Adam Scott will continue his love affair with The European Tour when he headlines the strongest field the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy has witnessed in this, its 11th season.
The World Number Eight is one of ten players from the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking who will tee up at the Doha Golf Club and the 27 year old Australian admitted he was very much looking forward to returning to the venue where the world of golf first sat up and took notice of his exceptional talent.
Although his maiden European Tour success came in the 2001 Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa, it was his stunning six shot victory in the 2002 Qatar Masters which proved the catalyst for the Australian to begin his climb towards golf’s upper echelons, an ascent which included a further three European Tour titles.
“It has been a long time since I won back in 2002 and a lot has happened to me since then but I am delighted to now be heading back to Qatar,” said Scott, who warmed up for his return with a top 25 finish in last week’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
“The European Tour gave me a chance when I was a young kid turning professional and they extended a lot of invitations to me. Luckily I was able to take advantage of them and became a member of the Tour before playing in America – so there is a very strong bond there for me.
“It would be very poor of me to forget what The European Tour did for me. That is why I am trying to make the effort to get back over here this year and certainly in the lead up to next year. It is not just because I want to support The European Tour, I think it is healthy for my game as well. I see myself as a global player and it is good to get back to my roots.”
Other players in the top 30 to line up are Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Niclas Fasth, Sergio Garcia, defending champion Retief Goosen, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Scott Verplank and Lee Westwood.
World Number 12 Garcia finished last year’s tournament strongly with a closing 67 and admitted he is keenly anticipating a return to the Gulf State.
“I enjoyed the course last year as well as the warmth of the galleries,” said the Spaniard. “It is certainly a region that has shown commitment to the development of our sport so I am more than happy to be returning to Doha.”
South African Goosen produced a spectacular finish 12 months ago, holing from 30 feet on the final green for an eagle three to snatch the title from under the nose of Australian Nick O’Hern. As well as giving him his 14th European Tour title, he also extended his record of consecutive winning years on Tour to nine, dating back to 1999. It is the longest current streak of active European Tour players.
On the topic of longevity, this week’s tournament will mark a momentous milestone for England’s Barry Lane when he follows in the footsteps of Sam Torrance, Roger Chapman, Eamonn Darcy and Malcolm Mackenzie as only the fifth player in history to play 600 tournaments on The European Tour.
The Englishman has won five times on The European Tour – the 1988 Bell’s Scottish Open, the 1992 Mercedes German Masters, the 1993 Canon European Masters, the 1994 Turespaña Open de Baleares and the 2004 Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters – twice in European Tour Special Approved Events including the first Accenture World Championship of Golf in Arizona in 1995, and played in The 1993 Ryder Cup, four Alfred Dunhill Cups, two World Cups and three UBS Cups.
He has also, since coming through the Qualifying School in 1985, had a perfect attendance record on The European Tour, not once in the past 22 years having finished outside the top 115 on the Order of Merit.
“That is quite an achievement,” he said. “Last year I struggled a little bit but played better towards the end of the season. There are not many guys out here who have played 600 events and there are not many guys out here who have always kept their cards either so I am proud of myself for that.”
