Following Laurie Canter’s playoff victory at the Bahrain Championship, the DP World Tour is straight on to its final Middle Eastern event for a while as the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters takes centre stage.
Tournament number eight of the season will take place at Doha Golf Club in the country’s capital, the site of almost every edition since it began in 1998, and is set to feature six of the eight champions so far this term – although not last year’s winner, Rikuya Hoshino.
The Japanese golfer earned his PGA Tour card at the culmination of the most recent campaign and is over in America this week, therefore there will be a fresh name on the trophy.
Several former champions of this tournament are in the field, however, including Ewen Ferguson, Antoine Rozner, Jorge Campillo and Eddie Pepperell.
Keep reading to discover who the Golf Monthly team have picked as our predicted winners this week as well as the odds for many of the title favorites in Qatar.
Rikuya Hoshino holding the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters trophy in 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Qatar Masters Course: Doha Golf Club
Designed by Peter Harradine, Doha Golf Club’s par-72 championship course was opened in 1998 – just in time for the inaugural Qatar Masters which was won by Sky Sports Golf broadcaster, Andrew Coltart.
Widely regarded as the first grass course to be sewn in the country, Doha GC has played host to 25 of the 27 Qatar Masters to date as well as several Asian Tour events over the years.
It measures at a little more than 7,400 yards these days and features a 639-yard par 5 which, even by the pros, is seldom reached in two – especially if the wind is not helping. The closing stretch is a fascinating trio of holes, with the driveable par-4 16th preceding the 155-yard par-3 17th and the near-600-yard par-5 18th.
The winning score has regularly been in the high-teens here, but strong winds which are common across the desert can really push the victor’s tally down – highlighted by Ewen Ferguson’s seven-under success in 2022.
Doha Golf Club’s championship course
QATAR MASTERS PREVIOUS WINNERS
| Year | Champion | Winning Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Branden Grace | -19 (one stroke) |
| 2016 | Branden Grace | -14 (two strokes) |
| 2017 | Jeung-hun Wang | -16 (playoff – Jaco Van Zyl, Jaokim Lagergren) |
| 2018 | Eddie Pepperell | -18 (one stroke) |
| 2019 | Justin Harding | -13 (two strokes) |
| 2020 | Jorge Campillo | -13 (playoff – David Drysdale) |
| 2021 | Antoine Rozner | -8 (one stroke) |
| 2022 | Ewen Ferguson | -7 (one stroke) |
| 2023 | Sami Valimaki | -18 (playoff – Jorge Campillo) |
| 2024 | Rikuya Hoshino | -14 (one stroke) |
QATAR MASTERS BETTING ODDS
The odds to win outright are via FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Laurie Canter (+1200)
- Jordan Smith (+2200)
- Johannes Veerman (+2200)
- Jorge Campillo (+2500)
- Ewen Ferguson (+3000)
- Keita Nakajima (+3300)
- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (+3500)
- Antoine Rozner (+3500)
- Angel Ayora (+4000)
- Julien Guerrier (+4000)
- Guido Migliozzi (+4000)
- Matthew Jordan (+4500)
- Alejandro Del Rey (+4500)
- Haotong Li (+4500)
- Scott Jamieson (+5000)
- Daniel Hillier (+5000)
- Sam Bairstow (+5500)
- Andy Sullivan (+5500)
- Adrien Saddier (+5500)
- Ugo Coussaud (+5500)
- Takumi Kanaya (+5500)
- All other players priced at +6000 or higher
QATAR MASTERS BETTING PICKS
(Image credit: Getty Images)
FAVORITE: Jorge Campillo (+2500)
Three-time DP World Tour winner Jorge Campillo is somewhat of a Qatar specialist, with a win, two runner-up finishes and a fifth-place in the last six years. The Spaniard played well last week in Bahrain with a T13th finish, where he shot 11-under-par courtesy of four under-par rounds, so he can certainly go and challenge once again this week.
