Fantasy Golf Predictions – Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

European Tour Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for the 2017 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

The 2017 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Fantasy Preview

The European Tour remains in the Gulf this week for the second leg of the desert swing and the twentieth anniversary of the Commercial Bank Qatar Maters.  Once again Doha Golf Club will be the host venue, and once again we expect those desert specialists to excel on an exposed track with strong breezes in excess of 25km/h anticipated.

In 2015 Branden Grace etched his name onto the trophy alongside such luminaries as Ernie Els, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia, and 12 months ago he became the first player to successfully defend the Qatar Masters crown courtesy of a two-shot lead over Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Thorbjorn Olesen.  It was a Sunday packed with action, with overnight leader Paul Lawrie firing a final round of 78 to slip out of contention; all in all, there were just four rounds of below 70 made on a breezy and chaotic final 18.

Very rarely is life dull in this tournament or at Doha Golf Club in general, with this event holding a bizarre European Tour record for the fewest shots separating the halfway leaders and those missing the cut – just five shots back in 2004.  Scoring is fairly easy given the average hole length and forgiving fairway width, as evidenced by winning marks ranging from -14 to -19 in the last four renewals.  Adam Scott holds the course record after firing a final round of 61 back in 2008.

As far as the field is concerned, the big news is that Rory McIlroy will once again miss out while he recovers from that rib injury, so the headline-act is perhaps major winner and desert specialist Martin Kaymer, who flirted with title honors last week in Abu Dhabi before quietly drifting out of contention.  The German is joined at the head of the Vegas betting markets by perennial favorite Bernd Wiesberger and multi-time champion in 2016, Alex Noren.  Others who love their golf in this part of the world, such as Ryder Cup attendees Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Andy Sullivan, will also be expected to do well.

There’s a raft of former winners at Doha GC to throw into the mix too: Chris Wood, Thomas Bjorn, Alvaro Quiros, Els, and Lawrie will also battle for honors this week.

This week we’re looking at fantasy players who can go long off the tee (Grace ranked sixth for Driving Distance in 2016), hit plenty of greens (19th for GIR) and, unsurprisingly, putt well (the South African ranked first for Putts per Round 12 months ago).  With four Par 5s that are reachable in two for the select few, scoring opportunities do exist on the longer holes.

With that in mind, here are six talents for DFS managers to ponder this week at various salary points:

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Our 2017 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Fantasy Picks and Predictions

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2017 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Fantasy Picks

Rafa Cabrera-Bello – $10,300 – Quite a few pundits question the intestinal fortitude of RCB when he gets into contention, and while clearly we would love to find a winner this week, having the fall-back option of an outstanding talent that shoots plenty of birdies is a great coup for daily fantasy punters.  The Spaniard ranks fifth for Greens in Regulation on the European Tour, and in contending for the lead last week on a 7,600 yard monster track in Abu Dhabi, before eventually finishing 19th, we don’t need to worry about his power game.  The real love for RCB comes in his uber consistent desert play, where in the past two seasons alone he has racked up a staggering six top-25 finishes in eight starts.  His record at Doha – 2-33-3-22 – is the icing on the cake.

Thorbjorn Olesen – $9,300 – Like Cabrera-Bello, Olesen offers up some of his best work in the desert and Doha in particular: 2-MC-3-22 is as consistently good as any record you will find at this course in recent years.  The Dane is a four-time European Tour winner, and one of those came at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2015; this test bears all the hallmarks of Links golf with its windy, exposed conditions and small greens, and so DFS managers could do a lot worse than having this specialist of the ‘old game’ on board.  With a stack of top-20s in the Gulf under his belt, a decent enough showing at last week’s Abu Dhabi Championship to work with (finishing 29th) and ranking inside the top-30 on the European Tour for greens successfully found, Olesen could make a mockery of his value price tag this week.

Chris Wood – $7,600 – A former winner at Doha who has plenty of Links experience under his belt, we’re hoping that Chris Wood can go under the radar as the archetypal sleeper this week.  He missed the cut in Abu Dhabi last week, hence his lack of appeal in Vegas and with the daily fantasy salary-makers this week, but a closer look reveals that while he opened with a round of 76, his second eighteen of 68 – while not enough to make the cut – was equal to second-placed Dustin Johnson and one better than the man who finished fourth, Bernd Wiesberger; Wood will be itching to get going on Thursday.  A victor in last year’s BMW PGA Championship, the 29-year-old also broke the top-25 in his first US Open appearance.

Bradley Dredge – $7,400 – The Welshman is worth drafting this week as he offers the holy partnership of course history and current form.  Dredge finished fourth in this event 12 months ago after birdieing the last four holes, and after finishing T18 in the Dubai Desert Classic it has become clear that he loves playing his golf in this neck of the woods.  A T19 at the Abu Dhabi Championship – which could have been top-10 but for a final round of 73 confirms that fact.  He ranked tenth for Greens in Regulation a week ago and is respected as one of the finest putters on the Tour; another lofty finish is anticipated this time around.

Callum Shinkwin – $6,900 – The 23-year-old is widely regarded as one of the finest young talents on the European Tour, and is expected to join the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrell Hatton in the winner’s circle at some point in 2017.  So why not in Doha?  He shot a back nine of 30 here during the first round 12 months ago, which is a lovely little introduction to his game, and a finish of T36 from his first visit to this track is encouraging.  His form in recent months has been excellent, with five consecutive cuts made and best finishes last season of T8 and T9 at the Scottish and French Opens respectively; both Links-style tests of ability.  Shinkwin’s statistical make-up is excellent (ranking seventh for Driving Distance and 23rd for Greens in Regulation), and this Doha assignment looks purpose-built for the young starlet.

Thomas Bjorn – $6,600 – Why not finish your draft with the inclusion of this wily old fox?  The Dane won here in 2011 and has three top-10s to his name at Doha in total, and while he has been struggling with injuries in recent times he burst back to form in Abu Dhabi last week with a T23 return.  The grand master has 15 European Tour titles under his belt, and he proved in Dubai that there is still life in the old dog yet.  For a bargain option that specialises in desert golf, Bjorn is your man.

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Cover photo via Instagram