South African successfully defends European Tour title
Every top golfer will admit that the joy of winning a golf tournament lies not only in the huge sums of prizemoney to be earned but also in the honour of lifting the title and adding another piece of silver to the trophy cabinet. This sentiment takes on a whole new meaning during the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Doha where players compete for The Mother of Pearl Trophy , said to be the heaviest trophy in golf. It is an absolute beauty, shaped like a massive oyster, but the winner is advised not to pose with it for too long and is warned not to attempt to raise it above his head for the gathered paparazzi in a moment of passionate triumph. Such an act could well put him out of action for the rest of the season!
Luckily Branden Grace from South Africa knew just what he was doing at the weekend. The 27 year old lifted the trophy for the second time to become the first player to successfully defend the Qatar Masters title. He did it in great style coming from two shots behind and putting the pressure on overnight leader Paul Lawrie. The Scot, who teed-off on the final day (Saturday, 30 January) on 13-under par, was looking in full control on the challenging 7,374 yard, par 72 desert-style course. He was heading for his third win in the Qatar Masters following victories in 1999 and 2012.
Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen was also enjoying a good tournament, smiling from ear to ear during most of the final round. A trio of Englishmen were in the mix too. Lee Slattery still in a rich vein of form from last season, together with fellow Southport Tour player, 25-year old Tommy Fleetwood and the burly Londoner Andrew Johnston.
Lawrie not just killing time on Tour
At 47 years of age, you would be forgiven for thinking that Paul Lawrie is just killing time on the Tour right now, getting ready for his debut on the European Senior Tour. Last season, however, the player from Aberdeen showed the new generation that the former Open Champion still has a lot of great golf left in him just waiting to be unleashed. His opening round of 61 in the last KLM Open bears testament to this.
During a rather cool and very windy final round on Saturday, leader Lawrie had a change of fortune on the back nine in Doha. Indeed, a nightmare scenario began at the 9th hole where he pulled his tee-shot left into the desert and then zig-zagged to the green via the water on the right eventually carding a double bogey 7 on the par 5 to slip back to 10-under for the tournament. A loss of two strokes and a loss of energy and concentration. Lawrie looked to be lost in the desert for the next few holes. A birdie at the 17th eventually restored his self-belief. But the damage had been done. The Scot eventually signed for a 78 and had to settle for a share of 13th place together with Holland’s Joost Luiten, among others.
South African Branden Grace now had the outright lead on 12-under just one stroke ahead of England’s Lee Slattery. Within minutes the leaderboard had changed again as the player from Southport saw his approach to the 10th roll back off the green. His chip-shot then suffered the same gruelling fate. Result? An untimely bogey to kill his momentum and see him drop back to 4th place. It was fellow Englishman Andrew Johnston who replaced Slattery in second spot after a birdie at the 11th had got him to 11-under. And so the last nine holes continued to change hands.
Thorbjorn Olesen, Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Bradley Dredge from Wales were also in the picture having joined Johnston on 11-under. The Welshman finished with four straight birdies for a closing 69 to become the leader in the clubhouse. And then, without any undue fuss, young Olesen holed his 15-foot putt for birdie on the last to go one better and get to 12-under. It was a vital putt to make in order to snatch joint runner-up spot with Rafa Cabrera-Bello and a lion’s share of the prize fund: 198,791 euros each. One putt more would have meant 100,000 euros less in prize-money for the 26-year old Dane.
Slattery stays cool as Grace keeps grip on Mother of Pearl
Branden graced the greens and fairways dotted across the Doha desert golf course with an air of ease until, two ahead with two to play, the defending champion missed a good birdie chance by a whisker on the 17th. Slattery was also keeping his cool. He gave himself a chance for eagle on the 16th but his putt slid past the hole and he missed the return for a disappointing par. Undeterred, he fired a glorious iron to the 155-yard, 17th which very nearly found the hole in one. Firing on all cylinders, he followed this birdie with another at the 18th for a round of 70 to share 4th place with Dredge and Johnston on 12-under par.
In keeping with tradition, the imminent champion, Branden Grace was last to hole out on the 589-yard, par-5 18th, where he had already made birdies in rounds two and three. He did it in style: another birdie, his 16th of the tournament, to give him a two-shot victory and secure his 7th European Tour title. Grace is the fourth South African to win on the European Tour this season.
Wendy Hoad
PICTURED: (from the top) Branden Grace lifts the Mother of Pearl Trophy … Smiles from Thorbjorn Olesen … Overnight leader Paul Lawrie shooting at clouds on Saturday … Cool and classy Lee Slattery … Dressed for the occasion in Qatar Masters colours, Branden Grace makes another birdie on the final hole to successfully defend his title.