International Series Qatar Golf 2024 Tips: 150/1 pick one of four for Asian Tour

Stars will be out in force on the Asian Tour over the next two weeks, as the tour closes out its 2024 season in the Middle East. The Saudi International awaits next week but first it’s to the familiar Doha Golf Club for the International Series Qatar.

With the main tours in a quiet period over winter, our star golf tipster Jamie Worsley's has some bonus previews for us and here is his International Series Qatar 2024 Tips, featuring four selections ranging from 16/1 all the way out to a huge 150/1!

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The International Series was conceived in 2022, as a means to provide the leading player in the mini-series of events a direct route onto the LIV circuit. However, Qatar missed out on a spot in the inaugural series and only debuted on the Asian Tour in February last year.

There, Andy Ogletree beat Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul by three strokes with a winning score of -7, before then finishing the series as the leading player and thus earning himself a spot on LIV for 2024. He doesn’t return to defend his title this week.

THE COURSE

Doha Golf Club hosted the first edition of this tournament and returns this year. It is a course of which we have plenty of experience, having been the predominant host of the Qatar Masters on the DP World Tour since 1998 (excluding 2020 & 2021), with Rikuya Hoshino winning the most recent edition in February this year.

A prolific architect in the Middle East, Peter Harradine designed the course in 1995, and it is reportedly among his favourite designs. This par 72 measures 7465 yards and possesses 4x par 3s (155-223 yards), 10x par 4s (307-515 yards) and 4x par 5s (535-641 yards).

Whether this exposed course is impacted by wind or not, it typically provides a difficult challenge. It averages a winning score of -15.3 across its last 10 appearances on the DPWT and with just six players finishing under par in last year’s renewal of this event, we again saw the high demands of the setup.

Like many courses in the area, this gently rolling desert course is open and can play quite firm, which gives it somewhat of a linksy feel. It uses rocky limestone formations to frame many holes, which helps to give it a more natural look compared to other venues in the region.

The often doglegging fairways are narrow-average in width, though due to many being placed at an angle to the tee position, they can prove very tough to find. Strategic bunkering offers protection, as does the lush rough and for those straying too far from the short grass into the sandy waste areas that sit adjacent most holes, you can easily find an unplayable lie among the native shrubbery.

The undulating paspalum greens are huge, can run reasonably fast and have ranked as some of the toughest to putt on the DPWT over the years. Greens-in-regulation percentages will be high but high-class precision approach play is imperative to conquer them, with it hugely important to leave the ball below the hole.

The edges of the putting surfaces are abound with steep run-offs and false fronts, whilst large and deep greenside bunkers can prove challenging to get up-and-down from.

Water is in-play on six holes, including the par 5s that close out each nine – holes that run alongside one another and require an approach into the same mammoth double green, that is protected by a hazard to the front.

The fun doesn’t end there, with three of the four par 3s protected by water and alongside the drivable par 4 16^th, there is plenty of excitement awaiting at Doha Golf Club.

THE WEATHER

The week starts off in sunny, hot conditions and though those temperatures will come down a little before the end of the week, it will remain clear and bright.

Wind is often a major factor in this region and though starting off fairly gentle with an 8mph breeze on Wednesday, it looks more blustery from there on in. We could see constant wind speeds of up to 17mph for the rest of the week, which may be accompanied by gusts at upwards of 30mph.

KEY STATS

• SG: Putting (paspalum)
• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation

The massive, sloping greens are the most difficult aspect of play at Doha Golf Club and handling them is of primary importance; something that you’ll do with either a strong putting display, a quality precision iron performance, or preferably both.

We don’t have to look far for evidence of this, as 2024’s Qatar Masters winner, Rikuya Hoshino ranked 2^nd in putting and 4^th in approach on his way to victory.

2023 winner of that event, Sami Valimaki excelled in each of these areas, as did Ewen Ferguson in 2022 and whilst we have less data in relation to his game, last year’s International Series Qatar winner, Andy Ogletree is a player who looks comfortable on the greens.

Going back a little further and any success 2019 Qatar Masters champion, Justin Harding has had on the DPWT can largely be attributed to his putting, whilst when taking the title in 2018, Eddie Pepperell ranked 2^nd in approach.

CORRELATING EVENTS

Courses all across the Middle East share very similar characteristics, in that they’re generally exposed and flat with firm, sandy turf, plenty of bunkering and paspalum often the grass of choice. We already have the Qatar Masters at this course to fall back on, but the two events at Education City GC in 2020/2021 should also work.

The Asian Tour has frequented this part of the world more in recent years, and form in Saudi, at the Saudi International, Saudi Open or any of the LIV events there should be a positive; the same goes for the International Series Oman.

In addition, we have a bunch of former DP World Tour players in action, which means we can look to events such as the Dubai Desert Classic, Abu Dhabi Championship, Ras Al Khaimah Championship, Oman Open and Bahrain Championship.

Moving away from the Middle East and the nature of those courses has for a long time enabled strong links proponents to transfer form to this part of the world. Open Championship winners such as Paul Lawrie, Ernie Els and Henrik Stenson have all won in Doha, whilst we can also check out events such as the Scottish Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship for further clues.

THE FIELD

A strong group from LIV are the star attractions for this International Series Qatar event, which includes last week’s Hong Kong Open winner, Patrick Reed; the recognisable South African quartet of Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester; and the talented David Puig from Spain, who is the top-ranking player on the OWGR at #103.