OUTSIDER: Pabla Larrazabal (+8000)
My second pick is another Spaniard in Pablo Larrazabal. The DP World Tour veteran lost out in the playoff to Canter last week in Bahrain so enters the Qatar Masters in tip-top form. His record in Qatar is good, too, with three top-seven finishes in the last seven years and just one missed cut in this event since 2014.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
FAVORITE: Julien Guerrier (+4000)
Aside from Canter, who both Jonny and I backed last week, it’s been slightly difficult to come up with a name to win in Qatar but, after thorough research, I’ve landed on Julien Guerrier, who seems to possess some decent form since the turn of the year.
Looking at his results, he has four T21 finishes and, aside from the Ras Al Khaimah Championship where he finished T50th, the Frenchman has been very steady. Although he didn’t play in this event last year, his overall game, particularly accuracy with the driver and irons, as well as his consistent short game, is a recipe for him to have another strong week.
OUTSIDER: Jens Dantorp (+17000)
Like Guerrier, there’s about 20 different players I could select for the outsider portion of this piece, but I’ve chosen Jens Dantorp as he comes into the week off the back of a T8th finish at the Bahrain Championship.
Throughout that tournament he made plenty of birdies and, if he can cut down the bogeys, there’s no reason why he can’t compete for the top-10 once again. Last year, he finished T33rd in Qatar, with a poor final round his downfall, but with more experience and great accuracy with the irons and putter, he may well sneak another good performance this week at Doha GC.
Jonny Leighfield
(Image credit: Getty Images)
FAVORITE: Joe Dean (+6000)
As Matt mentioned, picking a possible winner this week has been tricky, but I’ve plumped for Joe Dean after selecting him as my outsider to Laurie Canter last time out.
The Yorkshireman has recently recorded a T5th and a T13th finish from unfavorable sides of the draw, so with a bit of luck this week, he can put his strong approach game to good use by going low early and kicking on. His putting has been good throughout the International Swing, with the exception of last week when Dean lost over half a shot to the field and still managed a top-15, so a return to form there could help him record a first DP World Tour win.
OUTSIDER: Ivan Cantero (+6000)
Cantero caught my eye last week courtesy of a lights-out putting display which saw him pick up almost 1.5 strokes on the field with his flat stick. He is regularly producing similar numbers around the green, with a middling approach game the only aspect holding him back.
He has to strike his irons better this week to have a chance – which the young Spaniard is certainly capable of – and with seven made cuts in a row, I’m hoping he can put it all together and contend in Qatar.
HOW TO WATCH THE QATAR MASTERS
USA (ET)
- Thursday, February 6 – Round One: 4:00am – 8:00am (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 8:00am – 9:00am (NBC Sports App)
- Friday, February 7 – Round Two: 4:00am – 8:00am (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 8:00am – 9:00am (NBC Sports App)
- Saturday, February 8 – Round Three: 4:30am – 8:00am (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 8:00am – 9:00am (NBC Sports App)
- Sunday, February 9 – Round Four: 3:30am – 8:30am (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
UK (GMT)
- Thursday, February 6 – Round One: 9:00am – 2:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Friday, February 7 – Round Two: 9:00am – 2:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Saturday, February 8 – Round Three: 9:30am – 2:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Sunday, February 9 – Round Four: 8:30am – 1:30pm (Sky Sports Golf)
Golf Monthly Betting Picks: Best Results 2025
| Result | Player | Event | Price | GM Staff Member |
| 1st | Tyrrell Hatton | Hero Dubai Desert Classic | +900 | Jonny Leighfield |
| 1st | Laurie Canter | Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship | +2200 | Jonny Leighfield/Matt Cradock |
| 2nd | Justin Thomas | The American Express | +1200 | Matt Cradock |
| 2nd | Collin Morikawa | The Sentry | +1000 | Barry Plummer |
| T3rd | Justin Rose | AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | +15000 | Matt Cradock |
| T4th | David Puig | Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship | +1600 | Elliott Heath |
| T6th | Tom McKibbin | Hero Dubai Desert Classic | +9000 | Elliott Heath |
