-Up
2006 Henrik Stenson (273) -- Paul Broadhurst
2005 Ernie Els (276) -- Henrik Stenson
2004 Joakim Haeggman (272) -- Nobuhito Sato
2003 *Darren Fichardt (275) -- James Kingston
2002 Adam Scott (269) -- Jean-Francois Remesy, Nick Dougherty
2001 Tony Johnstone (274) -- Robert Karlsson
2000 Rolf Muntz (280) -- Ian Woosnam
1999 Paul Lawrie (268) -- Soren Kjeldsen, Phillip Price
1998 Andrew Coltart (270) -- Patrik Sjoland, Andrew Sherborne

* - Won in Playoff

Henrik Stenson will attempt to become the first two-time winner of this event, as he defends his title at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. He will face a tough task, as 10 of the top-30 players in the world are in the field this week, led by 2005 champion and world No. 5 Ernie Els.

After giving up a lead in the final round here in 2006, Stenson fought off all challengers last year to win the Qatar Masters, shooting a four-under 68 to finish at 15-under-par 273. It was a different story than 2005, when the Swede dropped three shots during a two-hole stretch on the back nine to open the door for Ernie Els' win. This time around, Stenson did enough for a three-stroke victory over England's Paul Broadhurst, who shot a two-under 70 to finish alone in second place at 12-under-par 276. Broadhurst opened the final round with a birdie to tie Stenson for the lead at 11-under. He and Stenson both birdied No. 2, but Broadhurst fell back for good when he bogeyed the fourth. While Broadhurst went on to par 11 straight holes, Stenson rolled in a birdie putt at the par-three eighth to make the turn with a two-shot lead at minus-13. Stenson's lead was trimmed to one shot when he bogeyed the par-four 14th, but he got that stroke back and regained his two-shot advantage with a six-foot birdie putt at 15, his second straight birdie at the par-four hole. Broadhurst birdied the par-four 16th for the third straight day to get to minus-12 and within a shot. Stenson, however, responded by rolling in a 30-foot birdie putt at the par-three 17th to again restore his two-shot lead and for good measure, closed with a birdie at 18 for the victory.

In 2005, Els overcame a five-stroke deficit in a windy final round to capture the Qatar Masters. He fired a final-round, seven-under 65 to win by a stroke over Stenson at 12-under-par 276. His five-stroke comeback equaled the best final-round comeback in event history. Joakim Haeggman accomplished the feat in 2004. Els' 65 in the final round also equaled Haeggman's record from 2004 of lowest final round by a winner.

This tournament made European Tour history in 2004 when a total of 84 players made the cut, separated by just five strokes, the fewest number of shots between the 36-hole leaders and the cut line. Not only has there never been a two-time champion, but there has not been a wire-to-wire winner of this event.

Doha Golf Club is a green oasis in the middle of the desert, complete with 10,000 different types of plants, shrubs and trees, and eight artificial lakes. The course is located in the West Bay Lagoons near the capital of Qatar. The course is owned by the State of Qatar and is one of the most luxurious golf clubs in the Middle East. The course layout features a premium on second shots. The par threes are some of the hardest holes on the course and the ninth, a par-five of 639 yards, is one of the longest on tour.

This event marks the second of a three-week stay for the European Tour in the Middle East, now affectionally know as the "Gulf Swing." Last week, Paul Casey captured the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Next week, the swing concludes with the Dubai Desert Classic, where world No. 1 Tiger Woods will be defending his title.