John Catlin has teed it up there several times this year and thanks to victories on the Asian Tour in Saudi and Macau earlier in 2024, he is the player in poll position, both in terms of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and in the International Series standings.

Other notable entrants include the 2^nd-ranked player on those season-long standings, Richard T. Lee; highly-rated Spanish youngster and former #16 amateur, Luis Masaveu makes his first start as a pro; and South Africa’s talented Yurav Premlall will tee it up having recently won his first professional title on the Sunshine Tour.

International Series Qatar Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main International Series Qatar market on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this tournament.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders: Patrick Reed 9/1, David Puig 10/1, Dean Burmester 10/1, Branden Grace 16/1, Ben Campbell 18/1, Louis Oosthuizen 18/1

I’m going to dive straight in near the top of the betting and having steadily improved on each of his last three starts, and possessing an excellent record in Doha, I’m taking Branden Grace to record his first win in over two years this week.

2.5 pts Branden Grace each way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 16/1

There’s no doubt Grace has had a poor season on LIV, recording just two top 20s and languishing all the way down in 51^st position (out of 57) in their season-long rankings. He has looked good on the Asian Tour, finishing no worse than 27^th in his four starts this year and comes into this after a promising trio of results.

The first of those came when he finished 35^th in a strong field in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, looking in good form with his irons over his two rounds at the Old Course. He’s then followed that with finishes of 19^th in the International Series Thailand and 6^th in the Vodacom Origins Final back home in South Africa on his last two starts.

At his best a few years ago, he was an excellent tee-to-green player and it’s a positive to see him hitting the ball solidly on LIV in 2024, ranking top 15 in both driving accuracy and greens-in-regulation. As someone who has recorded several wins on paspalum, I’m confident he can find something on the greens here.

Grace won the Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016. A win in the Dunhill Links in 2012 emphasises his suitability to the challenge and with his form figures trending in a positive direction, I expect him to be among the leading contenders at this former happy hunting ground.

1.75 pts Sadom Kaewkanjana each way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 25/1 

Right at the start of 2022, two players that looked destined for bigger things won events staged back-to-back in Singapore. One of them was now three-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim, and the other was Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana. Though things haven’t quite worked out in the same way for the Thai star, he’s had an ultra-consistent season and coming into this after his joint-best result of the year on the Asian Tour last week, I’m expecting him to go close in Qatar.

Kaewkanjana has made 18 starts on the Asian Tour this season and missed just the one cut. He’s had 11 top 25s across those starts and produced best finishes of 4^th in the International Series England and in last week’s Hong Kong Open.

He’s a strong putter, ranking 25^th on the greens this season and he looked good on the greens over the final three rounds there. He also found plenty of greens and if he can again combine these two areas, he’s got the skills to handle the challenge of Doha Golf Club.

Kaewkanjana was a solid 22^nd here on his debut last year and he’s produced several other strong efforts in the Middle East in recent years, finishing 2^nd in the International Series Oman and 4^th in the Saudi International at the beginning of 2023. A superb 11^th-place finish at the Old Course on his Open Championship debut in 2022 offers plenty of added encouragement.

1.25 pts Brendan Steele each way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 40/1

Barring a win in Adelaide in April, Brendan Steele has done little of note on LIV in 2024. That being said, that was an event in which last year’s International Series Qatar winner, Andy Ogletree achieved his best finish of the season of 3^rd, and as a player with some excellent form in the desert to his name from the PGA Tour, he looked worth chancing on what may be a suitable layout.

Aside from that win, Steele didn’t record another finish inside the top 10 and had just two further top 20s, which came in Nashville and Miami.

However, as stated, there was nothing to be overly concerned about when looking at his stats, and he particularly drove the ball competently, ranking inside the top 17 in both driving distance and driving accuracy. This is very much what we’d expect of the American and as a high-quality iron player throughout his career, he has the attributes to reduce the danger of these greens.

Steele hasn’t played here before, but he has performed solidly enough in Jeddah in each of the last two years, finishing 17^th and 22^nd. As a former winner of the Texas Open and possessing several top 5s across The AmEx and Phoenix Open, he has some very handy desert form and these are experiences that can help him get to grips with Doha Golf Club on his first try.

0.5 pts Luis Masaveu each way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 150/1

I mentioned young Spanish star, Luis Masaveu above and at an appealing each-way price, I was very keen to give him a shot this week.

Masaveu only turned pro at the end of October, after a six-year amateur career that took him as high as #16 in the world. He’s had several standout performances over that time, such as runner-up finishes in the 2022 Copa Sotogrande and 2023 Lytham Trophy. Although, despite recording a couple of victories in recent years it was perhaps his last amateur start that impressed most, as he finished 3^rd in the US Amateur back in August.

He's played twice since then, finishing 52^nd in the Open de Espana – an event in which he was 34^th in 2022 – and he did attempt to qualify for the DPWT via Q-School, though disappointingly finished outside the top 100. However, that is a result I wouldn’t take too much notice of, as it’s an ultra-intense and unusual event played over six days across two courses.

Masaveu is a typically modern, power-packed player, with driver appearing his biggest weapon, as he showed when ranking 7^th off-the-tee and 4^th in driving distance at the Open de Espana. That being said he’s also demonstrated a decent touch on and around-the-greens among his limited starts, and with some decent links form from his amateur days, most notably that 2^nd-place finish in the Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham & St Annes, he may just appreciate what he finds in Doha.

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