Branden Grace leads Qatar Masters

Edited by Anand Datla

January 22, 2015: Branden Grace capitalised on near windless afternoon conditions in Doha to share the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters midway lead with George Coetzee and Bernd Wiesberger. Grace, already a winner on the European Tour this season at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, made four birdies and a bogey to sit on nine under par.

His four under par round of 68 came on an unusually calm day in Qatar’s capital, although no one could take advantage sufficiently to reach double figures under par.  Grace, five times a European Tour winner, said: “I really thought somebody was going to push on.  You saw the guys from this morning, they were six unders and five unders and seven unders, and nobody really pushed towards the end of the day.”

“The greens weren’t as quick as I thought they were going to be,” added Grace. “They are still very good. They didn’t spike up at all, so it’s a big surprise nobody really pushed on.”

The morning was dominated by Coetzee and Wiesberger trading blows.  Coetzee, whose one European Tour victory came at the 2014 Joburg Open, and Wiesberger, twice a European Tour winner, went round in five and six under respectively.  With both starting on the tenth, Wiesberger birdied five of his first seven holes, including four straight gains from the 13th.

The Austrian almost eagled the first hole, his tenth, with a chip from just off the green but had to settle for a birdie.  His only drop of the day came at the par four seventh, but he made amends by ending with a birdie four for an impressive 66, a round of six under.

Coetzee likewise fared better on his outward nine, making four gains, and also had just one blemish on his card, his second bogey five at the fifth hole this week in a five under par round.

The South African, who holed long putts for birdie at the second and eighth holes while swapping the lead with Weisberger several times, said: “I’m playing well. My swing is coming along slightly and I’m putting pretty nicely. I’ve just got to wait for my birdies and not force it and play the golf course like I know it.”

Wiesberger, who shared sixth place at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last week, said: “I feel comfortable. I haven’t really expected it coming into these two weeks, especially because I played quite poorly last year.  It gives me great confidence; if I keep on doing what I’m doing, I think I’ve worked on the right things the last couple of weeks and it shows.”

Hot on the leaders’ heels are rookie Byeong-hun An, Emiliano Grillo and Marc Warren.  Warren’s round of seven under was particularly colourful, featuring an eagle and seven birdies.  That mark of seven under was jointly the best of the day, with Tommy Fleetwood and Johan Carlsson matching Warren.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia, who shot 69, is in a large group on six under among a bunched leaderboard.  The cut mark was one under, with Major Champion Charl Schwartzel a notable absentee for the next two days, having shot six over in his second round. Last week’s winner Gary Stal also missed the mark.