Richie Ramsay (70) leading Scot in Commercialbank Qatar Masters

Wilson and Dredge share first-round

lead with five-under 67s at Doha

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The European Tour’s perennial "bridesmaid" Oliver Wilson battled testing conditions to card a five under par 67 to share a one-shot first-round lead with Welshman Bradley Dredge at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy.
Wilson, pictured in action today, yet to post a maiden title despite making a Ryder Cup debut in 2008, dropped just one shot on his first circuit of Doha Golf Club despite blustery wind and deep rough leaving the majority of the field over par and just 24 players in the under-par category.
And after Race to Dubai winner Lee Westwood missed an eagle putt at the last which would have claimed the outright lead, Dredge completed a run of four birdies over his final five holes with a 20ft putt to join Wilson at the top of the leaderboard.
“I’m obviously really pleased, but it was a strange one because it didn’t feel that hard. I got in and realised it had been playing tough, but I was disappointed I didn’t pick up more shots coming in. I had some good chances, but all in all, I’m happy,” said Wilson, who missed the cut in Abu Dhabi last week.
“My putting was better. I holed a few putts and overall, everything was good. I drove it well and hit my irons really good.”
Wilson’s almost-there record is well documented - he has finished second nine times with two play-off defeats.
But after turning to technology to leave “no stone unturned” to discover the root of the problem, Wilson is confident he has turned the corner.
The 29 year old did have a chance to ensure the overnight lead at the last but missed a five foot birdie putt following a similar miss two holes earlier, having made his move up the leaderboard with a run of three birdies in four holes after the turn.
“I haven’t won so something needed to change and I did a lot of evaluating over Christmas with various thoughts and stats where I need to improve and implemented a plan,” added Wilson. “And I’m starting to find a lot of answers and part of it has been balance which I’ve worked hard on and suddenly it feels a lot easier to swing the club.
“I’m getting closer to the player I want to be and be able to, not so much master, but improve in other areas and be able to contend.”
Westwood eventually tapped home at the last for a fifth birdie of the day as the World Number Four resumed normal service after last week’s slip up in Abu Dhabi with a new set of irons helping him to a share of second alongside early pacesetter Robert Karlsson, Alexander Noren and Marcel Siem.
The 36 year old Worksop ace also dropped just one shot after a three putt bogey as he found the soft fairways and hard greens to his liking.
“I played very solid,” he said. “I made one decent putt from 25 feet, missed just two greens and two fairways, so I am picking up where I left off from last year.”
Australia’s Brett Rumford carded a 69 to claim seventh, with Sergio Garcia, Camilo Villegas, Ross Fisher and South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel, who has already posted two wins this season, in a group at two under par.
Karlsson - who saw his 2009 campaign ruined by eye problems - held the clubhouse lead for most of the day after his round, which included an eagle on the 15th when he holed his eight iron approach.
But with the blustery conditions easing slightly for the afternoon starters, Siem reached the turn in a flawless 36 despite playing the traditionally tougher front nine, while Wilson made his move with three gains in four holes after the turn.
Westwood, playing with a new set of irons this week after missing the cut in Abu Dhabi, made steady progress to two under par before flourishing at the finish with birdies on the 16th and 18th.
Former tournament winner Paul Lawrie complained about the course after a disappointing, three-over-par score of 75.
"The course set-up this week is very disappointing with far too much rough, especially around the greens," said Lawrie. "It makes a lottery to get it up and down. No feel or touch is required – having a good short game is no advantage this week."

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72. 7388yd
67 Bradley Dredge (Wales), Oliver Wilson (England).
68 Robert Karlsson (Sweden), Alexander Noren (Sweden), Marcel Siem (Germany), Lee Westwood (England).
69 Brett Rumford (Australia).
70 Niclas Fasth (Sweden), Ross Fisher (England), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Peter Hanson (Sweden), Richie Ramsay (Scotland), Charl Schwartzel (South Africa), Camilo Villegas (Colombia).
71 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), Hennie Otto (Rsa), Anders Hansen (Den), Gareth Maybin, Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Alvaro Quiros (Spa), Marc Warren, Shane Lowry, Paul Casey
72 Nick Dougherty, Andrew Coltart, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Peter Lawrie, Paul Broadhurst, Sam Hutsby, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Ignacio Garrido (Spa)
73 Max Williams, Martin Erlandsson (Swe), James Kingston (Rsa), Graeme McDowell, Retief Goosen (Rsa), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Simon Dyson, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa), Gary Lockerbie, Danny Lee (Nzl), Anthony Kang (USA), Gary Boyd, Shaun Micheel (USA), Thomas Bjorn (Den), Edoardo Molinari (Ita)
74 Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Martin Kaymer (Ger), John Bickerton, Anthony Wall, Alastair Forsyth, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa), Michael Hoey, Richard Bland, Christian Nilsson (Swe), Shiv Kapur (Ind), David Horsey, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Kenny Perry (USA), Richard Finch, Richard Green (Aus), Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra)
75 Damien McGrane, Soren Hansen (Den), Rafael Echenique (Arg), Thongchai Jaidee (Tha), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Stephen Dodd, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha), Marcus Fraser (Aus), Henrik Stenson (Swe), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Chris Wood, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind), Stephen Gallacher, Paul Lawrie, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Ian Poulter, Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Ariel Canete (Arg), Thomas Levet (Fra)
76 Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Gary Orr, Colin Montgomerie, Michael Jonzon (Swe), Danny Willett, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Mark Brown (Nzl), Simon Khan
77 Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Francesco Molinari (Ita), Michael Campbell (Nzl), David Howell, Paul Waring, David Lynn, Kenneth Ferrie, Daniel Vancsik (Arg), David Drysdale, Mark Foster, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind), Ross McGowan
78 Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Steve Webster, Todd Hamilton (USA), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Graeme Storm, Rolf Muntz (Ned)
79 Markus Brier (Aut), Tano Goya (Arg), Sam Little, Johan Edfors (Swe), Barry Lane, Seve Benson
80 Jamie Donaldson, Pablo Martin (Spa), Gregory Havret (Fra)
81 Robert Rock, Erik Compton (USA), Rhys Davies
82 David Dixon